Pre-Colonial Singapore

Kwa Chong Guan

Paperback

9789814747110

The conventional and dominant view of Singapore’s history is that it began with Stamford Raffles’ arrival on the island in January 1819, and that nothing of significance, if at all anything, happened on this island before that. This book attempts a re-examination of the existing evidence in conjunction with excavated archaeological evidence and Portuguese and Dutch archival records to argue that there were significant developments on and around the island. They shaped Singapore’s historical development after 1819 and could alter our understanding of what Singapore is about in history.

Contents

1. A 14th-century ‘Great City’: Reading the Malay Annals

2. Archaeology of the Forbidden Hill

3. Temasek-Singapura in the Nanhai Trade

4. Singapura in Melaka’s 15th-century World

5. 16th-century Shahbandar of the Johor Sultans

6. 17th-century Contested Waterways

7. An 18th-century Fishing Village

8. Conclusion: Linking Singapore Before and After Raffles