Measuring Race, Mixed Race, and Multiracialism in Singapore

Abstract

The measurement of race has been pivotal in the social and political history of Singapore. The categorization of racial identities under colonial rule and then as part of independent statehood has been deliberate and pronounced, and Singapore’s ‘multiracial’ ideology remains structured around four firmly racialized groups. The current framework of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Other (CMIO) thus serves to manage diversity while at the same time maintaining separate racial groupings. Measuring mixed race has proved complex in this context, with Singapore codifying some forms of mixedness and overlooking other types of mixing between racial categories. The category of Eurasian, a label which describes mixed European and Asian descent, has been used since the 1800s, but its meaning and boundaries have shifted significantly over time. The more recent policy innovation of providing for double-barrelled race identifications provides another alternative for measuring and identifying mixedness, but the ‘dominant race-subordinate race’ formulation of hyphenated racial identifications raises its own conundrums. This chapter outlines the measurement of race and mixed race in colonial and post-colonial Singapore, illustrating the ways in which race remains a key feature of state organization and social dynamics in the country.

We would like to thank Rohini Anant (Asia Research Institute) for her assistance with background research. The Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1 [FY2014-FRC2-008] provided funding support for some of the research.