IDEOLOGICAL HEGEMONY AND THE POLITICAL SYMBOLISM OF RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS IN SINGAPORE

Cultural geographers have for too long ignored the association between the 'religious' and the 'political', concentrating instead on separating the 'religious' from the sociopolitical and economic forces in society. The challenge is taken up in this paper in an analysis of the contemporary meanings and values of religious buildings in Singapore as invested by the state. Attention is paid to the state's conceptions of religion and religious space and the roles it plays in influencing such space. The ways in which, through its various roles, the state in Singapore plays a significant part in influencing context and hence in shaping the constraints to the construction of meanings are demonstrated. Also discussed are the ways in which religious groups respond to state policies which have direct and indirect implications for their space.