PORTRAITS OF A NATION

摘要

This article revisits the Malay settlements in Singapore from the pre-British era up to the present day, in order to examine the colonial and post-colonial influences on the development of the Malay settlements, its meanings for the local communities and its living legacy today. In particular it discusses key factors which shaped this dramatic transformation: the plans of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, immigration and economic development under the British, British land policy and the official Malay villages, and Britain's military presence. It goes on to examine the impact of the colonial built heritage on the development of Singapore's cultural and national identities, focusing on the two remaining examples of built heritage related to the Malay-Muslim communities in the country, namely the Istana Kampung Glam and the Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang.