FROM CONFUCIANISM TO CONTEMPORARY CHINA: THE EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE, KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION, AND THE MAKING OF SINO-SINGAPORE RELATIONS, 1983-2019

Abstract

This thesis traces the history of the East Asian Institute, documenting its evolution from its predecessors, the Institute of East Asian Philosophies (1983–1992) to the Institute of East Asian Political Economy (1992–1997) and finally to present-day East Asian Institute (1997–2019). From 1983 to 2019, the Institute took on a political role by being a platform for the negotiation of Sino-Singapore relations through knowledge production. The research organisation started out studying philosophies and Confucianism. However, after the establishment of official Sino-Singapore relations in 1990, the growing formal need to understand China changed the type of knowledge production within the Institute. At the same time, as the Institute studied China, scholarly exchange and intellectual interactions facilitated the management of and spurred the relationship between Singapore and China. Knowledge production of the Institute reflected the broader historical contexts of Singapore’s society and Singapore’s relationship with China. By contextualising the development of the Institute against the state interests and its relationship with China, this study examines how the confluence of two factors – knowledge production of the Institute and Sino-Singapore relations, positioned the Institute to play a key role in fostering informal academic exchanges and diplomatic relations with China and with countries around the world.