Institute of Economic and Cultural Geography Institute News
New publication: Immigrant hostility in Singapore

New publication: Immigrant hostility in Singapore

© Peter Dirksmeier: Street Scene Singapore © Peter Dirksmeier: Street Scene Singapore © Peter Dirksmeier: Street Scene Singapore
© Peter Dirksmeier: Street Scene Singapore

What factors determine hostile attitudes towards immigrants in the cosmopolitan metropolis of Singapore in South East Asia? In a new paper in the journal Cities, Peter Dirksmeier shows that homophobia, little trust in strangers and a preference for Singaporean citizens in times of scarce resources in the labour market reinforce anti-immigration attitudes in Singapore. The paper therefore argues for including more trust categories and less threat scenarios in the analysis of anti-immigration attitudes.

Dirksmeier, P. (2020): Resentments in the cosmopolis: Anti-immigrant attitudes in postcolonial Singapore. Cities 98, 102584. DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2019.102584