The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of global cooperation in the areas of public health, food security, supply chain resilience, research, and development, etc., and has brought into stark consciousness the reality of shared histories and interdependence of nation-states and communities in a globalized world.

Draw on the course materials about national histories and the construction of nation-states in Weeks 1 and 2 to critically examine how Singapore’s national history and development have been charted since Independence. Then, with this basic idea of connectedness in mind, to what extent are the narratives about our nation’s history that used to serve as charters for action – and their ideological underpinnings – adequate or relevant, especially in today’s context?

Student notes This assignment requires you to demonstrate a basic understanding of the arguments put forth in Study Unit 1 and its required readings, especially Week 1. Additional research, only if needed, can be done via academic and news databases in the SUSS library’s e-resources (e.g., JSTOR, Sage Sociology, SOCIndex for academic resources; Factiva for news).

The TMA requires you to recognize the sociological processes involved in the construction of a nation-state. Your response should, in particular, take on the important concept of (national) history as a construct. A few initial guiding questions to help you approach the question:

How have our nation’s story and national interests been framed post-Independence and what were the ideologies associated with these narratives?

What limitations and sociological critiques of these narratives have you encountered in the course readings?

Discuss these. – Especially considering what the current pandemic has revealed about global connectedness and the survival of nations, what newer ways of thinking about our national histories may be useful?

Are there other similarities or differences in the construction of our national story then (post-Independence) and now?

1. The concepts ‘state’, ‘nation’, and ‘nation-state’ as used by sociologists and social scientists; the processes of state-building and nation-building, differentiating between the two

2. Singapore as a secondary nation-state, and the way this contributed to the historical exigencies of post-independence nation-state construction

3. The significance of Singapore’s founding myths and national interests as defined by the state; other relevant concepts such as ‘top-down’ etc It is essential to utilize the material and arguments from the course for your assignment, and that you demonstrate a sound sociological understanding of the topic