Conference: ICAS 5

Location: Kuala Lumpur

Date: 2-5 August 2007

Panel Title: 098. BI-CULTURALISM AND HYBRIDISATION IN SINGAPORE HISTORY & HISTORIOGRAPHY

Tan Muliani Bonny

A Baba Bibliography: A select annotated listing of sources on the Peranakan Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia

Abstract :

The Singapore and Southeast Asian Collections were brought together when the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library (LKCRL) was launched in November 2005. Almost 20 years ago, in October 1986, more than 100 titles in Baba Malay and on local Babas had been donated to the National Museum on Heritage Week by a certain Linda Lim. Many of these titles have since been transferred to the

National Library. Lims donation along with the existing holdings of Baba Malay titles reflect a unique aspect of Singapores community  the language and customs of a localized Chinese community that has developed its own hybrid culture. An attempt to determine the National Librarys holdings of the popular Chrita dahulu-kala, the Chinese classics translated into Baba Malay, led to an appreciation of the greater wealth of resources on the Babas. Thus, the original exercise became a larger undertaking of providing a more comprehensive listing of resources on the Babas available in the National Library. The annotated listing was to include not only familiar texts but also elusive articles in dailies, serials and ephemera. Besides print resources, non-print format have also been listed. Theses and unique items in the National University Library were also included to assist the more serious researcher. The resulting bibliographical listing has been organised according to socio-cultural subject headings rather than in chronological order. This is because most of the publications and articles have focused on specific aspects that spanned across time. The subjects are divided as follows: Literature and Publishing; Language; Social Life; Material Culture; Business and Enterprise; Biographies; Area Studies; Related Studies; Bibliographies, Collection Guides & Resources. The ICAS paper and presentation aims to look at literature classified in each of the subject areas, and to review aspects of Baba identity reflected in these areas.