Lion City narratives : Singapore through western eyes / Victor R. Savage.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Savage, Victor R., author.

Contributor:

Richard and Marsha Johnson Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

History.

Singapore--History--19th century.

Singapore.

Singapore--History--20th century.

Singapore--Social conditions.

Social conditions.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxxii, 421 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Singapore through western eyes.

Place of Publication:

New Jersey : World Scientific, [2022]

Summary:

"Lion City Narratives: Singapore Through Western Eyes fulfils four aims. First, it is a study of subjective Western impressions of Singapore's 145 years (1819-1963) of colonial history. The study is not meant to be an in-depth historical analysis of Singapore, but rather to give 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 the imageability of Singapore and its urban morphology provide a holistic perspective of Singapore's urban dynamics. Third, this book provides a cultural insight into Singapore's population, both White residents and transient visitors, as well as the locals or Asians. Fourth, it opens a window into Singapore's development at a time when the West was at its cultural zenith and when Great Britain was the principal superpower of the 19th century. Hence Singapore carried twin colonial legacies - it was the archetype trading emporium between East and West, and it became, for the British, the major point d'appui for defence. Finally, the Singapore colonial narrative is set in a broader academic discourse that allows the reader to see a wider picture of Singapore's colonial development. The book does not attempt to make a definitive statement about the Western involvement in Singapore; it deals more with an association of many subjective Western perspectives that add colour to the liveability of the tropics, perceptions of the exotic Orient, and the myriad views of ethnic groups. Without the Western writings, paintings, and maps, academia would have minimal records of Singapore's development. As a new colony in the early 19th century however, Singapore's growth has been extremely well documented. This book will appeal to Singaporeans interested in understanding Singapore's colonial past, Westerners interested in the Western cultural persona in the development of Singapore, researchers dealing with the urban development of less-developed countries and colonial development in the tropical world, and lastly, academics who are interested in Singapore and the region's political and economic development as a case study"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Lion City Narratives

I. Introduction

II. The Setting

III. Unfolding History: The Longue Duree

IV. Lion City in Retrospect

V. Other Interpretations, Cultural Distillations

VI. Raffles to Lee: The Colonial Heritage

VII. What Lies Ahead

ch. 2 What is the Narrative of Western Perceptions?

I. Defining Western Perceptions

II. What Influenced Western Views

a). Western Culture and Civilisation

b). Long 19th Century, Tempestuous 20th Century

c). The Evolving Colonial Statement

III. The Value of Western Perceptions

IV. Alternative Western Perspectives

a). The Urban Biography

b). Temporal Insights

V. Summing Up: The Conceptual Statement

ch. 3 Tumasik: Surrogate Kingdom in the Alam Melayu

I. Unfolding the Historical Processes

II. What's in a Name: The Mythological Toponym

III. The Thalassic Kingdom Remembered

IV. Geopolitical Tussle by Regional Hegemons

V. The Tumasik Legacy

VI. Summing Up: Tumasik's Historical Watershed

ch. 4 One Man's Vision: Raffles' Singapore `Child'

I. Singapore: The Raffles Gamble

II. The Raffles Vision

III. Entrepot Singapore: Free Trade

IV. Mission Civilisatrice: The Educational Institution

V. Colonial City Foundations: Ethnic Segregation

VI. Land Tenure: Colonisation and Capitalisation of Land

VII. Summing Up: The Raffles Legacy

ch. 5 Tropical Nature and the Agricultural Mania

I. The Historical Background

II. Tropical Experience: The Singapore Experiment

III. The Torrid Tropical Climate

IV. Coastal Scenery

V. Tropical Nature's Plenitude and Diversity

VI. Salubrious Singapore

VII. Miasma Fevers: The Singapore Deduction

VIII. The Tiger Menace

IX. The Agriculture Mania

a). Why Agriculture?

b). European Agricultural Enterprise

c). Chinese Gambier

d). Tropical Fruit

e). Enter Rubber

X. Summing Up: Singapore's Changing Landscape

List of Illustrations

ch. 6 Urban Morphology: Street Life and Iconic Places

I. Defining Singapore's Urban Morphology

II. European and Asian Towns

III. The Sense Landscape

IV. The Roadside Narratives

V. The Singapore River and Keppel Harbour

VI. Chinatown

VII. Change Alley

VIII. Commercial Square: Raffles Place

IX. Iconic Landscapes that Surprised and Disturbed

a). Bugis Street: Bewildering Nights of Passage

b). Red-Light Areas

c). Sago Lane Death Houses

X. Summing Up: A Planned City of Contrasts

ch. 7 Singapore's Imageability

I. Formulating Urban Impressions

II. Imageable Singapore

a). Singapore Lights

b). The Beehive of Activity

c). The Amorphous City

d). Shifting Cultural Landscapes

III. The Great Entrepot

a). Singapore's Port: Product Diversity

b). Explaining Singapore's Entrepot Success

c). The 20th-Century Trade

d). Capitalism Operationalised

IV. Singapore's White `Society'

V. Landscapes of Vice: Opium, Gambling, and Prostitution

VI. Urban and Cultural Change

VII. Summing Up: The Making of Cosmopolitan Identity

ch. 8 Asia's Navel: Cultural Pluralism

I. The Makings of Pluralism

II. Polyglot Society

III. Sexual Inequality: Domestic `Boys'

IV. Colours of Culture

V. Ethnic Characteristics

a). The `Malays' in the Alam Melayu

b). Chinese from the Celestial Empire

c). The Indians: Klings and Kalinga

d). The Arabs

VI. Cultural Distancing: `We' and `They'

VII. Summing Up: Reflections on the Developmental Software

ch. 9 Colonialism Challenged: Stirrings of Independence

I. `Orang Putehs': Colonialism in Doubt

II. Colonialism Questioned: The Sepoy Uprising and the Japanese Occupation

III. The Cusp of Independence: Changing Perceptions

IV. The Enright Affair: East-West Cultural Conflict

V. The Chinese Question: The Threat of Communism

VI. Summing Up: The Colonial Inheritance

ch. 10 Reflections and Recollections

I. Something Borrowed, Something Learnt

II. Ethnic Insights, Cultural Revelations

III. Operationalising Colonialism: People, Economy, and Society

IV. Biography of the City through Other Eyes

V. The Tropical Laboratory: Western Experiences

VI. Singapore: The Meeting of East and West

VII. Raffles' Vision, Lee's Audacious Impact.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 377-405) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Richard and Marsha Johnson Fund.

ISBN:

9789811229152

9811229155

9789811231766

9811231761

OCLC:

1287092271

Publisher Number:

99989676630