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Nation-Building and History Education in a Global Culture pp 131–153Cite as

Globalisation and History Education in Singapore

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Part of the book series: Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research ((GCEP,volume 13))

Abstract

Since its independence in 1965, the Singapore government has been giving priority to preserve racial harmony and social stability. A wide range of policy initiatives, including conscription for national defence, ethnic integration policy for public housing and the National Education (NE) programme in tandem with a strong emphasis on local history education, have been implemented to strengthen the sense of national belonging and national identity among younger Singaporeans most of whom are not familiar with the nation-building process of Singapore becoming an independent nation. This chapter reviews the development of history education in Singapore since 1965 and examines the significance of history education as a core component of the NE programme, which was launched in 1997, in cultivating a sense of national belonging and strengthening the national identity of Singaporeans amidst challenges arising from globalisation. It argues that history education is treated by the government as a vital policy tool for propelling sociopolitical development in Singapore for there is a belief that the history of nation-building provides a common ground, regardless of age, race, language or religion, for cultivating in Singaporeans a sense of national belonging, loyalty and political consciousness and encouraging constructive criticisms towards the incumbent governance structures in order to enable self-improvement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Michael H. Lee

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  1. Michael H. Lee
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Correspondence to Michael H. Lee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Catholic University, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Joseph Zajda

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Lee, M.H. (2015). Globalisation and History Education in Singapore. In: Zajda, J. (eds) Nation-Building and History Education in a Global Culture. Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research, vol 13. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9729-0_9

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