Singapore is multicultural? Really?
Cultural diversity has long been a hallmark of Singapore society. We boast about being a bustling global city with a multi-racial and multi-religious society. But just how deep is our cultural diversity?
To what extent do our different groups and cultures understand and accommodate each other? Do our daily intercultural encounters lessen or harden social prejudices? How does state policy effect our intercultural interaction, and what is the impact of social media?
Sociologist Daniel Goh, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Sociology, will explore these and related issues on Saturday 23 July at a talk organised by the Singapore Advocacy Awards. In his research Daniel has critically examined the topic of race and cultural diversity in Singapore.
After the talk, Dr Goh will be joined by Imran bin Tajudeen, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore, and Pravin Prakash, Associate Research Fellow, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in a panel discussion.
Dr Imran Tajudeen’s research includes the framing and representation of multicultural place histories and architectural culture in Singapore, which he integrates with public advocacy. He was the winner of the Most Promising New Civil Society Advocate of the Year prize in last year’s Singapore Advocacy Awards. He asks what does the celebration or neglect of past cultural diversity in our built landscapes tell us about the way we see our cultural identity, or our assumptions of ‘us’ and ‘other’?
The discussion will be moderated by Dr Elaine Ho, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Geography. Her research is concerned with migration and diversity in multicultural societies like Singapore.
Prior to the talk and panel discussion, there will be poetry reading session featuring poets Divya Victor, Karisa Poedjirahardjo, Ng Yi-Sheng, and Shivram Gopinath.
Following the panel discussion, there will be a screening of DHEEPAN, winner of the Palme D’or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The film is about three Tamil refugees who flee war-ravaged Sri Lanka and try to restart their lives in France.
Tickets to the triple-bill event, which will be held at The Projector from 2pm to 8pm, cost just $40. To purchase the tickets, visit the event’s ticketing page on Projector’s website here.
About the Singapore Advocacy Awards
The Singapore Advocacy Awards aims to celebrate civil society advocacy and its achievements in Singapore, and to affirm the role of civil society activists in the shaping of our society. Organised by a group of civil society activists called The Working Committee 3, the awards were launched in 2014. The winners of the 2016 Singapore Advocacy Awards will be announced on 20 August at the Apa Itu Activist Forum 2016.
