Sejarah Inquisition
Explore how students uncovered the Baba-Nyonya community's history at Sejarah Inquisition 2025, gaining insights into Singapore's unsung communities and the lasting relevance of history today.
Sejarah Inquisition, which was held on 15 March 2025, is an annual symposium and competition organised by the National University of Singapore (NUS) History Society. Guided by NUS student mentors, we engaged critically with historical sources and crafted historical narratives on ‘Singapore’s Unsung Communities’.
Through the event, we developed a deeper appreciation for the overlooked communities in Singapore. Our group researched the Baba-Nyonya community and uncovered lesser-known details about their history, culture, and significance to today’s Singapore. Our research has allowed us to better understand the historical concept of change and continuity, as we uncovered how the role of women in Peranakan society developed over different time periods and societal contexts — from being restricted to domestic affairs to championing and institutionalising their right to education.
As we analysed different sources, we have also learnt the importance of contextualising the views presented in each source, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue. FWe discovered that many Baba-Nyonyas received their education in England, and thus were exposed to Britain’s societal values . Thus, the Baba-Nyonyas’ passionate advocacy for women’s rights can be understood to have originated from their close ties to the British, and the wider global context of the time.
In crafting our final presentation, we also learnt how to prioritise key information to deliver a concise and effective presentation. Particularly, having fewer than 4 hours to come up with an interactive and informative presentation of six minutes showed us the importance of clear communication, time management and task allocation when collaborating with one another.
Overall, Sejarah Inquisition has allowed us to learn beyond our textbooks and syllabuses, broadening our horizons and showing us that history is not merely the past; instead, history is all around us in the present.
- by Eileen Chung (2AH), Alyssa Cheong (2AH), Chong Yi Faye (2AH) and Voon Shun Hong (2AD2)