Developing the Peranakan Museum for Singapore – Challenges in Re- Presenting a Fusion Culture
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Title of Paper: Developing the Peranakan Museum for Singapore - challenges in re- presenting a fusion culture Name of author: Mr Randall Ee Name of institution: Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore Address: 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555, Singapore Tel: +65 63324539 Fax: +65 63346392 Email address: [email protected] Developing the Peranakan Museum for Singapore – challenges in re- presenting a fusion culture. The development of the Peranakan Museum is a good case study of a museum centred on the culture of a minority group in Singapore. The term ‘Peranakan’ is of Malay origin and was originally used by the indigenous Malays to refer to the immigrant communities that had settled and intermarried with other races in Southeast Asia, largely during the period of colonial expansion in Southeast Asia from the 16th to early 20th century. The Peranakan phenomenon is by no means a unique development in Singapore, with many different hybrid communities in the different port cities of Southeast Asia. However, as a very large majority of Peranakans are of Chinese descent, the term Peranakan has largely been synonymous with ‘Peranakan Chinese’ and is used as such for the purpose of this paper. The Asian Civilisations Museum is developing a National Museum that will focus on both the material and intangible aspects of the Peranakan culture. The new museum will capitalise on the unique material culture of the Peranakan Chinese, dating largely to the late 19th - early 20th century from the colonial Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang. It will also explore the links between these communities and other less well known Peranakan communities in the wider Southeast Asian region, as well as integrate contemporary Peranakan culture, in order to engage the younger community and address the relevance of what is often perceived to be a dying culture. Recent revivals of Peranakan Chinese culture in Singapore and Malaysia in the last two decades, has generated a diversity of views on how it should be represented today. The challenge of addressing the often contested issues of culture and identity in modern Singapore, requires an holistic and inclusive approach that addresses all segments of the community. Thematic galleries will also challenge stereotypical perceptions of the culture and will explore certain aspects more widely. Religion, for example, can be seen as a fluidity of different belief systems within the Peranakan Chinese communities. The new museum will create a sounding board for a range of views that will sustain interest in this unique culture. .