WE CAME FROM THE SEA: ENVIRONMENT AND THE CONSTITUTION OF PERSONHOOD

Abstract

Singapore can never divorce itself from the sea. National narratives constantly emphasise our state as an island nation and a port city. However, present narratives seem to only see it as a conduit for economic prosperity and little else. This thesis aims to challenge this perception by showing how the sea can constitute personhood, and in turn present alternative conceptions of being an islander, and by extension, being Singaporean. The themes of place-making, embodied knowledge and national identity are explored through a synthesis of ethnographic fieldwork and secondary research materials. The larger aim of this thesis is to consider different understandings of ecological relations between people and the environment, making the argument for including the non-human in the anthropological project.