'Sites' of resistance: alternative websites and state-society relations.
Much attention has been focused on Singapore's attempt to use information technology to build a knowledge-based economy. This paper examines the implications of the unintended consequences of the Internet in the restructuring of state and society relations in Singapore. We use the data on Singapore-based and Singapore-related websites to show (a) the diversity of positions expressed by civil society organizations, fringe groups and even mainstream segments of society; (b) the negotiation process between the state and civil society over various rights and how developments in cyber-space have implications for 'reality'; (c) how censorship and content regulation itself is a more complex multi-dimensional process such that while local politics is regulated, the multi-ethnic character of the resident population has led to greater religious tolerance such that religious groups banned in some countries have found a safe haven in Singapore and have used the city-state as a strategic Internet node.
Ho
K C
KC
National University of Singapore. sochokc@nus.edu.sg
Baber
Zaheer
Z
Khondker
Habibul
H
D004467:Economics; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D011057:Politics; D012067:Religion; D019529:Sexuality; D012846:Singapore; D012922:Social Change