Reimagining Singapore's History af Matthew Oey (Bog)

Forfatter: Matthew Oey
Sprog: Engelsk
Antal sider: 0
Forlag: Penguin Books
Udgivelsesår: 2025
What is history? How is it made? And why does it matter? Reimagining Singapore's History brings together leading historians to discuss these questions within the context of the decades-long project to rediscover pre-colonial Singapore. 2019 was a milestone in Singapore's history as it marked the 200th anniversary of Stamford Raffles' landing in 1819. However, in a powerful turn of events, government-sponsored celebrations used the occasion to highlight Singapore's longer pre-colonial story, in the process officially pushing back the modern country's origins to the 14th-century trading post of Temasek. Contrary to popular belief, Singapore was not a forgotten land between Temasek and Raffles; it remained a rich crossroads of trade, culture, religion, and merchant empires (both Asian and European). The discovery of this pre-1819 period has led to Singapore's 'new history', also known as its '700-year narrative'. While this narrative has long been common knowledge among academics, it was only in the past decade that it began to make its way into the public consciousness. ​Why and how did these changes come about? Where did they come from? Why did it take so long to bridge academic and public knowledge? And what is pre-colonial Singapore's relevance for us in the 21st century? Surveying topics from archaeology to post-colonial theory, this essay collection explores the above questions and introduces the sources, discoveries, and ideas that led to the literal re-writing of Singapore's official historical narratives over the past decades. Contributors include renowned National University of Singapore professors and public historians: * Professor Wang Gungwu - recognized as 'one of Asia's most important public - intellectuals' * Professor Peter Borschberg - pioneer of using non-English European archives to study pre-colonial Singapore * Professor Kwa Chong Guan - leading proponent of the long-cycles, 700-year approach to Singapore's history * Professor Syed Farid Alatas - sociologist and among Singapore's top postcolonial theorists * Chris Hale - documentary filmmaker and non-fiction writer, author of A Brief History of Singapore and Malaysia * Tim Hannigan - travel writer and author of numerous books on Southeast Asia, including Raffles and the British Invasion of Java
Titel: Reimagining Singapore's History

Sammendrag: "Reimagining Singapore's History" undersøger, hvad historie er, hvordan den bliver til, og hvorfor den betyder noget, med særligt fokus på Singapores førkoloniale rødder. Bogen tager afsæt i markeringen af 200-året for Stamford Raffles’ ankomst i 1819, hvor myndighederne samtidig valgte at understrege, at Singapores historie rækker flere hundrede år længere tilbage til Temasek i 1300-tallet. Antologien beskriver, hvordan nyere forskning har revideret den officielle nationale fortælling, så den nu omfatter en 700-årig historisk horisont. Bidragene analyserer kilder, arkæologiske fund og skriftlige arkiver, diskuterer forholdet mellem akademisk viden og offentlig historiebrug og spørger, hvilken betydning den førkoloniale periode har for Singapores identitet i det 21. århundrede. Blandt bidragyderne er prominente historikere som Wang Gungwu, Peter Borschberg og Kwa Chong Guan.
Type: Paperback