The Haunting of Fatimah Rock: History, Embodiment and Spectral Urbanism in Contemporary Singapore

Abstract

The Pontianak, presently known as the Malay woman who died during childbirth, is a monstrous female figure whose identity and popularity has survived for centuries within the Malay Archipelago. This research focuses on the embodied experiences of ¿haunting¿ as an interactive method of social inquiry. Using the somatic framework and theories of embodiment, I seek to examine how the Pontianak, as an immaterial body survives the quotidian and how her existence, in turn, poses symbolic significance to the Malay community in contemporary Singapore. The continued survival and even the revival of the Pontianak in contemporary Malay communities makes it necessary to examine the possibility of recognizing the Pontianak as a legitimate and embodied social actor within the community. How does she feature in the everyday world? What is at stake for the Malays to continue to be haunted by the long-haired lady-in-white?