Civility in public spaces : a case study of MRT trains in Singapore.

• Main Author: Seto, Winifred.
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities; DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Social behavior
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/51637
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Trains are not only a means of mobility but also a site where informal codes of conduct are negotiated and reproduced among commuters. Using ideas from Durkheim, Goffman and Foucault, this exploratory study examines how unscripted forms of civility are maintained in public spaces, specifically, MRT Trains in Singapore. To this end, participant observations and in-depth narrative interviews were carried out to analyze the (i) the boundaries of (in)civilities, (ii) responses towards uncivil behaviour, and (iii) how incivilities are disciplined. Through its findings, this study reveals the impact of the gaze, now extended by technology, has far-reaching effects on the ways commuters discipline their body according to the space around them.