Telling stories about Emak and Bapak: Peranakan life writing November 7, 2012

Peranakan memoirs, biographies, and fiction about Babas and Nyonyas remain popular in Singapore and other areas of Southeast Asia. Do these texts suggest evolving Peranakan identities in the region? Besides offering a “native informer” or insider point of view with their rich ethnographic details, many of these books are poignant and compelling in the kinds of historical struggles they frame, narrate, and participate in. The subtle interweaving of public history and domestic story marks one of the strongest features of this literary tradition, as seen in Stella Kon’s play Emily of Emerald Hill. With the play as a focus, this lecture will examine Peranakan writing and culture in Singapore and the region.

Shirley Lim is a professor in the English Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Registration information:
This talk is on 7 November 2012, Wednesday, 7 – 9pm. The talk is free and organised in conjunction with the special exhibition at the Peranakan Museum, Emily of Emerald Hill: Singaporean Identity on Stage and the Singapore Writers Festival 2012.
Registration is mandatory, and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, email your name and contact details to: [email protected].

Registration opens from 17 October to 5 November 2012.

Official Website: http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/exhibitions/eventdetail.asp?eventid=305