Discovering post-war Singapore Chinese cultural identity "on air"

• Main Author: Tan, Amanda Jia Le
• Other Authors: Faizah Binte Zakaria
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Humanities::History
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165376
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper examines the connections between radio and cultural identity in post-war Singapore, particularly from 1945 to 1979. In historicising radio broadcasting, this paper directs its attention to the Singapore Chinese community and views the acts of radio broadcasting and listening as important factors in conceiving the Singapore Chinese cultural identity in the post-war era. This paper argues that transnationalism and trans-dialectalism are two main strands of Chinese cultural identity facilitated by Singapore's post-war radiocape. Employing Rediffusion (Singapore) as a case study, this paper will study its radio networks, programming, audience and ultimately, its influences on the Chinese community. By synthesising past discourses and the collaterals produced by the broadcasting company, this paper contends that the Singapore Chinese cultural identity is cosmopolitan yet cohesive. Present literature about radio examines the role of radio in the nation-building process. However, few scholars have ventured beyond this usual rhetoric and explored the role and impacts of radio in the socio-cultural sphere. By studying this underexplored topic, this paper hopes to contribute to the literature by shedding light on the significance of radio in the formation of cultural identity in post-war Singapore.