Education, Culture and the Singapore Developmental State: World-Soul Lost and Regained? [Hardcover]

This book explores the role of education in the formation of the Singapore developmental state. The book provides a historical study of citizenship education in Singapore, whereby a comparative study of history, civics and social studies curricula, and the politics and policies that underpin them are examined.1. Education and the Developmental State: Importance of Culture 2. Crisis of National Survival 3. Crisis of 'Deculturalisation' and Invention of 'Asian Values' 4. Intensification of Asian Values 5. Historical Amnesia Crisis and 'National Education' Response 6. National Education Institutionalized in Curriculum 7. Final Thoughts on the 'World-Soul' of Singapore

Chia has consulted rich primary sources to construct a very detailed narrative of how citizenship education has played an important role in the politics of Singapores nation building. This is perhaps the greatest strength of this book. & This book is a useful resource for scholars, policy makers and students in the fields of development economics, citizenship education, history and social studies education. (Ai Lian Chee, Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, May, 2016)

The book will resonate with young Singaporeans like myself who experienced and encountered many of these policies and pedagogical materials. & This contribution will help students and scholars unfamiliar with Singapore to understand the central role the national education system plays in nation-building and state-formation through socializing students into their roles as future citizens in Singapore & . (Edgar  Liao, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 47(1), February, 2016)

This book is a must-read for policy-makers, scholars and the engaged citizen. This book makes a valuable contribution to the conversation concerning the relationship between culture, education l“$