Episode 42
What does it mean to be a Singaporean man of Tamil descent in Singapore and eastern Switzerland? Listen to Pradeep share his stories of growing up as a minority in Singapore, and his experiences of learning, understanding, and navigating different manifestations of racism in a new context: Switzerland.
Recommended sources:
On race-related issues in Singapore
Daryl Yang, “The price of racial harmony,” Jom Society, May 26, 2023. [a simple summary of contradictions and tensions around race relations in Singapore]
Selvaraj Velayutham, “Races without racism? Everyday race relations in Singapore,” Global Studies in Culture and Power 24, no.4 (May 26, 2016):455-473. [an academic article providing an overview of the socio-political context and racism in Singapore]
Koh Ewe, “A Singaporean rapper tried to call out racism. He’s been sentenced to jail for his statements, “ Time, September 5, 2023. [a news article on the rapper/activist Pradeep refers to in his episode]
VICE Asia, Why is it so difficult to talk about race in Singapore? 2021. [an interview with the sister of the aforementioned rapper on race relations in Singapore, providing background on the controversy surrounding her brother’s sentence - a video]
Tang See Kit, “NDR 2021: PM Lee says ‘entirely baseless’ to claim that ‘Chinese privilege’ exists in Singapore,” CNA, August 29, 2021. [an article of the Prime Minister of Singapore denying the idea of Chinese privilege]
Sai Siew Min, “Why there is Chinese privilege in Singapore, but it’s not analogous to White privilege,” Academia SG, June 17, 2021. [a social commentary written by a historian on the idea of “Chinese privilege” and its differences to White privilege in Singapore]
Others
Peipei Setoh et al., “Racial categorization predicts implicit racial bias in preschool children,” Child Development 90, no.1 (February 2019): 162-179. [a study on racial biases present amongst preschoolers Pradeep mentions in his episode]
