Twelfth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The Peranakan are a minority group in Southeast-Asia that has provided a unique material legacy now showcased within Singapore’s state-run Peranakan Museum. This paper argues that the Peranakans’ refusal to support Singapore’s bid to join the Malay Federation resulted in their political and cultural marginalization. However, the Peranakan community’s legacy, consisting of a unique, internationally prized collection of material artefacts, presented a compelling case to showcase the community in this state-run museum. Specifically, this paper considers the repositioning of the Peranakan community as a galvanising symbol of harmony between Singapore’s distinct racial groups and as an imagining of a what contemporary cosmopolitan Singaporeans might look like.