The partial secularisms of Singapore's Muslim minorities: Authoritarian space-times and the state-led structuring of citizenship at the margins

Keywords: partial secularisms, margins, Muslim minorities, authoritarian space-times, Singapore
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 63

Abstract

This paper argues that the secular should be understood as a partial construct that is selectively deployed by states and individuals to structure everyday encounters with difference. The partiality of the secular is most pronounced in Muslim minority contexts. In these contexts, the regulatory gaze of the state works through the space-times of the secular to structure both the terms of citizenship, and the terms of inclusion in society. These structurings reveal shades of (in)compatibility between the Muslim and non-Muslim self, and between Muslim citizens and migrants. They also emphasize the partiality of the secular in response to the authoritarian structuring of space. I illustrate these ideas through an empirical exploration of Singapore’s Muslim minorities. In Singapore, the Muslim population is primarily Malay, but includes non-Malay cohorts as well. Of these, Bangladeshi migrant workers form an important minority as their visa status precludes them from becoming Singapore citizens, but also shields them from the secular structuring of the state. In the mosque, the interfacing of Singaporean Muslims on the one hand, and Bangladeshi Muslims on the other, can yield insight into the assertions of citizenship, and the negotiation of selfhood, that occur at the margins of a state-defined secular society.