‘True blue’ or part Peranakan? Peranakan Chinese identity, mixedness and authenticity in Singapore

Abstract

ABSTRACT While no longer associated with colonial economic and political privilege, Peranakan Chinese identity is now often viewed as an ‘authentic’ heritage in contemporary Singapore that is made visible through hybrid cultural and material markers. But for the Peranakan community, what does it mean to be authentically Peranakan in post-colonial Singapore? This paper explores concepts of hybridity and authenticity for Peranakan individuals, highlighting how being Peranakan is informed by ideas of belonging, mixedness and purity, from being ‘true blue’ to generational shifts towards being part Peranakan. Drawing on critical mixed race theory, the paper provides an historical overview of Peranakan identity in the region, tracing how ‘authentic’ Peranakan-ness has changed over time. Using a series of narrative interviews with self-identified Peranakan individuals across three generations, the paper explores public and private representations of identity, and how mixedness and purity are seen as being ‘authentic’ aspects of Peranakan culture.