Diasporas, Weddings and the Trajectories of Ethnicity

"In an age of increasingly fragmented migration, consumption and globalisation, how do diasporic individuals navigate their ethnic identities? Diasporas, Weddings and Trajectories of Ethnicity investigates the ways that Chinese Singaporeans shape their Chineseness through wedding rituals and artefacts. Proposing a framework of ethnic identity as a journey, this book will Interrogate the processes underlying diasporic ethncity-making through weddings Offer new concepts of transdiasporic space, ethnic tastes and aesthetic dissonance Explore the intersections between commercialism, ethnicity and socio-economic divides Map the micro-social ramifications of ethnic and racial policy in Singapore As a former professional wedding photographer, Terence Heng brings a sociological lens to the scripted and spontaneous arena of social interactions that is the wedding day. By combining ethnographic observation, photography and poetry, Heng reveals the many decisions and demands that underscore Singaporean Chinese weddings, offering novel insights into the roles of the bridal couple, their social networks, and the wedding industry"--