ABSTRACT
As the only Southeast Asian nation to have achieved “first world” economic status in one generation, Singapore presents an interesting case study about the role of the arts in a technocratic, multicultural nation-state. Focusing on published Malay works of literary translation from Cultural Medallion winners that resulted from industry-government partnerships, this chapter maps these out along a political criticism spectrum. Then, it compares these to works about Singapore that were not supported by official organizations to distinguish between the categories of sanctioned dissent and true grime. Taking the metaphorics of translation approach popularized by the likes of Lori Chamberlain (1988), it analyzed these works to argue that the concept of “gentrification” described by urban studies scholars Ruth Glass and Sharon Zukin best captures the literary translation landscape in Singapore. In so doing, this chapter joins the scholarly conversation on literature and the creative economy that has so far been focused on Western societies, particularly Sarah Brouillette’s examination of UNESCO’s cultural policies. Yet, its contribution lies in the insights it can offer to translation studies of power and patronage that stem from the uniqueness of its non-Western context.
