War Memory and the Making of Modern Malaysia and Singapore

by Kevin Blackburn (Editor)

Singapore fell to Japanese forces on 15 February 1942. Within a matter of days, the occupying army took prisoner more than 100,000 British, Australian and Indian soldiers, and massacred thousands of Chinese civilians. A resistance movement formed in Malaya's jungle-covered mountains, but the vast majority of people could do little but resign themselves to life under Japanese rule. The Occupation of Malaya would last three and a half years, until the British returned in September 1945. How is this period remembered? And how have individuals, communities, and states shaped and reshaped collections in the post-war era as the events of the time slipped out of living memory? This volume uses observations gathered from members of various communities involved in or affected by the conflict -- Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, British and Australians to respond to these questions. Its young women who flocked to the Japanese-sponsored Indian National Army, hoping to march on Delhi. The authors also draw on other forms of memory, including the soaring pillars of Singapore's Civilian War Memorial and traditional Chinese cemeteries in Malaysia. In preparing this volume, the authors have reinserted previously marginalized or self-censored voices back into the story in a way that allows them to reflect on the nature of conflict and memory. Moreover, these voices speak of the searing transit from war and massacre through resistance and decolonization to the molding of postcolonial state and identities.

476 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idk why Goodreads titles it "Singapore Studies" but the actual title is "War Memory and the Making of Modern Malaysia and Singapore". The key concept behind the book is "one event, different memories." By investigating the postwar memorialization of the Fall of Singapore and the Japanese Occupation by the different ethnic groups in Singapore and Malaysia, the book highlights how different facets of the war (incld deaths, heroes, and events) are either emphasized or subtly sidelined in distinct manners at the individual, community and state level. Memory is thus not static, but constantly in flux as it is adopted and appropriated by various groups to suit the nuances of the narratives they seek to portray.

[Hubert Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting piece which demarcates war experiences primarily by race - while making sufficient caveats about the multitude of experiences within each race. A useful start to exploring the largely defective war memory in Malaysia and Singapore. It loses the 5th star by virtue of its occasional repetition, reading more like a collection of essays than a coherent monograph.