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misspalah's review
5.0
In defining the Singapore Woman, therefore, it helps to remember that we are still evolving; that as a nation we are only 39 years old (the time that this book were published) ; that these 39 years have been years of immense and energetic change. We need also to locate the Singapore woman against the background of an earlier period of 150 years when we were a motley mixture of colonised people, mostly immigrants. The Singapore woman then was vastly dominated by a male population, patriarchal values and colonialism. She was divided by ethnicity, education, age, economic status and language as she still is. Two hundred years ago the Singapore woman had a Malay face. She now has a Chinese face. A Chinese face, amidst other ethnic faces, altered by living in Southeast Asian, cosmopolitan Singapore, influenced by Western values and ideas. It is moderated, too, by ethnicity and education, empowered by growing female autonomy and financial independence and dominated by patriarchal values and attitudes. So who is she: the Singapore Woman? What is unique about her?
- Singapore Women Re-Presented by Audrey Chin & Constance Singham
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Despite being published in the early 2000s, this still felt very relevant. Singapore Women Re-presented offere a clear vision on how diverse Southeast Asian Women are and to negate the identity created to fit ‘Singapore Women’ by Singapore Airline were only meant to fulfill the exotic imagination of white men. The book contained 15 chapters including conclusion which Singaporean women are trying to make sense of their experiences. Their life experiences comprised of discrimination, societal expectation and patriarchal upbringing that rooted deeply in the family. I found the chapter ‘In and On the body’ incredibly powerful. The book also diagnose gender roles in Singapore and how it differ for 3 main races which eventually affected the way they viewed education for women. I have to give credit to both Audrey Chin and Constance Singham for how well the book was written - if only there’s another co-author from Malay ethnicity, the book would have more input from Singaporean Malay Women. Ultimately, this is lucid, broad in scope and it managed to capture the role of Singaporean Women in navigating the spaces of which both patriarchal/capitalist structures co-existst in their country. Since it is published in 2004, It is a bit disappointing to see queer, trans and disabled women in Singapore were not given coverage/barely mentioned in the book - but perhaps it may be included soon in the updated version if the authors decided to republish the book. This book may start off slow, but I eventually realized it's worth. I learned alot (One of the facts, the first strike in Singapore were started by Nurses - the profession that deemed only fit for women at that time) and as a Malaysian Woman, i can definitely echo most of the issues highlighted in it. The book also succinctly details how gender exploitation is all pervasive and extends far beyond the workplace and it did well in elaborating how Singapore women dealt with systems of oppression. As opposed to white West-centric feminism lenses, the book managed to emphasize that Singapore women not ahistorical or universal, and they are differentiated by class, race, religion, etc. Overall very readable and thought-provoking, definitely one I'd recommend. As some concept might be outdated and not so relevant today, depressing and eye opening realities are discussed accordingly in it.
- Singapore Women Re-Presented by Audrey Chin & Constance Singham
.
.
Despite being published in the early 2000s, this still felt very relevant. Singapore Women Re-presented offere a clear vision on how diverse Southeast Asian Women are and to negate the identity created to fit ‘Singapore Women’ by Singapore Airline were only meant to fulfill the exotic imagination of white men. The book contained 15 chapters including conclusion which Singaporean women are trying to make sense of their experiences. Their life experiences comprised of discrimination, societal expectation and patriarchal upbringing that rooted deeply in the family. I found the chapter ‘In and On the body’ incredibly powerful. The book also diagnose gender roles in Singapore and how it differ for 3 main races which eventually affected the way they viewed education for women. I have to give credit to both Audrey Chin and Constance Singham for how well the book was written - if only there’s another co-author from Malay ethnicity, the book would have more input from Singaporean Malay Women. Ultimately, this is lucid, broad in scope and it managed to capture the role of Singaporean Women in navigating the spaces of which both patriarchal/capitalist structures co-existst in their country. Since it is published in 2004, It is a bit disappointing to see queer, trans and disabled women in Singapore were not given coverage/barely mentioned in the book - but perhaps it may be included soon in the updated version if the authors decided to republish the book. This book may start off slow, but I eventually realized it's worth. I learned alot (One of the facts, the first strike in Singapore were started by Nurses - the profession that deemed only fit for women at that time) and as a Malaysian Woman, i can definitely echo most of the issues highlighted in it. The book also succinctly details how gender exploitation is all pervasive and extends far beyond the workplace and it did well in elaborating how Singapore women dealt with systems of oppression. As opposed to white West-centric feminism lenses, the book managed to emphasize that Singapore women not ahistorical or universal, and they are differentiated by class, race, religion, etc. Overall very readable and thought-provoking, definitely one I'd recommend. As some concept might be outdated and not so relevant today, depressing and eye opening realities are discussed accordingly in it.
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