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Abstract
This paper considers how two facets of identity—religion and class—are performed, (re)produced and negotiated within the spaces of the Christian school, home and church in Singapore. We show how the social structuring of one space can inform and influence the structuring of another. Spaces of Christianity in Singapore tend to be mutually reinforcing, strengthening the linkages between religion and class, and in particular reifying the position of Christianity as a religion of the privileged classes. However, the ways in which Christian spaces are reified can become problematic when space is in fact shared with less privileged groups, such as Christians from lower socio-economic classes, and foreign domestic workers. In such instances, the interlinked spaces of Christian privilege and position can cause differences within the community to become points of negotiation and compromise. As a result, they can lead to the social (re)positioning of individuals, and the reproduction of both inclusionary and exclusionary forms of religious citizenship.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Shee Siew Ying for fieldwork assistance, and the editors and anonymous reviewers for helpful feedback on earlier drafts of this paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Sia is a suffix usually used to emphasise negative sentiment.
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Notes on contributors
Orlando Woods
Orlando Woods is Associate Professor of Humanities and Lee Kong Chian Fellow at Singapore Management University. Email: [email protected]
Lily Kong
Lily Kong is President and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences at Singapore Management University. Email: [email protected]