Becoming Global Asia: Contemporary Genres of Postcolonial Capitalism in SingaporeBecoming Global Asia centers Singapore as a crucial site for comprehending the uneven effects of colonialism and capitalism. In the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapore transformed its reputation as a culturally sterile and punitive nation to "Global Asia"-an alluring location ideal for economic flourishing. Cheryl Narumi Naruse analyzes how Singapore gained cultural capital and soft power by examining genres such as literary anthologies, demographic compilations, coming-of-career narratives, and princess fantasies. Tracing the trajectory of Singapore's positioning as Global Asia, Naruse reveals how the country emerged as a celebrated postcolonial model nation and a site of imperial desire that enables subjugation of the so-called Third World. Her readings of Global Asia as an invention of postcolonial capitalism offer new conceptual paradigms for understanding postcolonialism, neoliberalism, and empire. "Cheryl Narumi Naruse offers a lucid, much-needed theorization of postcolonial capitalism-a mode of sovereignty simultaneously forged against empire and productive of neoliberal governance. An important and original contribution to debates around Global Asia and its cultural forms, with ramifications far beyond Singapore."- JINI KIM WATSON, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, New York University "After Becoming Global Asia, criticism about cultural geopolitics and literary studies that disregards Singapore, or does not center Naruse's cogent analysis on the aesthetics of postcolonial capitalism, will be incomplete." - MOHAN AMBIKAIPAKER, author of Political Blackness in Multiracial Britain "If you've ever wondered about the dark side of the idea of 'Global Asia,' read this book. And if you are looking for evidence that literature can be more than a mere tool of the state and capital, this book is also for you." - COLLEEN LYE, author of America's Asia: Racial Form and American Literature, 1893-1945" |
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50 Red Dots aesthetic Alfian Sa'at anglophone anthology's Asian American Asian Values bildungsroman Biopolitics capitalist Chandran Nair Chiah Deng Chinese City colonial coming-of-career narrative Contact Singapore contemporary context corporate cosmopolitan Crazy Rich Asians critical critique cultural demographic compilations Deng's depiction describes developmental diaspora discourse domestic worker dynamics emerges emphasizes fiction film Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak genre Global Asia global capitalism Goh Chok Tong governance history of Singapore Hong Hwee ideological Ilo Ilo imagination Kwan Kwan's labor language Lee Kuan Yew legibility literary literature logics Mammon Inc migrant modern multiculturalism National Day nationalist neoliberal Never Rains novel Overseas Singaporeans pleasure Poetry of Singapore political population postcolonial capitalism princess fantasy production Pugalenthi Rachel racial Rains on National readers Routledge Singa Singapore 21 Singapore as Global Singapore's national Singaporean Abroad social soft power Sophia Southeast Asia Straits texts Tiang tion transnational University Press workers writing York