Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery: the significance of deathscapes in Singapore

On the 7th of February I went along to the Bukit Brown cemetery to take part in a field trip for my course ‘The Geographies of Life and Death’. The excursion aimed to introduce us to two concepts that human geographers have increasingly turned to in the quest to better understand population geography. These terms are biopolitics and governmentality, and are associated with the late French philosopher Michel Foucault.

Bukit Brown cemetery has recently seen an increase in attention as part of it has been selected as the site for a new 8-lane highway in Singapore. The government claims to need to build this road to alleviate congestion in the surrounding areas. There are also several plans in place to build housing estates, which will in turn incur greater losses to the cemetery. The cemetery is of great significance to Singaporeans; it is a site that symbolises the country’s Chinese heritage and is where many of the first Singaporeans were buried. Nowadays it is a place where the living return to pay respects to their ancestors and carry out traditional rituals, the site is also used recreationally by dog walkers, runners and more. In addition the area is also environmentally important; it acts as a carbon sink, rainfall catchment area and area of natural biodiversity.

Bukit Brown Cemetery

My lecturer runs field trips here, as she believes that the conflict over whether dead should retain any rights or if the needs of the living should be put first, demonstrates a biopolitical issue. Many would argue that the site should be kept in honour of Singapore’s heritage. It gives Singaporeans a sense of belonging and connects them to their roots. Yet, the government’s decision to make use of Bukit brown has been portrayed as highly important to the future of Singapore. The government’s plans are quick, however, to forget what may be important to Singaporean’s sense of place and identity. My lecturer informed us that prior to the 1970’s many people who lived in the local Kampongs (villages) worked as cemetery caretakers as they lived close by. As HDB (housing development board) housing was erected people moved away and started to become more detached from their heritage. To many people, the destruction of Bukit Brown would symbolise the lack of respect that the Singapore Gahmen (government) has for anything historic that cannot be commercialised. Regardless of what happens the controversy surrounding Bukit Brown has been important for civil society activists in Singapore as they have proved that with determination and persistence, their voices can be heard.

Traditional Chinese Grave at Bukit Brown Cemetery

The concept of governmentality; the idea that individuals can be guided into acting in accordance with societal norms, has also been discussed in a Singaporean context. In class I have spoken to my Singaporean friends about the types of societal norms that have been reinforced with government policies. One example that struck me was that for a single Singaporean to buy their own HDB flat (80% of Singaporeans live in HDB flats), they must be over the age of 35 (Housing Development Board 2014). Singapore has an ageing population and as a result many policies are now focusing on encouraging Singaporeans to marry and have children. Therefore, making housing less accessible to those who are single reinforces the idea that one needs to find a spouse. Overall, my module and Singapore in general have enabled me to have a fuller understanding of the terms biopolitics and govermentality.

Housing and Development Board, Singapore Government (2014) 'Public Housing in Singapore' [Online], [Accessed 10 January 2015] Available from: http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10320p.nsf/w/AboutUsPublicHousing?OpenDocument

Media Writing in Singapore

In the summer before I moved to Singapore I interned for a London based start-up where I was engaging with a variety of projects. Although I learnt a lot on the job and found that many of my geographical skills translated well into the workplace, I realised that it would be beneficial for me to learn some more practical skills.

My course on writing for media offered me the chance to develop such skills. Over the semester I built up my skill set, learning how to create info-graphics, press releases and news reports as well as improving my ability to write under pressure. The course was challenging at times and I often found myself reflecting on the importance of media.

As a human geographer, books, journals and research papers form the basis of my studies. Aside from textbooks, most of the material that I come across is written in order to make an argument. Information is provided to make a particular point that the author deems important. Similarly, when I am faced with an essay title I prepare for it by reading and digesting appropriate information, so that I may find a critical way to answer the given question. Due to this, my writing skills are honed to crafting arguments and points and it is for this reason that I initially found writing for media hard. As a journalist, one must find a way to relay all the possible information in a logical, concise and unbiased way. At first it was tough to adapt my writing style in order to create a news report in Reuters style (one sentence per paragraph). My sentences were lengthy and littered with emotive words that were both inappropriate and likely to sway opinions. Throughout the course, my teacher stressed to all of us the importance of writing so that the media outlet remains neutral on the topic, however in reality I realised that this is not the case for many of the world’s media sources. For most members of society, newspapers and news programmes are their primary source of information, yet, even long established organisations make errors. See: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/18/fox-news-apologises-terror-pundit-birmingham-muslim-comments as a recent example of a news outlet misinforming their viewers to an extreme degree. Moreover, I realised the extent to which news outlets have the power to portray and manipulate information so that it supports political agendas.

Studying this course in Singapore also brought other issues to my attention, namely press freedom. In 2014, Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore as 150th out of 180 countries on its World Press Freedom Index (Reporters Without Borders 2014). For an MEDC this is shocking, however many people familiar with the country might know that most of the media is either managed or indirectly controlled by the government. It is clear that in Singapore there are people who are concerned about this restriction. The Facebook page “Wake Up, Singapore” was started in 2013 and aims to give Singaporeans a voice, as well as enlighten citizens about issues they feel are not publicised enough. However, despite efforts like these it seems unlikely that Singapore will change its regulations any time soon.

Reporters Without Borders (2014) 'Press Freedom Index 2013' [Online],  [Accessed 26 January 2015] Available from: http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php

Wake Up, Singapore (2013) [Online], [Accessed 26 January 2015] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/wakeupSG/timeline

A personal and academic exploration of Chinese Culture

My decision to spend a year in Singapore was founded on a strong desire to experience living in Asia. My own heritage coupled with an overall interest in this part of the world were my two main motivations when applying to NUS. In addition, the chance to experience this part of the world from both an academic and personal perspective seemed like an opportunity that could not be missed. During this first semester I have engaged with Chinese language, history and culture in several ways.

The most obvious way that this has occurred has been through learning Mandarin, which has been difficult yet highly rewarding. I have found that the Singaporean style of weekly assessment has aided my progress immensely and has given me a strong foundation, which I hope to build upon in the future. Learning about the history behind certain Chinese characters has provided me with insight into China’s past. As an example the Chinese character for ‘surname’ is made up of two components, one parts means ‘woman’ and the other means ‘giving birth’. This character dates back to a time in Chinese history when recognition was only given to women in the family and surnames followed the maternal line.

Throughout the course I have also had several thoughts about Mandarin and its influence on ‘Singlish’, the Singaporean dialect. Once common phrase that Singaporeans use is “can-cannot?” when asking if something is possible. This, I have come to realise, has arisen from a Chinese way of forming questions, where the affirmative and negative forms of the predicate are placed next to each other in the sentence. Overall I have found that learning Chinese has allowed me to better understand aspects of Singaporean culture that I previously found bizarre and confusing.

Whilst in Singapore I have had the opportunity to familiarise myself with Chinese legends and folklore. One place that many people told me to visit was Haw Par Villa, as they said it would provide a quirky and entertaining afternoon out as well a lesson in Chinese mythology. The brothers who created ‘Tiger Balm’ built this theme park in 1937; it was intended as a place where traditional Chinese values could be taught. Although the park has since become quite run down, the ‘Ten Courts of Hell’ still offers a very graphic and detailed explanation of the Taoist and Buddhist depictions of hell. Although I was shocked by some of the dioramas I certainly learnt a lot more about mythology than if I had just read about it online. My knowledge of Taoism and Buddhism has since expanded through my World Religions module, and I have fortunately learnt about much less gruesome aspects of the religions.

The Bell Curve: How it affects more than just your grade

While studying at NUS I have been surprised with how different both the teaching style and class/lecture can be compared to UCL. I believe that this is partly due to my choice to study Mandarin and Media Writing; two subjects that realistically cannot be compared to Geography. However, after discussions with friends who are also on exchange here, I began to realise that this different atmosphere is something that many of us felt.

At home it is not uncommon to discuss coursework and assignments with friends, it is even normal to review readings together and share lecture notes. Despite grades being a slightly taboo subject matter, it is never of great concern to me how my grades may differ to my friends. We each put in as much work as we deem appropriate and our grades reflect our effort, intellect and insight, regardless of how other students in the module have fared.

At NUS most grades are calculated using the Gaussian function, which is informally known as the bell curve. This means that your overall score is dependent on how others in your module performed. In a blog post written in 2012 by NUS’ provost, it was explained that the need to modify grades is partly due to the varied backgrounds of the examiners. Therefore the moderation “helps to achieve consistency in assessment grading across all modules” (NUS Provost’s Office 2012). Although I understand that this may contribute to a fairer grading system, there are still aspects of the grading process that I do not consider to be very just. For example, the university does not adopt anonymous marking. On a more positive note, it would appear that the bell curve makes it quite difficult for a student to fail a module. However, it also makes it much more difficult to achieve a high grade, as approximately 68% of students will fall within the average range (1 standard deviation from the mean), even if the calibre of each student’s work is impressive.

Aside from the effect that the bell curve may have on students’ grades, it is clear that this system is the root cause of the competitive atmosphere felt in classes. At NUS it is more common to be assigned group work, and I’ve noticed that in modules where we are not given group tasks students are not inclined to support one another. What’s more, the lack of anonymous marking means that students are always more eager to befriend the tutors and lecturers. Therefore, at times class discussions can feel like a competition over who can voice their opinion the loudest. Class debates become a little forced and occasionally it seems that less thought is put into people’s responses, as the main concern is simply to be heard. This may also be due to being awarded marks for class participation. Altogether, I find the assessment system here to be much less objective than UCL’s. Although I never expected my academic experience at NUS to mirror the past two years, I did not anticipate that I would find the atmosphere so different. Put simply: I will be glad to return to the friendly and collaborative Geography Department at UCL.

Provost Office (2012) 'The Bell Curve', 20 January, The NUS provost contemplates, [Online], [Accessed 8 November 2014], Available from: http://blog.nus.edu.sg/provost/2012/01/20/the-bell-curve/

Singapore's impressive skyline seen from atop the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel 

The UTown Campus is incredibly modern and well equipped.

There are plenty of lovely places to study including a 24hour Starbucks and a brand new MacLab.

University accommodation is much more affordable than in London and includes the use of facilities such as a gym and swimming pool.

My Introduction to World Religions

When looking into my course options at NUS I was compelled to take a module about world religions, not only to enhance my own understanding of the major religions, but also as Singapore is a mixing pot of many cultures, religions and ethnicities. I have found the most enriching part of the course to be the tutorial sessions that take place every other week. My group is made up of a diverse range of students who are both religious and non-religious and it is lead by a lecturer who is Catholic. Our discussions have ranged from looking at Jesus as a political figure to whether or not members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) can be considered Muslims given some of their recent actions. During debates we have been placed on sides and have thus had to form arguments based on external material provided by newspapers and documentaries. These exercises have forced me to formulate opinions on the spot that do not always reflect my personal stance on the subjects. Having not done this whilst at UCL, I have been inspired to push my own limits and reconsider what it is to be ‘open-minded’.

In other sessions we have studied the Hindu story Ramayana. After being put into groups we were then asked to re-enact the most important scenes and then perform them to our classmates. Initially I found this task slightly strange as an undergraduate studying social sciences, however it allowed me to engage with the text and as a result have a better understanding of this Hindu epic. Part of the course's assessment involved writing an essay entitled “Is religion incompatible with romantic love?”. One of themes I focused on was how homosexuality is perceived in religion, and in particular Islam. Scott Kugle is one of the leading scholars and key thinkers on this subject and has published the book ‘Homosexuality in Islam’. One aspect of his work that interested me was his investigation into young homosexual Muslims who as a result of their sexuality are often forced to “put religion behind them” (Kugle 2013: 194) and consequentially find they feel more connected to gay and lesbian communities. Kugle’s overall belief is that “the Qur’an accepts the existence of diversity in sexuality and sexual orientation” and it is perhaps modern day perceptions of Islam that have negatively altered how Muslims approach homosexuality (2003:197).

Learning about the world’s major religions is something that compliments what I have studied throughout the past two years at UCL. The fact that religion is so heavily tied up with politics and conflict has led me to reflect on the Geopolitics course I took last year. This is relevant in particular when considering war, and how women experience it in different ways to men. This led me to reconsider some of the literature I read last year. For example, studying Islam has given me a better understanding of Nadje Al-Ali’s paper ‘A feminist perspective on the Iraq War’, as she has written about challenging the thought that Islam is to be blamed for social injustice, conservative views and a lack of women’s rights. Overall the course is expanding both my knowledge and the way that I absorb new concepts and ideas.

Kugle, S (2003) ‘Sexuality, Diversity and Ethics in the Agenda of Progressive Muslims’ in Safi, O (ed) Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender and Pluralism, Oxford:Oneworld Publications, 190-234.