Honours Thesis abstract is finally done. All comments and - TopicsExpress

Honours Thesis abstract is finally done. All comments and criticisms are welcome! ----- Singaporean Critique: Constructing a Post-Colonial Standpoint In Singapore, western and eastern traditions are privileged as sources of authority and knowledge. As a result, concepts drawn from these sources constitute the horizon of understanding for Singaporean theorists, whose unconscious biases may serve to reproduce the ongoing marginalisation of local perspectives on their own society. A solution to this problem calls for the conduct of self-critique by theorists whose beliefs and assumptions are conditioned by the everyday practices, language, and culture of Singaporean society. Self-critique thus serves to bring into relief the framework of intelligibility that conditions everyday discourse and knowledge production in Singapore. However, where critique is concerned, we find ourselves faced with an array of complexities. Since critique seems impossible without reference to established authorities, how can we conduct critique without inadvertently reproducing the authority that has been granted to western and eastern traditions? In other words, how can we establish a standpoint by which we can evaluate our relation to Singaporean society, and of the relation between Singaporean and foreign traditions? Furthermore, critique is ordinarily used negatively to problematise existing theories and positions. How can critique be deployed in a positive sense, such that it does not merely destroy, but also to create new frameworks of intelligibility? By reviewing the work of Friedrich Nietzsche and Theodor Adorno, I attempt to conceptually elaborate upon a methodology for conducting critique in its positive sense. This will be developed contextually in application to problems in contemporary Singapore. In particular, I will show how genealogy is used as a critical tool that serves a constructive role for Nietzsche’s project to revaluate of all values, and for Adorno’s attempt to countermand the meta-narrative of the Enlightenment. The constructive role of genealogy thereby suggests that a renewed focus on local literature and narratives are necessary for establishing a postcolonial standpoint.