Jan 2011

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Director's Column

Asian Confluence: Challenging Perceptions of European Hegemony in the Histories of Singapore and Modern Science
Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Dr Arun Bala argues that a confluence of different Eastern cultures, along with the Western tradition, led to modern science and the Singapore that we know today. (PDF)

The Case of Tras New Village and the Assasination of Henry Gurney During the Malayan Emergency
Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow Tan Teng Phee delves into the fate of Tras New Village and its residents during the Malayan Emergency. (PDF)

Multiculturalism: A Study of Plurality and Solidarity in Colonial Singapore
Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow Phyllis Ghim-Lian Chew draws from the social and linguistic history of colonial Singapore to propose a plurality-solidarity continuum as a means to study acculturation and assimilation. (PDF)

Shair Saudara Boyan: Menyingkap Sejarah Masyarakat Bawean
Shair Saudara Boyan (Poem of the Baweanese, 1930) is a significant 49-page poetry collection written in Malay using Jawi script. Senior Librarian Sundusia Rosdi shows how it offers a portrait of the Baweanese community and sheds light on their social values and aspirations. (PDF)

Women’s Perspectives on Malaya: Isabella Bird on the Chersonese
Senior Librarian Bonny Tan takes a closer look at Isabella Bird’s The Golden Chersonese (1883), which captures her travels through Malaya. (PDF)

Sastera Melayu Singapura Pasca 1965
Librarian Juffri Bin Supa’at examines the growth and development of Singapore Malay Literature after 1965. (PDF)

新加坡华文文学的滥觞与进程: 馆藏华文文学史料选介
Associate Librarian Cheng Tee Yin highlights some significant works from the Singapore Chinese Literature Collection. (PDF)

சிங்கப்பூர்த் தேசிய நூலகத்தின் அரிய நூல்த் தொகுப்பு
Librarian Sundari Bala spotlights rare Tamil materials found in the Rare Materials Collection at the National Library. (PDF)

Keeping Memories Alive: Reflection on the “When Nations Remember” Conference
Senior Librarian Gracie Lee shares her reflections on “When Nations Remember”, a two-day international conference on national memory and its preservation, display and access, held in October 2009. (PDF)

青年书局与新加坡国家图书馆签署数字化合作协议书
In September 2010, the National Library Board and The Youth Book Company (TYBC) signed a memorandum of understanding to digitise all TYBC publications and make them available for public access online. Lai Yeen Pong shares more. (PDF)