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Inbetween worlds : Teochew Chinese leadership in colonial Singapore
Abstract
The main theme of this thesis is that Chinese leadership in colonial Singapore is a delicate balance between the British colonial authorities and the interests of the dialect group. The focus, in this case, is on the Teochew community and the leadership provided by the Seah family for close to a century. It is suggested here that the reason why the Seah family faced increasingly serious challenges to their authority within the community is due to the fact that the members of the family appeared increasingly pro-British in their operation. This orientation and identification as Straits Chinese puts them at odds with the major part of the community which was pro-China, and largely immigrant. While the major challenger, Lim Nee Soon, was also a Straits Chinese, he was able to rely upon his ties and identification with Republican China to gain support from the immigrant Teochew merchants who had became an economic and social force to be reckoned with.
A sub-theme explores the question of a bang society in Singapore. Many scholars have posited that the Chinese community in colonial Singapore was segmented and segregated along dialect group fault lines. According to this framework, the Chinese community was divided into the various dialect groups and there was no interaction or co-operation across the bang boundaries. However, research and evidence suggests otherwise, as time and again, we see examples of Chinese merchants working together regardless of dialect origins for social welfare. Thus, while the existence of a bang society is conceded, it is argued that the bang society existed among the lower classes only, while the upper strata of wealthy merchants and towkays tended to co-operated for profit motive and purposes of social welfare. This thesis goes on to suggest another form of social differentiation-that of the Chinese and the Straits-born Chinese.
A sub-theme explores the question of a bang society in Singapore. Many scholars have posited that the Chinese community in colonial Singapore was segmented and segregated along dialect group fault lines. According to this framework, the Chinese community was divided into the various dialect groups and there was no interaction or co-operation across the bang boundaries. However, research and evidence suggests otherwise, as time and again, we see examples of Chinese merchants working together regardless of dialect origins for social welfare. Thus, while the existence of a bang society is conceded, it is argued that the bang society existed among the lower classes only, while the upper strata of wealthy merchants and towkays tended to co-operated for profit motive and purposes of social welfare. This thesis goes on to suggest another form of social differentiation-that of the Chinese and the Straits-born Chinese.
Date Issued
1998
Call Number
DS610.25.C5 Lim
Date Submitted
1998