Negotiating Israel-Palestine : identity politics of Singapore Christians from 1980s to early 2000s through holy land pilgrimages

Abstract

Scholarship on Israel-Singapore relations often focused on military and political diplomacy. Little significance is given to the bilateral relations post 1970s as the relationship takes a less visible nature. Yet, the cultural relationship between Israel and Singapore continues to grow. This thesis attempts to provide insight into the cultural facet of the bilateral relation through the analysis of Protestant Christian pilgrimages. It uncovers historical roots of the modern phenomenon of pilgrimages by examining the period of 1980s to early 2000s. In this thesis, I argue that this negotiated version of Israel encountered by Singapore Protestant Christian pilgrims, who were mostly middle to upper-middle class and Chinese, was a result of meaning-making between different actors with stakes in the holy land. Through the lens of race and identifying the moral geography of Singapore Christians, this paper traces a discourse of identity formulation of the Singapore Christian as they embark on pilgrimages. It demonstrates the historical factors and conditions in shaping the politicised pilgrimages that played a part in constructing the social identity of a Singapore Christian. As the socio-political situation evolves internationally and domestically, the Singapore Christian community responded accordingly and sought purpose in identifying themselves with the bigger transnational Judeo-Christian community.