MIGRANTS TO MERCHANTS THE DYNAMICS OF SIKH ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This thesis retells stories. The life stories of Sikh migrants who ventured in trade and commerce in Singapore. These men came from modest beginnings, but through entrepreneurship, have turned from migrants to merchants. There have been no prior studies done on this group of men, and this thesis makes a documentation of and analysis of their lives. The approach taken is by documenting individual biographical accounts of these Sikhs, with emphasis on their trading histories. Observations are then drawn out on a collective group level, the saturation of individuals into category- Sikh migrant entrepreneurs. This is followed by an analysis on the dynamics of their entrepreneurship. Here the thesis typologies these dynamics into the micro and macro dimensions. It explores the individual characteristics and traits of the Sikh entrepreneur, like his religiosity, work ethic and migrant mindset. At the same time, analysis is also done at the level of macro or structural dynamics. Singapore's economic environment, the market and the world system are paii of entrepreneurial dynamics of these men. The cultural or individual constitutes the supply side of entrepreneurship, with the structural environment constituting the demand side. The thesis then makes an attempt at linking the micro and macro dimensions by use of Wallerstein's world systems paradigm, with use of Braudelian historical analysis as well. These men's biographies are projected onto the structural dimensions of the world system, to link culture and the market. The thesis not only describes these men's lives, but also attempts to uncover and explain the dynamics behind their entrepreneurial success, and make analysis as appropriate.