Cold War Context And Singapore State Formation:the Founding And Reorganization Of Nanyang University

Nanyang University was a private university operated by the local Chinese of Singapore and the Federation of Malaya and was absorbed into a state institution in the historical process through what Singapore underwent including the decolonization of British to pursue an internally Self-governing state and then a merger between Singapore and the Federation of Malaya and finally being separated from Malaysia to construct its own independent country.The historical case of Nanyang university offers some crucial thinking of higher education in developing countries and the influence of cold war ideology on state formation in Southeast Asia.This paper consists of four parts,including the preface,the text body,the epilogue and the bibliography.The preface illustrates the reasons for choosing this topic,academic history review,the research questions,methods and the basis of this paper.The test body has four chapters.The first chapter analyzes the background of setting up Nanyang University.Before World War II,China's domestic political conflict extended to Chinese schools in Singapore and Malaya,which was full of Chinese consciousness.This hindered British colonizers to launch "Malaya" national consciousness after World War II.At the some time,the Chinese community perpetuated Chinese cultural tradition and Chinese education to resist colonial political discrimination.The second chapter of the test body states why and how Chinese community established Nanyang University.In order to offer higher education to the local high school students,promote Chinese community to blend into their residence and train Chinese elites to take part in the construction of their new state,Tan Lark Sye,the leader of Chinese Community,proposed to establish a Chinese university.Although this suggestion enjoyed overwhelming backing from the Chinese masses,the British colonial government,the Malay group and the English-speaking overseas Chinese strongly opposed it.The various attitude toward Nanyang University revealed thatevery group in Singapore had its own goal toward their new state.Owning to America's intervention,the university successfully set up finally.However,the "Lin Yutang Event" brought a long negative impact on this new school.The third chapter of the test states how Nanyang University "in Malay" during the process of a merger between Singapore and the Federation of Malaya from 1955 to 1965.At that time,Singapore underwent decolonization of British to pursue an internally Self-governing state and a merger between Singapore and the Federation of Malaya.For obtaining independence,Singapore government tried to launch a merger between Singapore and the Federation of Malaya.Students and teachers of Nanyang University also took actions to cultivate their sense of Malay state and show their loyalty to this country.Owing to cold war ideology,Chinese schools including Nanyang University were linked to communism by the anti-communist Lin Yew Hock government.In order to obtain independence from UK,Lin Yew Hock government suppressed Chinese teachers and students severely.In addition,the ruling authority and Nanyang University had different idea of Nanyang University "in Malay".The authority consisted that NanYang University would be considered as a racial university in the eyes of nun-Chinese groups because of Chinese exclusively used as the medium of instruction,which threatened Malay state formation.However,students of Nanyang University consisted that it was not language but actions to testify the loyalty of Malay state,and government attempting to change their medium of instruction was aimed at destroying national education.With the Nanyang University degree question,the ruling authority and the Nanyang University game for a long time.Consequently,the central government and Singapore government arrested students of Nanyang,shut off Student Union of Nanyang University,reorganized Nanyang University Council and eliminated the left ideology in the campus.Hereafter,Singapore government fundamentally controlled the administrative power of the university.The fourth chapter of the test body is about Nanyang University "in Singaporean"after the independent Singapore.Directed by "survival politic",the People's Action Party strove to construct Singapore a non-communist and multi-national state,and decided to.train Singapore students with bilingual education.Nanyang University started to reform its system and curriculum from 1966,and both its leaderships and its students gradually had become "Singaporean".Singapore government accepted Nanyang University's qualification in 1968,which symbolized that Nanyang University had been absorbed into a state institution.At the end of this paper,the author refines the idea of the paper,points out the inadequacies of this paper and tries to give some suggestion on further study of this topic.