JARROD PAUL DHARMARAJ

BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE PROJECT

This project aims to bring to light the issues surrounding and regarding creative freedom and censorship in Singapore, through a sociological lens, to study the impact on writers in Singapore. The project aims to expose us to research that uses the social science approach (by studying social and cultural behaviour) and apply this to an area identified by us. We were introduced to research methods used in sociological studies, exposed to opinions from different perspectives and learnt the format and steps researchers take to produce a formal research report. In order to dig deeper into our chosen topic, we conducted both primary and secondary research. To achieve this, we had the privilege of doing field work outside of TJC. The main deliverables included a formatted 2900-word research paper, a poster to demonstrate the findings of our research alongside a presentation. We delivered this presentation to our teacher mentor, Dr Lim Wee Kiat, our teachers in charge, Mr Wang and Ms Ong, three students doing the same project on another topic, and five of our cohort mates.

ELABORATION/RECORD OF THE ACTIVITIES DONE

When we first embarked on our project, it was difficult to decide upon a suitable topic for our research, as many of our proposed ideas were not suitable or not focused enough. However, this was a valuable lesson in learning how to derive a succinct, detailed, and focused inquiry question. In the end, our group decided to research on censorship and artistic freedom in Singapore's literature scene. We did much background research on the topic of censorship and artistic freedom in Singapore, and were surprised to find out that there was actually not much research done on literary censorship in Singapore, which allowed us the freedom to explore in our ideas.

After we had settled on our topic, we had to come up with a research plan. We discussed and drew up a timeline in order to ensure that we stayed on track throughout our research duration. We spent most of our days in school, doing online research and talking through our ideas with Dr. Lim. On some days, we journeyed to the National Library in order to gain access to several reference books which could only be found there. Apart from secondary research, we also conducted primary research through interviews with 3 prominent Singaporean writers -- Cyril Wong, Daryl Yam, and Ng Yi-Sheng. All of them gave very interesting perspectives and these really aided us in our research and conclusions drawn. While ideally we would have liked to have more interviewees, the duration given for the project as well as the Chinese New Year period stifled our number of interviewees. Nevertheless, we feel that the quality of answers and insights by our interviewees were more than enough to make up for the limitations in quantity.

3 CONTENT KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS LEARNT

1. The severity of censorship

While censorship is usually seen as being top-down, and usually implemented and enforced by authorities, this is not always the case. Censorship can be overt, but it can also be covert, and be enforced through backroom and underhanded means. Censorship can create a climate of fear, and this induces a concern of self-censorship in writers, as they dare not push the boundaries lest they transgress official censorship boundaries and be punished for it. Therefore, censorship is severe, not only when it is widely-known and recognised, but even more so when it is insidious and comes from the individual.

2. How to conduct an interview

It was difficult to both listen to and interpret what an interviewee was saying whilst simultaneously taking down notes. I learnt how to write my notes in shorthand, focusing only on the key points, while audio recording the interviewee (with their consent) if I had to quote them verbatim. I also learnt how to be flexible when conducting an interview, so as to allow the interviewee freedom to express their views and develop their thoughts and arguments, whilst also ensuring that they did not go off-tangent.

3. How to analyse interviewee's responses

Sometimes, in order to gain an accurate understanding of an interviewee and their responses, one must be able to read in between the lines. To do this, one must conduct thorough research on the interviewee in order to understand their background, and thus be able to infer meaning in their responses in the context of their background.

2 INTERESTING ASPECTS

1. The importance of ethics

Dr. Lim was very strict about the ethics and ethical implications of our research and research methodology. He emphasised the importance of consent when interviewing people, and having them understand that they are not obligated to say anything or continue with the interview if they do not wish to do so. He urged us to always consider the minority populace in any case, and how special care has to be taken not to cause offence. Through this, I have gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for sociological research and the complexity of the research process.

2. The importance of being flexible and willing to change

In our research, there were many times where we had to forego certain topics, or take a different method in our research. There were also many times where we had to challenge our pre-existing notions and conceptions about a subject. It was important to be flexible and open-minded so as to be more receptive to learning. Although it was frustrating at times, working through it and coming out of the experience with new knowledge and perspectives was refreshing, satisfying, and rewarding.

1 TAKEAWAY FOR LIFE

My one takeaway for life would be that it is important to be committed and not give up even when things get difficult. There were many times where I felt that research was going nowhere, or I was frustrated with myself for not being as capable as I would have liked to write the report. However, I did not give up and kept pushing through and challenging myself, which only made the outcome even more rewarding.