The Construction of National Identity through the Production of Ritual and Spectacle: An Analysis of National Day Parades in Singapore

• Main Authors: Kong, Lily, Yeoh, Brenda S. A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 1997
• Subjects: National Day; parades; Singapore; national identity; Asian Studies; Human Geography; Social Influence and Political Communication; Sociology of Culture
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1746; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3003/viewcontent/ConstructionNationalIdentityRitual_1997.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In this paper, we adopt the view that 'nation' and 'national identity' are social constructions, created to serve ideological ends. We discuss this in the specific empirical context of Singapore's National Day parades. By drawing on officially produced souvenir programmes an...