Transpacific Studies
Contemporary Genres of Postcolonial Capitalism in Singapore
- 220 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Transpacific Studies
Contemporary Genres of Postcolonial Capitalism in Singapore
About This Book
A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Becoming Global Asia centers Singapore as a crucial site for comprehending the uneven effects of colonialism and capitalism. In the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapore initiated socioeconomic policies and branding campaigns to transform its reputation from a culturally sterile and punitive nation to "Global Asia"āan alluring location ideal for economic flourishing. Rather than evaluating the efficacy of state policy, Cheryl Narumi Naruse analyzes how Singapore gained cultural capital and soft power from its anglophonic legibility. By examining genres such as literary anthologies, demographic compilations, coming-of-career narratives, and princess fantasies, Naruse reveals how, as Global Asia, Singapore has emerged as simultaneously a site of imperial desire, a celebrated postcolonial model nation, and an alibi for the continued subjugation of the so-called Third World. Her readings of Global Asia as a formation of postcolonial capitalism offer new conceptual paradigms for understanding postcolonialism, neoliberalism, and empire.
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Subvention
- Title
- Dedication
- Copyright
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Global Asia, a Wayward Postcolonialism
- 1. The Cultural History of Singapore Literary Anthologies
- 2. Overseas Singaporeans and Their Uses: Population Aesthetics and Territorial Productions of Singaporeās Global Asia Imaginary
- 3. Coming-of-Career Narratives, the Postcolonial Work Ethic, and the Promise of a New Nation
- 4. The Princess Fantasy of Singapore: Shorter Histories and US Decline in Crazy Rich Asians
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography