John Solomon – Caste & Untouchables in Colonial Singapore Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Historian John Solomon discusses his research on the elusive history of caste in colonial Singapore. He relates the struggles of the lower castes in India who migrated here in search of new opportunities and identities. These migrants, some of whom worked in Lorong Lalat (present-day Jalan Bersih), endured lower-paying jobs as well as acts of discrimination. John traces the development of reform movements that sought to remove the influence of caste. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/cg1yulhKaa0 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/Nkk3j3OoHuM 00:00 Introduction 03:45 Caste in India 08:52 Caste in Textbooks 11:09 Migration & Caste in Singapore 19:56 Caste Across the Indian Communities 25:04 Insults & Discriminatory Acts 34:31 The Gandhian Movement 38:06 The Dravidian Movement John Solomon, A Subaltern History of the Indian Diaspora in Singapore: The Gradual Disappearance of Untouchability 1872-1965. https://www.routledge.com/A-Subaltern-History-of-the-Indian-Diaspora-in-Singapore-The-Gradual-Disappearance-of-Untouchability-1872-1965/Solomon/p/book/9780367875237 I’m Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian. I’m interested in the history of Singapore and the lives of its people. In Chronicles of Old Singapore, I speak to people about their memories of Singapore before it became a global city today. We discuss three topics: 1. People and places. 2. Change and continuity. 3. The importance of heritage. As a historian, I try to stay true to the oral history method on a video format and social media platform. I let the interviewee speak, as the ‘voice of the past’ as Paul Thompson put it. No clickbait, no BS, no posturing. The aim is to canvas a wide range of voices on various aspects of Singapore history and heritage – physical, social, cultural, economic. Do like the video, share your memories below and subscribe to the channel for future episodes. Write to lohkahseng@chroniclesresearch.com if you have any of these stories to share: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. Support Chronicles of Old Singapore on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore Follow the channel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551786759344 Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lks992002 Chronicles Research & Education is my research consultancy on the history of Singapore: https://www.chroniclesresearch.com/ Caveat: this is above all a podcast based on personal memory. As has been well-documented in oral history, memory is not always reliable and what is recalled here should not be taken as fact. However, as Alessandro Portelli noted, the subjectivity of oral history is also its great strength, and what is inaccurately remembered may point to how deeply meaningful the past is to people. #singaporehistory #memory #heritage #nostalgia #oralhistory #socialhistory #history #singapore