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Lion City Narratives: Singapore through Western Eyes
Dr Victor R Savage Adjunct Senior Fellow
Dr Victor R Savage
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This book project fulfils four aims. First, it is a study of subjective Western impressions of Singapore’s 145 years (1819-1963) of colonial history. The study provides the reader an impressionistic account of how Western residents viewed Singapore over the decades. Second, this study could be seen as a short biography of Singapore’s evolution as a city. The chapters on imageability of Singapore and urban morphology provide a holistic perspective of Singapore’s urban dynamics. Third, this book provides a cultural insight of Singapore’s inhabitants, both White residents and transient visitors as well as the local population. Fourth, Singapore’s development came at a time when the West was at its cultural zenith and when Great Britain was the main superpower in the 19th century. Hence Singapore carried twin colonial legacies: she was the archetype trading emporium between East and West and she became, for the British, the major point d’appui for defence.
Theme: | Country and Region Studies |
Region: | Southeast Asia and ASEAN |
Entity: | RSIS |