The Singapore Arts Landscape: Influences, Tensions, Confluences, and Possibilities for the Learning Context

Abstract

The chapter synthesizes relevant literature on arts education in Singapore and discusses its evolving context in the city-state. It locates the position of the arts in the history of Singapore before and after its independence, during and after its brief merger with Malaysia, and from its early years as a fledgling city-state to its current position as an affluent nation in the Southeast Asian region. On the one hand, it takes into account the evolving cultural policy crafted and enacted by a strong state and which has had significant impact on the local arts and culture. On the other, it rearticulates perspectives on Singapore arts and culture from the local artists and the academic community by highlighting what may be regarded as alternative expressions to the statist account of the Singapore arts landscape. Tensions and contradictions that interlace the development of Singapore arts and culture and that offer constraints, challenges, and potential opportunities for arts teaching and learning are also brought to the fore. A commentary on these tensions and contradictions is then provided (Chapter 2). The commentary expresses the confluences that arise from these tensions as well as some possibilities for the learning context.