NEGOTIATING PUBLIC SPACES IN SINGAPORE: FOREIGN DOMESTIC WORKERS SPACES OF (UN)WELCOME

Abstract

Singapore is one of the most globalised cities in the world that relies heavily on foreign domestic workers. Although the study of foreign domestic workers is not completely new in Singapore, there is little studied on their agency in negotiating public spaces and their sense of place. This thesis aims to investigate the meanings foreign domestic workers ascribe to public spaces, specifically where they feel most welcomed or least welcomed in. By drawing on a humanistic approach, sense of place will be employed to understand the perspectives of foreign domestic workers, how they feel and experience the different places they visit. In addition, the various notions of public spaces for the different groups of people? citizens, migrant workers and foreign domestic workers will be established for the discussion of how public spaces are perceived differently for different groups of people. Through a series of semi-structured interviews with 34 foreign domestic workers, participant observations at the various sites frequented by them and walkalong, this research aims to investigate how foreign domestic workers as individuals ascribe different meanings to the public space they occupy during their rest days. Key research findings reveal that foreign domestic workers feel more welcomed at spaces where they find connections with their home countries. On the other hand, they feel the least welcomed at spaces where they are excluded because of their status as low-paid domestics.