Migrant workers in Singapore: exclusion, iconography, and process of violence

Abstract

This project examines how the plight of migrant construction workers in Singapore has been neglected through various aspects of their lives. Drawing on Stathis Kalyvas’s theory on the process of violence and Irm Haleem’s examination of how violence is normalised, This project analyses the mistreatment of migrant construction workers through four key dimensions: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), iconography, discriminatory legal policies, and tokenistic reforms. It was found that these dimensions contributed to various forms of non-physical violence. However, it must be emphasised that this project does not argue that an outbreak of physical violence in Singapore is inevitable or imminent due to the mistreatment of migrant workers. Rather, it serves as a cautionary note that such dehumanising narratives and practices, if left unchecked, may create a foundation for long-term atrocities.