Singapura Before Raffles: Early Modern Asia in the Global Renaissance

Is it true that Singapore was a small fishing village before Sir Stamford Raffles set foot in Southeast Asia? Or is there more to discover about Singapore’s story in the early global age?

This panel will discuss how early modern Singapore and Asia played important roles in shaping global ideas about maritime trade, global commerce, international law, political governance, and literary and artistic flourishing.

Drawing on new and exciting interdisciplinary research from teachers and scholars across Singapore’s universities and the wider Asia region, this interactive event will allow audience members to uncover some of the untold stories about Singapore and Asia’s historical and cultural importance for the global exchange of ideas and goods—stories that begin more than 500 years ago and continue to unfold in our present time.

Our discussion aims to shed new light on important stories about Asia’s diverse, inclusive, and vibrant past as we look ahead to the next chapter in our shared Singapore story.

Asst Prof Rhema Hokama

Rhema received her PhD in English literature from Harvard University and is an Assistant Professor of English Literature from the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Singapore University of Technology and Design.

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Assoc Prof Walter Lim

Walter is an Associate Professor of English Literature in the Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His most recent book is Shakespeare and the Theatre of Religious Conviction in Early Modern England (2023).

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Dr Melissa Tu

Melissa is a Lecturer of English Literature in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). She earned her PhD in English Literature from Yale University in 2023. Her work focuses on medieval literature, music and media theory.

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Dr Roweena Yip

Roweena is a Lecturer at the Humanities department in NUS College. Her research interests lie in the intersections between gender studies and performances of Shakespeare in Asia.

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Dr Emily Soon

Emily is a Lecturer for English Literature and holds a joint appointment at the College of Integrative Studies and School of Social Sciences, both at Singapore Management University. Her doctoral dissertation explored how the East Indies inspired early modern English writers.

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Asst Prof Joshua Ehrlich

Joshua is an Assistant Professor of History with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at University of Macau. He is an award-winning historian of knowledge and political thought with a focus on the East India Company and the British Empire.

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Assoc Prof Andrew Hui

Andrew received his PhD from Princeton University, and is an Associate Professor in Comparative Literature at Yale-NUS College. He is the author of The Poetics of Ruins in Renaissance Literature, A Theory of the Aphorism, and the forthcoming The Study: The Inner Life of Libraries.

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Dr Hannah Smith-Drelich

Hannah is a Lecturer for English Literature at NUS College. Her research examines themes of appetite, hunger, and disgust in the literature of early modern England. Her teaching expertise ranges from Renaissance literature to the contemporary food memoir.

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