While previous studies of Singapore have
focused on its development as a modern city-state, this innovative book
presents a more critical analysis of contemporary development issues, with
an emphasis on the state’s organisation of economic, social and political
space.
Drawing parallels with the past, while looking
towards the future, this book begins with an analysis of Raffles' colonial
port city, providing the platform for subsequent examination of
newly-independent Singapore's mission to modernise and westernise in the
pursuit of progress. Notions of equity, identity and contestation are
explored in the context of the PAP government's highly-centralised approach
to social organisation and political management. The transformation of the
economy is examined in the light of its cost to domestic enterprise and
dependence upon imported labour, while changing and contrasting attitudes
towards heritage conservation are examined through contemporary case
studies. The book concludes with some prescriptive comments on place
identity in an era of global integration.
While primarily designed as an academic text,
this book makes essential reading for the informed public, not only for
Singaporeans willing to push the boundaries within the city-state, but also
for outsiders seeking to understand the underlying complexities of
development in a country which presents an outward image of seamless
efficiency.
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Ooi, Giok Ling and Brian, J.
Shaw. 2004. Beyond the port city: Development and Identity in 21st
Century Singapore. Singapore: Prentice Hall.
(176 pages, ISBN
0-13-008381-X)
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