THE POLITICS OF SPACE : CONFLICTS OVER CHINESE BURIAL GROUNDS IN POST-WAR SINGAPORE

Abstract

The use of space does not simply reflect exclusively the workings of larger economic or political structures nor is it solely derivative of the free will and experiences of individual agents. Instead, the use of space is a heavily contested domain of social life. This academic exercise examines this contestation over space with regard to the constitution of burial space in post-war Singapore. In land-scarce urban Singapore, there inevitably arises a need to prioritise the use of space. Different social groups often have competing claims over the "proper" use of land. Using the framework provided by structuration theory, this academic exercise attempts to explain the changing geography of burial space through a process of conflict and negotiation between the state structure and the Chinese agent. By taking into account the actions of both structure and agency, the academic exercise is also an attempt to demonstrate empirically how socio-geographical change may be explained as a product of both "structure" and "agency". To the Chinese, burial grounds are "sacred" spaces filled with cultural meaning. The discourse of geomancy and ancestor worship inextricably linked the dead to the living such that the remembrance and care of the ancestors ensured the well-being of descendants. In contrast, the state's perception of burial grounds not only highlighted their insanitary nature, but 'in general, adopts a utilitarian view of burial space. Due to the need to reconstruct a war-tom country in the 1950s and 1960s, urban land use planning rose to prominence. Within this discourse, the "problem" of Chinese burial grounds was constructed as the need to release "sterilised" land for "development". The post-independence nation-state was more successful in its attempts to control burial grounds compared to the colonial state. Part of the reason seems to lie in the change in power relations after the transition to nationhood. Whereas the Chinese were immigrants in the colonial state, they become citizens in the nation-state. This change in power relations is reciprocally related to changes in the Chinese discourse on burial space. In the colonial era, discursive elements like geomancy were used to negotiate with the state by asserting the presence of a separate "sacred" discourse that immunised burial grounds from state intervention. The status of the Chinese as a citizen in the nation-state with its accompanying obligations makes it more difficult for the Chinese to maintain a separate discourse on burial grounds. Consequently, new discourses which stress the rights of the Chinese as citizens emerge as instruments of negotiation. During the colonial era, municipal attempts to regulate burial grounds largely remained at the level of discussion and planning with few moves taken to clear existing burial grounds. Instead, the authorities tried various ad hoe measures such as reducing burial plot size and changing the plot reservation system. Only with the coming of the nation-state were there more extensive and concerted moves to clear existing burial grounds. In large part, the success of the nation-state in controlling burial space can be largely attributed to its ability to push through various legislative measures such as land use zoning and compulsory land acquisition which gave the state the power to acquire burial grounds for development. Although the nation-state succeeded in clearing burial grounds for development, the negotiation process often necessitated both the Chinese and the state making concessions and compromises. In focusing upon the complexities of the negotiation process, the academic exercise has tried to demonstrate how both "structure" and "agency" interact to shape space.