When talent meets mobility: un/desirability in Singapore's new citizenship project

摘要

Singapore's marketing strategy as a ‘gateway’ between East and West, a project developed at the end of the 1990s, is based on the city-state's re-positioning in the knowledge-based economy between an emerging China and Western societies. This project targets elite populations whether they are locals or migrants to frame a citizenship design combining mobility and talent. I will critically assess the impacts of Singapore's gateway strategies on the formation of citizens-subjects through the notion of un/desirability. By focusing on stories of desirable subjects, I will stress the everyday tensions arising in the production of neo-liberal citizens. I argue that desirable subjects are struggling with the neo-liberal pressures to become ‘self-governed entrepreneurs’ at the gateway, which is symptomatic of schisms between the city-state's citizenship project and their own practice. I especially target the crucial role of community associations in mediating these tensions and supporting the city-state's citizenship project.View full textDownload full textKeywordsneo-liberal, mobility, migration, good migrant, bad migrantRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13621025.2012.683259