Ethnic minority professionals' experiences in Singapore's multicultural workplaces

Bibliographic Data

ID3007420
AuthorsHumairah Zainal (0000-0002-4323-3221, Nanyang Technological University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume28
Issue2
Pages217-231
Publication date2022-03-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Identities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1350-4630 • E-ISSN: 1363-0296
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13504630.2021.2002684
OpenAlexW3215627413
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited16

Studies on inter-ethnic relations at the workplace have largely focused on racism, discrimination and microaggressions against ethnic minority groups. Drawing on findings from semi-structured interviews with 25 ethnic minority citizen professionals in Singapore’s workplaces, this article extends the current literature on inter-ethnic dynamics at workplaces in two main ways. First, by examining the day-to-day experiences of minorities, it lends empirical flesh to the concept of ‘Chinese privilege’, which has mostly been discussed at the conceptual and macro levels of policy and politics. After all, unlike racism, which entails active discrimination, and microaggressions, which involve indirect insults, the manifestations of privilege are much more subtle. Second, this article interrogates the ways in which ethnic minorities negotiate their relationships with their locally born Chinese majority colleagues at the workplace. It argues that a comprehensive approach to analysing ‘ethnic privilege’ should also encompass a study of the everyday dimension of majority-minority relations. This article bears important implications for the improvement of inter-ethnic relations at the workplace, in particular, in informal professional settings and ‘hidden’ encounters where it is often challenging to legislate inclusive policies

Ethnic group · Multiculturalism · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Racism · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Law · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Socioeconomic Development in Asia

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