Violence, murder, and death at the Tanjong Pagar Docks, 1870 to 1930

• Main Author: Tam, Kuan Ho
• Other Authors: Jessica Bridgette Hinchy
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Humanities::History::Asia::Singapore
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165343
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The port terminals at Tanjong Pagar, Keppel Harbour, and Pulau Brani are set to close in 2027, marking an end to the area’s over 150-year history as an important docking and bunkering facility for Singapore. Despite its importance, the writings on the colonial dock at Tanjong Pagar in the late 18th and early 19th centuries are sparse. The impending closure of these terminals is an opportune time to reflect on its long history and in particular the history of those who worked at the docks during the colonial period. Building upon the social histories produced about other workers in the colonial period, this paper examines the lives of labourers and dockworkers at the Tanjong Pagar Docks by analysing cases of violence. I explored the violence faced by dockworkers at the Tanjong Pagar Docks, examining the relationship between violence and labour to understand the conditions of dockworkers. Beyond simply understanding the lives of dockworkers, I argue that violence was driven by the larger structures, institutions, and processes surrounding them. Lastly, this paper also explores how narratives of violence allow historical actors to frame their understanding of violence, and in turn the working and social lives of dockworkers.