Constructing Singapore : elitism, ethnicity and the nation-building project / Michael D. Barr and Zlatko Skrbiš.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 272-296) and index.

Introduction: island, colony, city, nation -- The Singapore story: constructing a national myth -- Constructing the nation: elitism and ethnicity -- The culture of elite governance -- Incomplete assimilation: from civic nationalism to ethno-nationalism -- Building the 'new' Singaporean and new elite -- Catching them young: afraid to fail in kindergarten -- Grades, kiasuism and race: primary school and beyond -- Sorting the 'scholars' from the 'commoners': secondary school and junior college -- Winners and losers: gender, race and class in elite selection -- Making a Mandarin: inside the administrative elite -- Conclusion: a tentative assessment of Singapore's nation-building project.

"Singapore has few natural resources but, in a relatively short history, its economic and social development and transformation are nothing short of remarkable. Today, Singapore is by far the most successful example of material development in Southeast Asia and it often finds itself the envy of developed countries. Furthermore over the last three and a half decades the ruling party has presided over the formation of a thriving community of Singaporeans who love and are proud of their country." "Nothing about these processes have been 'natural' in any sense of the word. Much of the country's investment in nation building has in fact gone into the selection, training and formation of a ruling and administrative elite that reflects and will perpetuate its vision of the nation." "In a critical study of the politics of ethnicity and elitism in Singapore, Constructing Singapore looks inside the supposedly 'meritocratic' system from nursery school to university and beyond, that produces Singapore's political and administrative elite. Focusing on two processes - elite formation and elite selection - it gives primary attention to the role that ethnoracial ascription plays in these processes, but also considers the input of personal connections, personal power, class and gender."--Jacket

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