Civility and its discontents : exploring who deserves civility ... and who does not

Abstract

The civilising process in Singapore, quite unlike the civilising process in Elias’ Europe, can be traced to campaigns advocating for courtesy in all spheres of public life. The emphasis on treating others with civility in Singapore is largely seen as unproblematic, but I argue that this is largely dependent on whether one belongs to a moral majority. Looking at how Singaporeans stigmatise Chinese nationals as uncivil, I explore the ways Singaporeans come to negotiate state-imposed civility and emerge as the bastions of civility.