Ethnic Chinese have settled in Malaya (present-day Singapore and Malaysia) since antiquity, and have undergone two waves of de-Sinicization and two waves of re-Sinicization. Early Chinese immigrants intermarried with indigenous Malays, producing mixed descendants who adopted Chinese-Malay creoles and no longer identified with China (this was the "First Wave" of de-Sinicization). Following Singapore's founding as a British port, a sustained influx of immigrants from China kept Singapore intimately connected with developments in the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. Some de-Sinicized local-born Chinese developed nationalistic sentiments towards China and studied Mandarin to reaffirm their Chinese origins (this was the "First Wave" of re-Sinicization). After China curtailed immigration to and from Singapore in the 1930s, Singaporean-born Chinese rapidly outnumbered first-generation immigrants, and by the 1950s many ethnic Chinese in Singapore no longer identified with China. Chinese Singaporeans increasingly abandoned the Chinese language—which had little economic value—and opted for English-medium education. The collapse of Chinese-medium education in Singapore in 1978 accelerated the widespread adoption of English and the "Singlish" creole (this was the "Second Wave" of de-Sinicization). Singapore's 1979 Speak Mandarin Campaign marked the beginning of government-led efforts to re-Sinicize Chinese Singaporeans (the "Second Wave" of re-Sinicization). These efforts, which included integrating new immigrants from China, were partially successful but bred resentment among some Chinese Singaporeans. Accompanying China's rise in the twenty-first century is a dramatic revival of interest among Chinese Singaporeans in Chinese culture, language, and identity. An ascendant China, with its stated ambitions of winning the loyalty of overseas Chinese, may have already initiated a "Third Wave" of re-Sinicization of Chinese Singaporeans. Singapore's government faces the delicate balancing act of promoting English without creating a pseudo-Western society, while promoting Chinese language and culture, and yet forging a distinct Chinese Singaporean identity.

St Antony’s International Review (STAIR) is the University of Oxford’s peer-reviewed academic journal of international affairs. Established in 2005, STAIR reflects an ethos of open, accessible, and engaged intellectual debate, and provides a forum in which emerging scholars can publish their work alongside established academics and policy-makers. STAIR aims to encourage cross-disciplinary dialogue on issues of contemporary international relevance. It publishes two issues a year, each comprising both a general and thematic section.

St Antony’s International Review (STAIR) is the University of Oxford’s peer-reviewed academic journal of international affairs. Established in 2005, STAIR reflects an ethos of open, accessible, and engaged intellectual debate, and provides a forum in which emerging scholars can publish their work alongside established academics and policy-makers. STAIR aims to encourage cross-disciplinary dialogue on issues of contemporary international relevance. It publishes two issues a year, each comprising both a general and thematic section.