“Pragmatic resistance as counter-conduct: Civil society advocacy in Singapore” (with political and security risk analyst Isaac Neo)

Today, as part of our “Civic Engagement and Action” mini-series, where we speak to folks about expanding communities and spaces for sustained civic engagement and political participation, I am joined by our co-host, Isaac Neo, a political and security risk analyst. We chat briefly about his GE2020 newsletter and his involvement in a number of other Singaporean initiatives and organisations before diving into his thesis, titled “Pragmatic resistance as counter-conduct: Civil society advocacy in Singapore”. He details how actors in the environmental and migrant worker sectors use non-confrontational and technocratic methods and shift between cooperation and contestation vis-à-vis the state.

Past episodes referenced in this episode include:

• #GE2020 Raising socio-political literacy and civic engagement in Singapore (CAPE’s Huang Runchen and Joel Yew)
• Intersectional climate justice, climate change and its unequal effects, and aspirations for a low-carbon Singapore
• The history of the making of youth – and the history of the present – in youth-conscious, youth-centred Singapore: PhD candidate Edgar Liao

This episode is part of the "Civic Engagement and Action" series of the podcast's fifth season (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Ng Shi Wen.