Singapore And The Modern World

This course focuses on the evolution of Singapore from 1300s through 2000s within regional and global contexts. It will discuss various factors--institutional, cultural, socio-political and international - that have shaped the trajectory of Singapore's growth over seven centuries. The successful story of Singapore's economic development in the 20th century will be understood not only within the domestic multi-ethnic mosaic and complex regional relationships of the 1900s, but as a continuation of trends established during pre-colonial/pre-modern times. It is the interplay of these forces that underscores the formation and challenges of a cosmopolitan global city-state with an emerging national identity. This course will demonstrate that Singapore's position as a cosmopolitan city has its roots in pre-modern times when Temasek represented an important node in the trans-Asian trade network between China, India, and the Mediterranean world.