Managing Chineseness: Identity and Ethnic Management in Singapore

268 Pages·2017·2.798 MB·English

by  Daphnee Lee (auth.)

MANAGING
CHINESENESS
Identity and Ethnic Management
in Singapore
DAPHNEE LEE
Frontiers of Globalization
Series Editor
Jan   Nederveen Pieterse
University of California , Santa Barbara
California , USA
With the onset of the twenty-fi rst century, key components of the archi-
tecture of twentieth-century globalization have been crumbling. American
hegemony has weakened politically and economically. Laissez-f aire capi-
talism that shaped the neoliberal globalization has proved to be crisis-
prone and is giving way to a plurality of ways of organizing and regulating
capitalism. With the rise of emerging societies the driving forces of the
world economy are shifting not merely geographically but structurally;
industrializing societies, rather than postindustrial consumer societies, are
again propelling the world economy. These changes involve major breaks:
an era of multipolarity; the affi rmation of the plurality of capitalisms; the
emergence of new modernities; and the new patterns of East-South and
South-South relations, in contrast to the North-South relations. These
changes unfold on a global scale and cannot be properly understood on a
national, regional or even international basis. They represent major trends
breaks, although actual changes may well take shape through a thousand
small steps. Understanding these changes requires interdisciplinary and
kaleidoscopic approaches that range from global political economy to cul-
tural transformations. The series welcomes contributions to global studies
that are innovative in topic, approach or theoretical framework. Amid the
fi n-de-regime of the millenium, with globalization in the throes of dra-
matic changes, the series will cater to the growing interest in educational
and study material on contemporary globalization and its ramifi cations.
Proposals can be submitted by mail to the series editor: Jan Nederveen
Pieterse, Mellichamp Professor of Global Studies and Sociology, Global
& International Studies Program, University of California, Santa Barbara,
CA 93106-7065, USA
More information about this series at
h ttp://www.springer.com/series/14992
Daphnee   Lee
Managing
Chineseness
Identity and Ethnic Management in Singapore
Daphnee Hui Lin   Lee
The Education University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Frontiers of Globalization
ISBN 978-1-137-58257-7 ISBN 978-1-137-58258-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-58258-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016950459
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2 017
The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifi ed as the author(s) of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of
translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now
known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information
in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub-
lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the
material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.
Cover illustration: © iStockphoto.com
Printed on acid-free paper
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature
The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London
A
CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is the outcome of the research work I undertook in Singapore
prior to my relocation to Hong Kong. I am deeply touched and grate-
ful for the kindness and generosity of the colleagues and friends I met
in Singapore—who equally represented both Singaporeans and non-
Singaporeans—and in Australia. Their generosity in sharing ideas and
friendship have benefi ted the development of my scholarship in so many
ways beyond this book publication. While their contributions cannot be
strictly confi ned to the following domains, I would like to acknowledge
the contribution of colleagues and friends whose comments and recom-
mendations have enriched the ideas presented in this book.
I am privileged to have shared your time discussing how the ECI case
study could be made more research-worthy, especially with regard to the
conceptualization of the study; and for the fi nancial support:
Alastair Greig, Andrew Hopkins, Chee Han Lim, Rachel Bloul, Syed
Farid Alatas, Seng Beng Ho, Tan Kah Kee Foundation, Thomas Menkhoff.
I am grateful for the opportunities, confi dence, and support you have
provided me as the Principal Investigator of the research study on profes-
sional learning communities:
Academy of Singapore Teachers (Ministry of Education Singapore),
David Hung, National Institute of Education (Nanyang Technological
University), Vedi Hadiz; and many thanks to my Co-Principal Investigators
and Research Assistants who have supported the research project at vari-
ous stages.
In particular, I would like to thank Ronnel B. King and Shaljan
Areepattamannil, for your help in performing the structural equation
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
modeling (SEM). Without your e xpertise and generosity, the fi ndings
presented in Chapter 7 would have been impossible.
Special thanks to Wing on Lee, without your confi dence in my scholarly
ability, I would not have dreamt of publishing my work into this research
monograph. Thanks also to Harriet Barker for the opportunity and won-
derful experience of publishing with Palgrave Macmillan.
For the need of research confi dentiality, I am unable to name my
research participants. I would like to thank the ECI corporate representa-
tives and Singapore teachers for their valuable time in helping me learn
more about their everyday professional lives.
As a proud Singaporean, I would like to express my gratitude to my
country for endowing me with the rich experiences that helped to crystal-
lize this work.
C
ONTENTS
1 Managing Chineseness as Identity Grafting 1
2 Sleepy Fishing Village Overrun by Immigrants? 5 5
3 Typologizing Chineseness 85
4 The Complex 1 13
5 The Boys Wear High Heels with Platforms 1 39
6 Sunshine, Bananas, and Coconuts 1 63
7 Singapore Society in Transition, Really? 1 89
8 Indeed 2 33
Bibliography 2 51
Index 2 53
vii
L A
IST OF CRONYMS
ANCOVA Analysis of Covariance
ASME A ssociation of Small and Medium Enterprises
CCP C hinese Communist Party
CMIO C hinese, Malay, Indian, and Others
DBS Development Bank of Singapore
DPP Democratic Progressive Party
ECI E urotech Consortium International
EDB Economic Development Board
FDI F oreign Direct Investment
GLC G overnment-Linked Corporation
IMF I nternational Monetary Fund
KMT K uomintang
LDP L iberal Democratic Party
MNC Multinational Corporation
NIE N ewly Industrialized Economy
NTU N anyang Technological University
OECD O rganization for Economic Co-operation and Development
PAP P eople’s Action Party
PEB P rofessional Engineers Board
PISA P rogram for International Student Assessment
PLE P rivate Local Enterprises
PMET P rofessionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians
SAP S pecial Assisted Plan
SBF Singapore Business Federation
SEM Structural equation modeling
SES S ocioeconomic Status
ix
x LIST OF ACRONYMS
SIET Singapore Institute of Engineering Technologists
SME Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises
STEM S cience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
TNC T ransnational Corporation
UMNO United Malays National Organization