Making of a "kampung spirit" in modern Singapore

Abstract

Due to the changing social structures of modern Singapore, Singaporeans are found to have increasingly weaker relationships with their neighbours. This is in contrast with kampungs of the past, whereby relationships between neighbours are strong. As autobiographies often talked about the importance of social relationships in kampungs, I argue that “kampung spirit” is a form of social capital. The idea of keeping the “kampung spirit” alive has emerged over the past several decades, and even more so recently, with Kampung Admiralty being built in 2017. In this paper, I explore how “kampung spirit” has been portrayed by the state through a content analysis of newspaper articles, as well as whether the built environment has an effect in promoting “kampung spirit.” My findings from interviews with residents of Kampung Admiralty suggest that the “kampung spirit” in Kampung Admiralty is weak, as people choose to not develop relationships with their neighbours.