The forgotten diaspora : identity formation for ethnically Paksitani Singaporeans

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore how the ethnic minority community of Pakistani Singaporeans negotiate their identity within the dominant Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) quadrotomy and hypothesizes that being in limbo, being put in a position of ethnic wilderness whereby not being truly recognized as part of the larger state narrative has led to them seeking other means and ways to remain ethnically Pakistani. The main themes of this paper are (1) the creation of identity within the uniquely Singaporean context of CMIO, (2) the importance of language on the notion of identity (3) the confusing situation of being a hybrid identity of the Malay and Indian community without actually belonging to either community wholly, and (4) the way in which culture is transmitted within primary sites of socialisation in the vacuum of any alternative transmission of culture.