State, religion, and environmentalism: fostering social cohesion and environmental protection in Singapore

Abstract

Religions are taking on an increasingly influential role in driving the environmental movement and shaping the public policy in the world. However, little research has been done in Singapore to determine the extent to which religious environmental concerns affect state–religion relations despite the nation-state being home to a multitude of traditions. Using data from a survey that utilizes quota sampling, this study addresses this gap in two ways: firstly, to present a sketch of the environmental viewpoints and behaviors of six key religions in Singapore, namely the Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Islam, Protestant, and Taoist traditions; and secondly, to identify possible areas of tension between these religious groups and the state with reference to religious environmental concerns. Study shows that, while an apparent gap between environmental beliefs and actual environmental action persists, there is a desire by religious members for more societal activism and support with regard to protecting the environment. The study proposes that issues of religious environmental concern can act as a powerful overarching framework in guiding the state/religious environmental policy to create both multicultural social cohesion as well as environmental protection, and by doing so contribute to upholding the fundamental pillars of religious and national harmony in Singapore while concurrently facilitating the participatory citizenship.

Keywords:

• environmentalism
• state–religion relations
• religious-secular divide
• environmental curriculum
• environmental religiosity
• Singapore

Acknowledgements

The authors, who share equal authorship, thank the editor and the reviewers for their thoughtful comments and suggestions that significantly improve the quality of this paper. They also acknowledge the crucial help from Francis Lim, Kamaludding Nasir, Premchand Dommaraju, Ulfat tahseen, and Rawsab Said while preparing this manuscript.

Notes

1 These factors were not considered due to practical research considerations such as needing to keep the questionnaire concise upon request from the religious groups in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrew Chan

Andrew Chan is a graduate of Sociology, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. He’s associated with the Environment and Sustainability Research Cluster, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, NTU. Email: [email protected]

Md Saidul Islam (PhD, York, Canada) is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. He also taught at the College of William and Mary in the United States and York University in Canada prior to his current appointment. With specialization in international development and environmental sociology, he has published a number of peer-reviewed articles and books. His books include: Development, Power and the Environment: Neoliberal Paradox in the Age of Vulnerability (New York, London: Routledge, 2013); Confronting the Blue Revolution: Industrial Aquaculture and Sustainability in the Global South (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014); and Social Justice in the Globalization of Production: Labor, Gender, and the Environment Nexus (Palgrave Macmillan, Forthcoming in November 2015). He’s currently the coordinator of Food and Agri/aquaculture under the Section of Development Sociology, American Sociological Association (ASA); and Environment and Sustainability Research Cluster, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, NTU. His global collaboration on sustainable seafood culminates in a policy forum paper published in Science (journal) which attracts a world-wide attention. He won the 2015 Early Investigator Award/ Prix jeune chercheur 2015 of the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA). Email: [email protected]