Abstract
This chapter discusses the intersections between the nation-state and Singaporean transmigrant identity formation. It addresses the issue that until recently, scholarship in transnational migration has underestimated the role played by the state, believing that the development of transnational communities would inevitably lead to the withering of states and state power. However, the extent to which migrants are able to carry out their activities in transnational arenas hinges on the politics and migration policies of the sending and receiving countries. Some scholars point out that we cannot talk about transnational identities without acknowledging the presence of sending and receiving states that make this geographical mobility possible. The chapter examines this political dimension in the formation of the identifications of Singaporean transmigrants in Perth, Australia. It shows that personal history with Singapore and personal feelings about the nation-state remain an integral part of Singaporean transmigrants’ identifications, despite having lived away for many years. It also explains that Singaporean government’s relationships with its homegrown talent residing overseas help cultivate an ‘extraterritorial’ sense of national identity. I conclude with the observation suggesting that the coexistence of the nation-state and transmigrants reflects the larger themes of nationalism and globalization.
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Notes
- 1.
The self is fundamentally represented by three components: (1) the individual self, which is unique to the individual; (2) the relational self, which is co-constructed within dyadic relationships with significant others; and (3) the collective self, which is constructed by one’s social group membership (Sedikides and Brewer 2002).
- 2.
- 3.
According to the Department of Statistics, Singapore, the ethnic distribution of Singapore residential population as of June 2009 is as follows: 74% Chinese, 13.4% Malays, 9.2% Indians, and 3.2% Eurasians and others.
- 4.
Please note that all names in this paper were changed to protect the identity of the participants.
- 5.
HDB is the acronym for Housing Development Board, the government body that builds public housing that accommodates more than 90% of the resident population in Singapore. It was set up in 1972, as part of the effort to make housing affordable and available to every Singaporean, so as to strengthen their stake in their homeland.
- 6.
HUDC is the acronym for Housing and Urban Development Corporation. It was set up in 1974 to provide housing for Singaporeans whose income levels caused them to be ineligible to purchase an HDB flat, but who could not afford to buy landed property.
- 7.
Children of Chinese descent are required to study Mandarin; those of Malay descent would learn Bahasa Melayu, while the Indians would learn the Tamil language. In the Singapore education system “mother tongue” is determined by the race of the father.
- 8.
School-going children in Singapore take these exams at the age of 12. The PSLE exams serve as a filtering system, as the aggregate score the child obtains would determine his or her eligibility to enter particular secondary schools.
- 9.
The Singaporean student takes the GCE ‘O’ Level exams at the age of 16. These exams determine the student’s eligibility to enter particular junior colleges or pre-universities.
- 10.
This may be regarded as the Singapore-equivalent of the university entrance exams, which most Singaporeans attempt at the age of 18.
- 11.
Woolworths is a major department store chain in Australia.
- 12.
Kampung is the Malay word for village. It is often associated with the idyllic, laid-back lifestyle of yesteryear.
- 13.
Tudung is the traditional Islamic headscarf worn by Muslim women to mark their commitment to their religion. It covers their hair and drapes over their shoulders, leaving only their face uncovered.
- 14.
Makan is Malay for ‘food’ and ‘to eat’.
- 15.
The People’s Action Party is the ruling party in Singapore and has governed the city-state since its independence in 1965.
- 16.
It is thus an irony to learn that despite this successful policy, many emigrants were portrayed in the national media as having left Singapore in search of bigger houses elsewhere. The 99-year leasehold tenure on HDB flats could be an explanatory factor, as it impacts on the ability to leave behind a legacy for their descendants, and reduces the sense of security of HDB flat owners, a phenomenon observed by scholars studying the impact of housing tenure on ontological security (Hulse 2008; Saunders 1990).
- 17.
In order to promote racial harmony and ensure social integration in public housing estates and prevent the formation of ethnic enclaves, the Singapore government imposes an ethnic integration policy that requires all housing estates to have a balanced mix of ethnicities that roughly reflect the ethnic ratio of the Singapore resident population. As a result, home owners who wish to sell their flats will need to ensure that the ethnicity of the buyer would not change the ethnic composition of the public housing estate.
- 18.
These “as-if selves” provide us with a semblance of a stability, because it is through these “as-if selves” that “we present ourselves ‘as if’ we were bearers of lasting identities” (Kinnvall 2004, 748), when in actual fact these selves “are constructed in actual dialogue” (Kinnvall 2004, 748; Giddens 1991).
- 19.
Majulah Singapura is the national anthem of Singapore.
- 20.
Optus is the second largest telecommunications carrier in Australia, and was bought by Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) in August 31, 2001.
- 21.
Personal conversation with a Ministry representative.
- 22.
Here, again, we see that one’s dyadic relationship with significant others, which results in a heightened emphasis on the relational-self aspect of self-identity, exerting a great influence on the individual’s decision to emigrate.
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Lim, S. (2012). The Role of the State in Transnational Migrant Identity Formation: A “Uniquely Singapore” Experience?. In: Plüss, C., Chan, Kb. (eds) Living Intersections: Transnational Migrant Identifications in Asia. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2966-7_6
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