THE CONSTRUCTION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF RITUAL AND SPECTACLE - AN ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL DAY PARADES IN SINGAPORE

In this paper, we adopt the view that 'nation' and 'national identity' are social constructions, created to serve ideological ends. We discu ss this in the specific empirical context of Singapore's National Day parades. By drawing on officially produced souvenir programmes and mag azines, newspaper reports, and interviews with participants and specta tors, we analyse the parades between 1965 and 1994, showing how, as an annual ritual and landscape spectacle, the parades succeed to a large extent in creating a sense of awe, wonderment and admiration. Discuss ion focuses on four aspects of the celebrations: the site of the parad es, their display and theatricality, the composition and involvement o f parade participants, and parade themes. We also discuss some example s of alternative readings of parade meanings, illustrating how ideolog ical hegemony is not total. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.