On the Moral Geography of Cities: A Case Study of Three Singapore Hostess Pubs in a Suburban “High Street” Setting

Abstract

We study three hostess pubs on Joo Chiat Road, Singapore—a “Vietnam pub” and two “Filipina pubs”, utilizing the concept of “assemblages” based on Bøhling’s work on Copenhagen nightlife. We compare and contrast the customer demographics of each Night-Time Economy (NTE) establishment, and the resultant culture, which is a product of the race/ethnicity of the hostesses, the race/ethnicity and ages of the patrons, the policies and ethos of the owner/manager, and the pricing model whereby hostesses get financially rewarded. The Filipina pubs rely upon “ladies’ drinks” whereas the Vietnam pub fosters a tipping system. While the ladies’ drinks model suggests a hyper-capitalist business setting, the tipping model has feudal, honour-based, and debt-based elements. These observations derive from Marx’s historical materialism theory where aspects of feudal or pre-capitalist practices linger into the capitalist epoch.