Friends of the Museums Monday Morning LEcture - Singapore Dual Port town Layout and its Fine-grain Diversity: An Urban Mosaic Perspective
Friends of the Museums Monday Morning LEcture - Singapore Dual Port town Layout and its Fine-grain Diversity: An Urban Mosaic Perspective
Friends of the Museums Monday Morning LEcture - Singapore Dual Port town Layout and its Fine-grain Diversity: An Urban Mosaic Perspective
Speaker: Dr Imran bin Tajudeen
In the 19th and early 20th century, Singapore was home to two port towns, each with its own unique multicultural communities. However, for the purposes of heritage conservation and in narratives devised for both tourism and history education, the city has been framed into the racial enclaves of “Chinatown”, “Kampong Glam” and “Little India”.
In order to cultivate more nuanced narratives, an alternative framework and perspective is needed. These are based on both physical and intangible clues on what may be called an urban mosaic perspective on architectural and socio-cultural diversity, and fine-grain intermingling in Singapore’s historical neighbourhoods.
In this talk, we will discuss the immense diversity and complex forms of interaction that have left their mark on the city’s historical landscape, by looking both within and beyond the arbitrary boundaries for the official “heritage districts” and their racial identities. Particular attention will be given to the legacy of demolished neighbourhoods and excluded communities that did not fit within the tourism-led racialisation of Singapore’s urban heritage.