“Acting Chinese”: how do Malays manage their racial-religious identity in sinicized Singapore?

Abstract

Aimed at overturning the repressive practice of dismissing the unique distinctiveness of different Malay-Muslims into a single identity of belonging to “the problematic and exclusive community”, this study intends to uncover how Malay-Muslims who are perceived to be “successful”, have mediated their racial and religious identity performance in specific ways, in order to fit in, survive and find success in secular, Chinese-dominated Singapore. Through 18 verbal accounts of lived experiences and their subsequent interpretations, this research seeks to analyze how these individuals try to reconcile their already-established Malay-Muslim identity with the dominant social ethos and ideals prevalent in Singapore society.