East Asian Social Science Monographs
1 total work
This is the first full-length study of the Singapore Malay community to appear in nearly three decades. It presents a detailed investigation of changing social patterns at the micro level, particularly those within households. It also analyzes the impact of everyday activities both in households and in the community on macro trends in the national economy, including class formation and the diverging fortunes of Singapore's various ethnic groups. Singapore's urban wage economy has had a marked impact on economic relations within the household. It has particularly changed the nature and status of women's work, and altered the balance of economic exchange and authority between generations. This book examines various aspects of Singapore society as they relate to the Malay community, and concludes that the community has been an integral part of Singapore's economic, social and ideological history. This contrasts with other accounts which have suggested that its role has been marginal, static or unchanging.