Moulding the bodies : the great Singapore workout

• Main Author: Chee, Ying Tian
• Other Authors: Park Donghyun
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/69750
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The 1990s period saw Singapore’s transition into a modern economic hub, along with a shift in people’s lifestyle. With greater affluence, this attributes to a rise in Singaporeans sedentary lifestyle. Better transport infrastructures and urban designs have led to higher physical inactivity among Singaporeans, for instance, with people climbing the stairs less regularly and sitting more often. As such, several health promotion activities and disease prevention programmes were initiated by the state to inculcate more awareness on healthy living. Physical education, sports and exercises become one of the fundamental tools to build a healthy national body of Singapore. The health of the population can be seen to be under the responsibilities of not only the individuals, but also the state and the communities that they belonged to. This raises the question on how the state exerts its control over individuals’ bodies to build a national body as a whole. Through the several health campaigns and national exercises, this essay delves into the power dynamics that operates in Singapore’s society. Hence, the state’s control over the national body is through a constant negotiation and interaction between the various players, in particular, the state and individuals, that function within Singapore’s society.