Brown is Redacted: Reflecting on Race in Singapore responds to, expands on and questions what we think we know about the lived experiences of minority-raced people in Singapore. Inspired by Brown Is Haram, a performance-lecture on minority-race narratives staged at The Substation in 2021, this anthology reflects on how brownness is constructed, sidelined, but also celebrated in this nation-state. Through a combination of essays, academic works, poems, and stories by brown individuals, Brown is Redacted both attempts to and fails to create a singular brown experience. What this anthology does produce instead, is a moving and expressive work of solidarity and vulnerability.
Featured Contributors
Nabilah Said, Wint Shwe Sin, Laika Jumabhoy, Firdaus Sani, Mary Gomes, Madhu Vijayakumar, Saif Tamal, Laavanya Kathiravelu, Poorva Maithani, Sharvesh Leatchmanan, Mohar Khan, Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), Durva Gautam Kamdar, Danielle Kaur, Prashant Somosundram, raihan, Paul M. Jerusalem, Jaryl George Solomon, Mish’aal Syed Nasar, Bhing Navato, Misha Ghosh, Ashwin Ram Saravanan, Roshrin D/O Abdul Azees, Hazirah Mohamad, Chand Chandramohan, Muhammad Ashyur, Interviewed by Femi, nor and Zakir Hossain Khokan.
"Being brown in Singapore is complicated by a hierarchy of differences in status, by citizenship, non-citizenship, gender, class, sexuality and disability. It is this complex, troubling situation and experiences that are explored in this thought-provoking book by a diversity of individuals. To tell a story, your story, the individual story, is to claim agency and a place as an equal citizen. Brown is Redacted: Reflections on Race in Singapore is a welcome addition to our conversation on race and racism."
—Constance Singam, Author and Activist
"Brown is Redacted, through its ambition and lyricism, liberates us from the multicultural straitjacket stitched in the 1960s. On every page is a voice that has risen from the interstices of overlapping traditions and generations. Together they lay bare the complexities of the brown experience: the rawness of the struggle, the absurdity of the ignorance, the radical agency of choice, the ecstasy of solidarity. We can transcend. To be brown in Singapore is to dance between anguish and joy."
—Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, Editor-in-Chief, Jom
"Once in a blue moon, a book is unleashed unto a people to give its members pause. For a self-professed multicultural nation still struggling with race relations, Brown is Redacted is that book. The book’s treatment of brownness is nothing short of illuminating."
—Nazry Bahrawi, Assistant Professor of Southeast Asian Literature and Culture, University of Washington
Kristian-Marc James Paul (he/him/his) is an activist and writer. He is a member of climate justice collective SG Climate Rally. Apart from his work in climate activism, Kristian also facilitates intergroup dialogues, partnering with organisations like AWARE to run community discussions on masculinity and male allyship. He was also a contributing author for white: behind mental health stigma (2020), an anthology on mental health in Singapore.
Mysara Aljaru (she/her) is a lens-based practitioner, writer and researcher. Mysara was previously a journalist and documentary producer and has also worked with various research institutions. An artist and writer herself, Mysara has showcased and performed at Objectifs, The Substation, ArtScience Museum and Singapore Art Week 2022.
Myle Yan Tay (he/him) is a writer, director, and actor. His works have appeared in PanelxPanel, New Naratif, and The Bangalore Review. He is an Associate Artist with Checkpoint Theatre.
