Chinese privilege in Singapore: the prevailing by-product of a minimalist multiracial system

Abstract

While the existence of racial inequality and racial discrimination has long been acknowledged, the existence of racial privilege for the Chinese is still being debated. The increasingly salient debate on Chinese privilege is lacking in nuance, and it has perhaps been worsened by the state’s categorical denial of its existence. Therefore, this paper seeks to contribute nuance by situating the concept of Chinese privilege within Singapore’s multiculturalism. Specifically, this paper seeks to problematise Singapore’s race management infrastructure as a minimalist multiracial system. By investigating the different elements of Singapore’s multiracialism and how they perpetuate racial inequality, this paper argues that Chinese privilege is a prevailing by-product of Singapore’s minimalist multiracial system.