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-Topic sentence: This essay details the evolution of the Bugis identity in Singapore by contextualizing it within the Southeast Asian pan-Malayan identity in the postwar era. This is contrasted with the migratory patterns and evolution of the Bugis identity in the prewar era (including a short survey of the history of Bugis migratory and trading patterns). One of the premise made is the gradual disappearance of the Bugis identity within Singapore. This is influenced partly by environmental events in Southeast Asia and partly by the world events happening around Singapore. The other major factor of influence is Singapore?s social engineering policies in the process of achieving nationhood. The essay will introduce some of them chronologically. Finally, it ends with a conclusion that compares the Bugis diaspora with the Chinese one and highlight some of the differences. -Question: The main issue to examine in the paper is the question of how the Bugis identity like other ethnic groups in Singapore have evolved with the application of ethnic management policies in Singapore?s postwar nation-building efforts in the 20th century. A peripheral issue is the political will to forge a common identity for all Singaporeans. The progress of the social experiment in Singapore?s setting in fostering amalgamation of statehood and simultaneously allowing individual retention of ethnic identity. -Hypothesis: That government policies have been successful thus far and there is a refocus back on emphasizing the ethnic roots of each respective ethnic group to rediscover the past and enjoy diversity in unity.
-Methodology: The paper uses Singapore?s postwar social development as a chronological backbone to contextualize the subject matter. In the introduction, some background is provided to discuss the origins of the extensive Bugis penetration of the Malay Peninsula. The British ethnic differentiation policies is briefly surveyed as a background behind the lingering effects of the divide and rule policy in Singapore, something that a post-independence government needed to tackle and tackle fast without having it fester into communalism. For parsimony as well as productivity in achieving these goals to augment economic development, a strong parochial identity is downplayed and this is being redressed once again to allow ethnic group to understand the origins of their forefathers. In the conclusion, some comparisons are made with the Chinese diaspora, a network well-known worldwide.
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Jointly organized by IIAS the Netherlands and The State Institute of Islamic Studies, Makassar