THE BATAKS IN SINGAPORE : A STUDY OF GROUP COHESION AND ASSIMILATION

Abstract

The main concern of the thesis is to examine the heuristic value of the concept of assimilation for the study of immigrant ethnic minorities. It is argued that assimilation is a very complex phenomenon which can be better understood if in-depth studies are undertaken. The Batak population in Singapore, despite its small size, was seen as a particularly suitable ethnic grouping for this kind of study. Dialect differentiation and a proliferation of religious affiliations among Bataks have produced several distinct situations of assimilation pressures. The Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness, and Muslim Bataks have reacted in different ways to the Singapore environment. By looking at marriage patterns, social networks, community structures, attitudes held by these different categories of Bataks toward their ethnic identity and culture in Singapore, and their commitment to their respective religious communities, it has been possible to compare and contrast their different adaptntional stances. The Batak material is then used to refine the concept of assimilation, and five dimensions, each with its dualistic aspects, are discerned: 'partial and complete assimilation'; 'psychological conviction and opportunistic orientation'; 'temporary and permanent assimilation'; 'gradual and rapid assimilation'; and 'contextual and thoroughgoing assimilation'. The study also highlights the cynamics of ethnicity in general in Singapore's plural society. Many small ethnic minorities, far from being absorbed into the large, 'racial' communities (Chinese, Malay, and Indian) are able successfully to preserve their distinct cultural and social identities.