Insecurities of contemporary Malay men : negotiating identity and social experiences

• Main Author: Nur Farhana Abdul Halim
• Other Authors: Zhan Shaohua
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73689
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Contemporary life involves a multitude of experiences that are inherently shaped and affected by social, cultural and economic circumstances. One of the prominent experiences and effects of neoliberalization for instance, in multi-ethnic and urban Singapore, is the level of uncertainty, precarity or insecurity that is rooted in ideas of risk and crisis. These insecurities permeate multiple level of social life in forms of crisis-prone economy, unstable labourmarkets, and changing roles – as reflected in the idea of ‘crisis of masculinity’, that may all translate into everyday insecurities. Singapore’s multi-ethnic demographic offers an interesting look at possible the differences in social experience of ethnic groups, minority Malays especially. This brings us to the debates on “Malay disadvantage” that often seek explanations for the social experiences and supposedly negative situations that Malays are in – taking on a blame-placing stance be it on the state or the Malays themselves. This paper hence lies between the ideas of masculinity and ethnicity, whereby Malay men could be doubly and uniquely affected by both their understanding of masculinity and position as ethnic minority. The unique position of Malay men in their social relations contribute to their perception and experiences of insecurities. Insecurities are attributed to the difficulty in attaining sociocultural goals or expectations attached to Malay men. Rather, than blaming insecurities on the state or Malays themselves, it is important to know that the experiences of Malay men throughout the phases of their life (home, school, work) shape and reiterate how they perceive themselves negatively within the society, how their identity is closely linked to stereotypes, and how expectations of Malay men add pressure for them to present themselves in socially pleasing ways and fulfil sociocultural expectations in order to be deemed ideal.