ABSTRACT
Nation-building does not occur in a historical vacuum. This chapter traces the history of Singapore from its earliest days as a trading settlement in the Indonesian kingdom of Srivijaya. The second phase of development started in 1819, when Stamford Raffles founded a British colony there. This rule imposed British understandings of race on the colonial subjects, and this racialization continues to color inter-ethnic relations in Singapore today. The Japanese invasion of 1942 shattered the myth of White invincibility, and galvanized the post-war independence movement. Yet, Singapore first became part of Malaysia before becoming truly independent in 1965. Echoes of the social policies of the post-war years can still be heard in present-day Singapore.
