What We Remember: A Democracy Classroom on History

What We Remember: A Democracy Classroom on History

Saturday, 30 September, 7PM – 9PM

Happening at Book Bar (57 Duxton Rd, Singapore 089521)

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Join us for a Democracy Classroom with Kirsten Han, author of The Singapore I Recognise, featuring a special guest from Function 8.

"In our capitalist, productivity-focused environment, finding out more about Singapore’s history doesn’t feel useful or relevant to our daily routines and problems. It seems much more important to think about what’s ahead and how we can ‘future-proof’ our economy, businesses and society. A “Smart Nation” is about the technology of the future, not knowledge and consideration of the past.

But what we know about our history affects what we see when we turn to the future. History is the lens that clarifies our vision, allowing things that we might have missed to come into focus. It’s not about digging up old stories but understanding where we’ve been as a people." – Excerpt from The Singapore I Recognise

In this 2-hour session, you are invited to participate in rich conversations on the topic of history: how has history impacted our lives, how is history constructed and what is something about Singapore's history you wish you knew more about, and how can we hold space for different versions of Singapore 'history'? These are some questions anchoring the session, but all participants will be the drivers and listeners of the conversation.

• After a brief intro, participants will break into smaller groups of 5-6, and discuss the topic for the first hour. Question prompts will be provided if required. Your role is to engage, converse and listen.
• In the second hour of the programme, groups will take turns to share what they discussed, after which, the floor will be open for everyone to discuss and ask further questions.

Each $21* ticket for the Democracy Classroom will also include:

• A non-alcoholic drink of your choice from Book Bar
• A $5 Book Bar book voucher
• A worksheet containing short excerpts from The Singapore I Recognise and question prompts

*$21 before GST, $22.68 after GST. Concession tickets of $5 are available for students or those who are unable to afford the full ticket price. The concession tickets do not include the drink or voucher from Book Bar. Please contact Ethos Books on Instagram or at [email protected] if you'd like to claim a concession ticket (5 slots available).

• If you have questions on accessibility or access requests, please contact Ethos Books on Instagram or at [email protected] with your request and we will do our best to assist you.

Kirsten Han is a journalist and activist from Singapore. She has been Managing Editor of Mekong Review, a quarterly Asia-focused literary magazine, since the end of 2022. She runs two newsletters—We, The Citizens and Altering States—in which she writes about Singapore politics, human rights, civil society and drug policy. You can find these newsletters at wethecitizens.net. Her byline has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, and more. She received an Honourable Mention in 2018 from the World Justice Project’s Anthony Lewis Prize for Exceptional Rule of Law Journalism, and a Human Rights Press Award in 2019 for her commentaries on “fake news” and freedom of expression. Kirsten is also a member of the Transformative Justice Collective, where she works towards the abolition of the death penalty and an end to Singapore’s war on drugs.

Event Venue

Book Bar, 57 Duxton Road, Singapore, Singapore