Civil Society in Singapore: Popular Discourses and Concepts

This paper takes a critical look at various popular discourses and concepts found in the Singapore civil society literature. It finds many concepts in the literature to be dominated by the spectre of the state and the political acquiescence of the local middle class, both of which paint a picture of a weak and emasculated civil society. This picture, however, fails to capture pockets of passive resistance and contestations that may take place. The paper concludes by suggesting that Singapore civil society be examined as a series of "reciprocal" relationships between activists and state representatives situated in different locations of power and resources, who are able to engage with each other when their interests converge and disengage when they diverge.