EU Studies in Singapore: Potential Untapped

A key manifestation of Singapore’s exceptionality in the Southeast Asian context is the Lion City’s status as an educational and research hub. As a research location, it is renowned for its excellence and its integration in international networks, and, as an educational destination, it attracts an unusually high number of students from Northeast, South and Southeast Asia for full-time degrees. However, the specific field of European studies is modest and its infrastructure remains comparable in prominence to those in other Asian countries. The availability of EU funds, which have set up an EU Centre, a Jean Monnet Chair, and numerous Jean Monnet Networks, has done little to enhance the standing of European studies in the City State. In this paper, we explore the puzzle of why and how a regional research and educational hub retains a rather underdeveloped field of European studies. To do so, we first provide an overview of the European studies research and teaching landscape on the island, contextualising it in the regional setting, seeking to identify the rationales accounting for the continued lack of popularity and development of this research field, and discussing the implications for course offerings in the area. We conclude with a number of recommendations suggesting possible ways that this untapped potential can be exploited by taking advantage of the presence of EU-related course contents to link it with dedicated knowledge diplomacy activities. This entails designating tertiary education students as a priority group, as well as reaching out to locally-based academics and Universities to engage them in the effort.