ABSTRACT
Singapore has evolved into a multicultural site since its founding as a British colony in 1819 and subsequently its independence as a nation-state. Singapore's drive for economic growth and the need to maintain the status quo of social configuration are the main reasons for the Singapore government embracing a certain formulation of multiculturalism. The chapter is divided into four main parts. The first part concerns the present profile of social configuration demonstrated by Singapore while the second attempts to pin down where the current tensions lie between citizens and foreigners and the recent policies that the Singapore government has implemented to address the simmering discontent among citizens. The third part examines the major immigrant groups that citizens perceive have impacted significantly upon local resources and culture and provoked questions of acculturation into the local society. The fourth part investigates the essential groups within the citizens that define along race and language lines the various spaces and facets of Singapore.
