Making space out of place : politics of Singapore’s hawker centres, 1965-2015

Abstract

Since the colonial period, people have been hawking and their presence shaped Singapore’s social and economic developments. Colonial-era hawkers peddled their wares in verandahs and roads. However, to the colonial authorities, they posed issues of obstructing traffic and were hygiene hazards. Hence, the municipal tried tackling this by licensing and constructing shelters for the hawkers. This laid the foundation for post-colonial authorities, whose policies built on colonial attempts in controlling the hawking trade. Post-colonial authorities also recognised the trade’s potential as a tourist attraction as well as an avenue to mould Singaporeans into a disciplined and modern workforce to attract foreign investments. Nonetheless, the hawkers and consumers frequently negotiated around the restrictions. Hence, this thesis argues that while the Singapore government attempts to portray the nation with modern and disciplined citizens to the global audience through its hawking trade policies from 1965 to 2015, the hawkers and consumers constantly negotiated around the restrictions which shaped the hawker centre foodscape.