Singapore as a Port City, c.1290–1819: Evidence, Frameworks and Challenges

What is it about?

Singapore was a major Asian port city from the late thirteenth to the beginning of the nineteenth century. After identifying and examining the different types of historical evidence relating to Singapore’s role in the region, this article explains four main analytical frameworks that have been used to organize and interpret this body of evidence: Polanyi’s port of trade and the idea of a port city in general, Bennet Bronson’s upstream–downstream economy, and approaches from the vantage point of strategic location and the longue durée. This article concludes by exploring the consequences the evidence and frameworks of Singapore’s past have on the reconstruction and understanding of Singapore and its historical trajectory.

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Why is it important?

This article provides and overview of the different types of sources for the study of pre-1800 Singapore history and outlines different analytical approaches that have been used to process these.

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