Vineeta Sinha

The historical and empirical project presented here is grounded in a desire to theorize ‘religion-state’ relations in the multi-ethnic, multi-religious, secular city-state of Singapore. The core research problematic of this project has emerged out of the confluence of two domains, ‘religion, law and bureaucracy’ and ‘religion and colonial encounters.’ This work has two core objectives: one, to articulate the actual points of engagement between institutions of religion and the state, and two, to identify the various processes, mechanisms and strategies through which relations across these spheres are sustained. The thematic foundations of this book rest on disentangling the complex interactions between religious communities, individuals and the various manifestations of the Singapore state, relationships that are framed within a culture of bureaucracy. This is accomplished through a scrutiny of Hindu domains on the island nation-state, from her identity as part of the Straits Settlements to the present day. The empirical and analytical emphases of this book rest on the author's engagement with the realm of Hinduism as it is conceived, structured, framed and practiced within the context of a strong state in Singapore today. Ethnographically,the book focusses on Hindu temple management and the observance of Hindu festivals and processions, enacted within administrative and bureaucratic frames.

From the Straits Settlements to Singapore

Religion-State Encounters in Hindu Domains

Lily Kong

' This fascinating and insightful volume introduces readers to food as a window to the social and cultural history and geography of Singapore. It demonstrates how the food we consume, the ways in which we acquire and prepare it, the company we keep as we cook and eat, and our preferences and practices are all revealing of a larger economic, social, cultural and political world, both historically and in contemporary times. Readers will be captivated by chapters that deal with the intersections of food and ethnicity, gender and class, food hybridity, innovations and creativity, heritage and change, globalization and localization, and more. This is a must-read for anyone interested in Singapore culture and society. Contents:Theorising Contemporary Foodscapes: Conceptual and Empirical Insights from Singapore (Lily Kong and Vineeta Sinha)Taking the Street Out of Street Food (Chua Beng Huat)Singapore''s "Snackscapes" (Adeline Tay)Tasting Memories, Cooking Heritage: A Sensuous Invitation to Remember (Kelvin E Y Low)Placing Pig Farming in Post-Independence Singapore: Community, Development and Landscapes of Rurality (Harvey Neo)The Kopitiam in Singapore: An Evolving Story about Cultural Diversity and Cultural Politics (Lai Ah Eng)The Taste of Retro: Nostalgia, Sensory Landscapes and Cosmopolitanism in Singapore (Jean Duruz)Mapping Singapore''s Culinary Landscape: Is Anyone Cooking? (Vineeta Sinha)Bloggers, Critics and Photographers in the Mediation of Food Consumption (Tan Xiang Ru, Amy)From Sushi in Singapore to Laksa in London: Globalising Foodways and the Production of Economy and Identity (Lily Kong) Readership: General public and a must-read for anyone interested in Singapore culture and society. Key Features:There is currently no single volume that addresses the history and geography of food in Singapore in the post-colonial years; this is the first of its kindThe volume provides a critical analysis of food within a larger economic, social and cultural context, and is not merely a celebratory narrativeIt brings together some of the key scholars on food in SingaporeKeywords:Food;Foodways;Foodscapes;Post-colonial Singapore;Culture;Community;Consumption "This book is a multidisciplinary masterpiece and the intensely researched examination that the foodways and foodscapes of Singapore deserves. Comprehensive in its examination of changing food practices, this volume powerfully connects consumption, production, built environments, home kitchens, hawker centres, and the sensory experience of food. It is a must read for anyone interested in how a multidisciplinary analysis can enliven the study of food in diverse cities." Daniel Bender Canada Research Chair in Global Culture and Director Culinaria Research Centre University of Toronto "In the many reflections for SG50, nothing comes closer to Singapore''s identity than the city-state''s diversified, multi-ethnic and delectable foods. The 10 chapters in this book are a much welcomed multidisciplinary academic intervention of the quintessential Singaporean passion of eating and snacking. This book savours all its foodscapes, foodways and cuisines through its street foods, hawker centres, kopitiams and restaurants. Singapore''s food obsession best undergirds Joseph Nye''s ''soft power'', an expression of ''Eurasian'' cultural fusion, Asian gastronomical delights and cosmopolitan consumption which variously defines Singapore''s national identity, its innovative expressions, its tourist beaconing, its recollection of ''sensory heritage'', its transcultural involvement, and its global-local statement. Sample Singapore''s mouth-watering creativity through its social, cultural, political, historical, and economic taste buds. This is definitely a digestible book worth consuming." Victor R Savage National University of Singapore "Journey through kampungs and kopitiams and find out why food is so important in Singapore culture! An essential read for anyone seeking to understand Singapore food!" Leslie Tay Author, blogger and self-proclaimed gastro-geek http://ieatishootipost.sg "Food, Foodways and Foodscapes is an extraordinary and a rare book that is simultaneously richly descriptive, deeply evocative, and sharply analytical. It provides a welcome and much needed shift in the locus of discussion from the over-written spaces of restaurants and TVs in North Atlantic nations, to the streets, the home, and the web, in a city-state in southeast Asia, which is precisely what makes it theoretically fecund." Krishnendu Ray New York University & President, Association for the Study of Food & Society "This is one of the most accessible and comprehensive book to chart Singapore''s food history … It is an excellent starting point for anyone keen to understand the ways in which Singaporeans think about and enjoy, food." The Sunday Times, Singapore '

Culture, Community and Consumption in Post-Colonial Singapore

Food, Foodways and Foodscapes

A New God in the Diaspora explores the worship of a Hindu deity known as Muneeswaran in contemporary Singapore. The strong presence and veneration of this male deity on the island, and the innovative styles of religiosity now associated with him, justify calling Muneeswaran a 'new god' in the Indian diaspora. In examining Muneeswaran, Vineeta Sinha documents a neglected aspect of local Hinduism and the ritual domain surrounding guardian deities (kaaval deivan). She also considers a broader question, asking why this deity, brought from Tamilnadu to Malaya more than 170 years ago, has developed a powerful appeal for young Singaporean Hindus three and four generations removed from their Indian origins. Her discussion of these issues provides an ethnographic documentation of urban-based Hindu religiosity in contemporary Singapore, and makes an important contribution to the global study of diasporic religious experience.

Muneeswaran Worship in Contemporary Singapore

A New God in the Diaspora?

'A new god in the diaspora?' provides an ethnographic documentation of urban Hindu religiosity that greatly enhances our understanding of diasporic religions.

Sustaining a Hindu universe at an everyday life level requires an extraordinary range of religious specialists and ritual paraphernalia. At the level of practice, devotional Hinduism is an embodied religion and grounded in a materiality, that makes the presence of specific physical objects (which when used in worship also carry immense ritual and symbolic load) an indispensable part of its religious practices. Traditionally, both services and objects required for worship were provided and produced by occupational communities. The almost sacred connection between caste groups and occupation/profession has been clearly severed in many diasporic locations, but importantly in India itself. As such, skills and expertise required for producing an array of physical objects in order to support Hindu worship have been taken over by clusters of individuals with no traditional, historical connection with caste-related knowledge. Both the transference and disconnect just noted have been crucial for the ultimate commodification of objects used in the act of Hindu worship, and the emergence of an analogous commercial industry as a result. These developments condense highly complex processes that need careful conceptual explication, a task that is exciting and carries enormous potential for theoretical reflections in key fields of study. Using the lens of ‘visuality’ and ‘materiality,’ Sinha offers insights into the everyday material religious lives of Hindus as they strive to sustain theistic, devotional Hinduism in diasporic locations--particularly Singapore, Malaysia, and Tamilnadu--where religious objects have become commodified.

Vineeta Sinha

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