Sangeetha Thanapal
Sangeetha Thanapal (born c. 1983)[1] is a Singaporean social critic and political activist.[1] She came to prominence as the creator of the term "Chinese Privilege," a term analogous to "White Privilege." She was an Activist-In-Residence at Massey University from February 27th to March 1st, 2019, focusing on the theme of Anti-Racist Interventions.[2]
Political views
Thanapal has written prolifically on race relations in Singapore.[3][4] She uses the term "Chinese privilege" to describe perceived Chinese hegemony in Singapore, defining it "similarly to white privilege". According to Thanapal, "By virtue of being Chinese in Singapore, you start life at a higher place compared to minorities."[5]
In August 2015, she wrote on Facebook that Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K. Shanmugam was an "Islamophobic bigot who thinks Malay-Muslims are a threat"; she later apologised to Shanmugam for her "unruly" remarks and took down her post.[6][7]
In January 2019, the Singapore police issued her a stern warning for "promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race" under Section 298A of the country's penal code.[1]
In 2021, she tweeted that the Chinese are the "White people of Asia".[8]
Her article criticizing the movie Crazy Rich Asians went viral[9], leading to interviews with the New York Times[10], Associated Press and The Washington Post.
Writing
She has published a number of articles on a wide range of topics, from the cultural appropriation of the Swastika by the Nazis[11], to the problems with identity politics.
She has also been published by a number of fiction journals specialising in fantasy fiction.[12]
She is currently working on her first novel.
Personal life
Thanapal was raised in Singapore by a single mother of Indian Tamil ethnicity and attended the University of Sussex.[13] She moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2016.[4][14]
References
- 1 2 3 Yang, Calvin (29 January 2019). "Activist Sangeetha Thanapal issued stern warning for Facebook post that promotes ill will between races". The Straits Times.
- ↑ "Activist In Residence Archives - Page 3 of 4 -". 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ Ives, Mike (16 August 2018). "For Some Viewers, 'Crazy Rich Asians' Is Not Asian Enough". The New York Times.
- 1 2 Tan, Cher (8 October 2018). "Interview #75 — Sangeetha Thanapal". Liminal. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ↑ Tan, Cher (8 January 2017). "What Privilege Looks Like in Singapore". Vice Media. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ↑ "Law and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam to make police report over 'inaccurate and seditious' Facebook post". The Straits Times. 28 August 2015.
- ↑ Philomin, Laura Elizabeth (29 August 2015). "Shanmugam meets with individual who made seditious remarks". Today.
- ↑ "Twitter". 21 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-20. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ↑ "'Crazy Rich Asians' Is A Milestone, But It Shouldn't Be". WYV Archive. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ Ives, Mike (2018-08-16). "For Some Viewers, 'Crazy Rich Asians' Is Not Asian Enough". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ Thanapal, Sangeetha (2019-12-18). "Can symbols be reclaimed from evil?". ABC Religion & Ethics. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ Thanapal, Sangeetha (2017-03-12). "The inheritance". Djed Press. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ Wang, Beverley. "Who's on the team? Unpacking POC". ABC. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ↑ Hajela, Deepti (13 August 2018). "'Crazy Rich Asians' spurs conversation over representation". Associated Press.
External links
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 13 November 2020)