The Scholar Chronicles 5 | Jack Humphrey & Tan Teng Phee – The New Villages Part 2

Welcome to the Scholar Chronicles Podcast. Tan Teng Phee notes that some of the New Villagers he interviewed used the Chinese term for ‘concentration camp’, showing how important it is to document their memories and voices. Jack Humphrey reflects on how initially unprepared he in researching the New Villages. He suggests that as a foreigner, it is important to be sensitive to local sentiments when doing research.

00:00 Continuing Scars of Forced Resettlement
09:22 Denying the MCP Access to Food
20:02 Jack’s Time in Malaysia
23:32 The War in Vietnam
25:23 CIA Surveillance & Research Permits
32:48 Be Sensitive to Locals
38:47 Giving Voice to the New Villagers

Bibliography

I am Dr Loh KS, a historian of Singapore, and in the Scholar Chronicles, I ask fellow scholars to share their stories from the field. These stories relate events that had a bearing on our research – finding a document, an illuminating interview, a chance encounter. They are interesting because they often shed light on important questions:

• What motivates scholars?
• What are their struggles and successes in the field?
• What can scholars do in their social role?

We hope to encourage conversations and perhaps some action on the relationship between scholarship and society, so that research can have a greater impact on people’s lives.

The Scholar Chronicles Podcast is for academics, independent researchers, research analysts and consultants, aspiring students, and anyone interested in the dynamics of knowledge production.

Selected works:
• Squatters into Citizens: The 1961 Bukit Ho Swee Fire and the Making of Modern Singapore.

• Tuberculosis – The Singapore Experience, 1867-2018: Disease, Society and the State.

• In progress: Shopkeepers of Chinatown.

[scholarchronicleslks]

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