Sex and the City-State: Cultural Politics and Sexual Cultures in <i>Love and Lust in Singapore<i/>

Authors

  • Joel Gwynne, NIE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  • Angus Whitehead, NIE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31436/asiatic.v5i2.544

Abstract

In this article, we explore how the erotic short story collection Love and Lust in Singapore (2010) emblematises the cultural and sexual politics of the nation-state. We argue that the anthology presents a conflicted and contradictory view of Singapore, demonstrating a movement between conservative affirmation and liberal critique of the state's political, cultural and sexual practices. While the nation-state is presented as a participant in a global capitalist culture, the majority of the stories contained in Love and Lust challenge, in one way or another, Singapore's alleged privileging of materialism and consumerism over the domestic, cultural and spiritual needs of citizen, resident and visitor. Acutely aware of the collection's problematic status as predominantly populated by expatriates, we will argue that all of the stories in Love and Lust serve to either affirm or disavow both national state rhetoric and popular ideologies of nationhood.

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Author Biographies

Joel Gwynne, NIE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Joel Gwynne is Assistant Professor of English at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests lie in the fields of contemporary literature, film and popular culture.

Angus Whitehead, NIE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Angus Whitehead is Assistant Professor of English at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has published extensively on William Blake, and his forthcoming publications include two book chapters on Arthur Yap (one co-written with Joel Gwynne) in Common Lines and City Spaces: Critical Essays on the Work of Arthur Yap.

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Published

2011-12-15

How to Cite

Gwynne, NIE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, J., & Whitehead, NIE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, A. (2011). Sex and the City-State: Cultural Politics and Sexual Cultures in &lt;i&gt;Love and Lust in Singapore&lt;i/&gt;. Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature, 5(2), 79–94. https://doi.org/10.31436/asiatic.v5i2.544

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Articles