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Jeremy Goh

Research

I am a historian of business and banking in modern Southeast Asia. My doctoral research project, 'Globalizing from the Periphery: Chinese banking transnationalism in colonial Singapore, Malaya, and China (1900-1950)', is supervised by Dr Song-Chuan Chen and Dr Charles Walton. This project takes Chinese banks headquartered in colonial Singapore and Malaya, with branches in China, as its objects of enquiry, and investigates how they contributed actively to the growing economic integration of the region. I aim to build an inclusive narrative that includes not only the elite bankers, entrepreneurs, and politicians, but also the perspectives of common people who were instrumental as customers and consumers of modern banking and finance. This narrative would illuminate the importance of colonial Southeast Asia and China in shaping economic globalization and capitalist institutions in the first half of the twentieth century.

My research project is supported by the University of Warwick, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore), Tan Kah Kee Foundation (Singapore), and the Social Science Research Council of Singapore.

How did race and culture shape the first set of financial regulations after the collapse of the first ethnic Chinese bank formed in colonial Singapore? Find out more in my latest article in Business History

Interests

  • Archives
  • Business and financial history
  • Chinese overseas
  • Capitalism
  • Global history
  • Transnationalism
  • Southeast Asia’s past and present

Education and Work Experience

  • October 2023–present: PhD Candidate in History, University of Warwick, UK
  • 2021–2023: Research Associate, Nanyang Centre for Public Administration, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  • 2018–2020: M.A. (Research) in Global and Interdisciplinary History, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  • 2014–2018: B.A. (Highest Honours) in History and University Scholars Programme, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
    • 2015: Visiting Student, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, and Chung-Ang University, South Korea

Publications

Edited Volumes

Refereed Journal Articles

  • 'Banking Failure and Regulatory Reform on the Periphery: The Kwong Yik Bank in the British Straits Settlements', Business History, Online First (2025), 1-21. (Open Access)
  • "Digitised Sources, Materiality and ‘Interim Archives': Archive Encounters in Asia and the United Kingdom", Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, First View (2025), 1-13. (Open Access)
  • 'Introduction: Agile governance for a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world', Special Issue: Governing a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous World, Global Policy, Volume 15, Issue S6 (2024), 5-11. (Open Access, co-written and co-edited with Hong Liu and Celia Lee)
  • 'Emerging Business Transnationalism in Singapore and China: Governance, Networks, and Strategies', Asia Pacific Business Review, Vol. 30, Issue 4 (2024), 640-666. (Open Access, co-written with Hong Liu)
  • 'Industrialization and Chinese Big Business in Colonial Singapore, Malaya, and China: The Transnational Enterprises of Lim Peng Siang (1904-1941)', Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. Vol. 54, No. 1 (2023), 89-115. (Open Access, written with Keng We Koh)
  • 'Semi-archives and Interim Archives: A History of the National Wages Council in Singapore', Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 11, No. 3 (2022), 427-449. (Open Access, co-written with Kah Seng Loh)

In Chinese

  • ‘新加坡华商企业的商业跨国主义:族群网络与治理策略 [Chinese Business Transnationalism in Singapore: Ethnic Networks and Governing Strategies].' Southeast Asian Affairs, Vol. 4 (2023), 103-116. (co-written with Hong Liu)
  • '新书发布会《长为异乡客?:当代华人新移民》 [Book Release: Forever Strangers? Contemporary Chinese Immigrants Around the World]”, International Journal of Diasporic Chinese Studies (华人研究国际学报) Vol. 13, No. 1 (2021), 119-124

Book Chapters

In Chinese

  • Forthcoming in 2025: '闽商的智慧:以林秉祥为例1904-1941 [The Wisdom of Hokkien Entrepreneurs: the case of Lim Peng Siang]' in Kua, Bak Lim ed.,《闽南文化在新加坡论文集》Essays on Fujianese Culture in Singapore (Singapore: Amoy Association)

Other Articles

Awards

  • 2025: Global Scholars Support and Talent Development Initiative Award, Universiti Malaya (University of Malaya), Malaysia
  • 2023: Best Customer Service Award (Merit), Nanyang Centre for Public Administration, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

  • 2022: Best Teamwork Award (Merit), Nanyang Centre for Public Administration, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

  • 2018: Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal
    (Awarded by Nanyang Technological University to the top graduate in each programme)
  • 2015, 2017, 2018: Dean’s List Award, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
    (Awarded annually by the college to undergraduates within the top 5% of their cohort)

Papers Presented

Academic Conferences

  • 'Banking failure and regulatory reform on the periphery: The Kwong Yik Bank in the British Straits Settlements', Annual Conference of the British Association for Chinese Studies, University of Leicester, 3 to 5 September 2025
  • 'Building Financial Trust: The Chinese Commercial Bank in Singapore', Lien International Conference on Good Governance (Special Panel on Emerging Governance Frameworks for Financial Resilience and Social Impact: Family Office, Banks and Philanthropic Organisations), 21 July to 22 July 2025.
  • "The Historian’s Second Home? Digitised Sources, Materiality and ‘Interim Archives’ in Asia and the United Kingdom", History Postgraduate Conference, University of Warwick, 22 May to 23 May 2025.
  • 'Semi-archives and Interim Archives: Researching Chinese Business in Southeast Asia.’ History Postgraduate Conference, University of Warwick, 22 May to 24 May 2024.

  • ‘Between the yinhao and modern bank: The Kwong Yik Bank and company law reform in the Straits Settlements.’ Annual Conference of the Association of Business Historians, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, 29 June to 1 July 2023.
  • ‘Emerging business transnationalism in Singapore and China: governance, networks, and strategies.’ 10th Global Social Sciences Graduate Student Hybrid Conference, Hong Kong Baptist University, 19 May 2023.
  • ‘Culture, Nationality and Conflict: An Analysis of Tan Kah Kee & Company’s Advertisements in Pre-War Singapore.’ Annual Conference of the Association of Business Historians, Sheffield Hallam University, 5 July to 6 July 2019.
  • ‘Philanthropy, Products and Patriotism: The Advertisements of Lim Peng Siang and Tan Kah Kee in Late Colonial Singapore (1920–1941).’ Hong Kong University Spring History Symposium, 2 May to 3 May 2019.
  • ‘Chinese Shipping in Pre-war Southeast Asia and China: The case of the Ho Hong Steamship Company.’ Graduate Student Conference, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 20 October 2018.
  • ‘Modern Hokkien Banking in Prewar Singapore and Asia: The Vicissitudes of the Ho Hong Bank (1917–1932).’ Early Career Conference, University of Tokyo, 11 September 2018.
  • ‘Concordia Et Copia: An Examination of Lim Peng Siang’s Business Career and his Modernization Project in the Straits Settlements and Southern China (1872–1944).’ Annual Conference of the Association of Business Historians, Open University, United Kingdom, 29 June to 30 June 2018.
  • ‘From Riches to Rags? Exploring the Lim Peng Siang Business Story 1904 – 1944.’ Annual Conference of the Association of Business Historians, University of Glasgow, 29 June to 1 July 2017.

Workshops

  • ‘Building Trust Practices: The Chinese Commercial Bank in the British Straits Settlements’, 20th Singapore Graduate Forum on Southeast Asian Studies, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 16 to 27 June 2025.
  • 'Between Individual and Institution: Ethnic Chinese Banking and Trust Practices in British Malaya, 1912-1928', 'New Histories of the Chinese Overseas' Workshop, National University of Singapore, 19 to 20 June 2025
  • 'Banking Embeddedness in the British Straits Settlements: The Chinese Commercial Bank', Economic History Society PhD Student Workshop, University of Warwick, 27 to 30 November 2024
  • ‘Chinese Big Business in the British Straits Settlements: The Transnational Enterprises of Lim Peng Siang (1904-1941).’ PhD Student Workshop, Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, 6 July 2024.

Co-organised at the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration in Singapore

Invited Talks

  • ‘Creating Colonial Credit: Currencies, Chinese Banks, and Culture in the British Straits Settlements’, History Work-In-Progress, University of Warwick, 3 March 2025.

  • Discussant for Book Talk: 'Banking and Politics in the Age of Democratic Revolution' by Niccolò Valmori, Early Modern and Eighteenth-Century Centre, University of Warwick, 18 January 2024.
  • Guest Lecture: 'Business, Industrialization, and Modernization in Colonial Singapore and Malaya: The Case of Lim Peng Siang's Transnational Enterprises (1900-1941)', HH1003 Asia-Pacific in Global History: From 1800, Nanyang Technological University, 15 March 2023.
  • Sharing at Arkebe Oqubay, ‘Perspectives on Research Methodology for Social Sciences and Public Policy: Complexity, Experiences, and Insights.” Seminar for Research Students, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 28 November 2022.
  • ‘Good Governance in the Post COVID-19 World – Global Health and Economic Recovery’. Resilience Governance and Soft Book Launch, International Institute of Administrative Sciences Special Panel, Lien Development Conference, 26 November 2022.
  • ‘Lim Peng Siang and Chinese Big Business in Singapore (1904-1941).’ Collecting & Research on the Chinese in Southeast Asia, National University of Singapore, 25 October 2021.
  • Guest Lecture: 'Between traditional and modern: Business, Race, and Class in colonial Singapore and Malaya', HH1003 Asia Pacific in Global History: From 1800, Nanyang Technological University, 13 September 2021.

Public Engagement

  • 'Managing Connections: The Everyday Experiences of Remittance Shopkeepers in Chinatown', Small Businesses and Shops of Chinatown, 1819s-1980s: A Panel Discussion (NHB Heritage Research Grant Public Talk), Singapore Coffee Shop Heritage Gallery, 13 June 2025.
  • ‘A Brief History of Chinese Banks and the SCCCI (1903-1932).’ Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry Culture & Heritage Docent Training Programme, 21 November 2021.
  • ‘Lim Peng Siang and Chinese Big Business in Singapore (1904-1941).’ Collecting & Research on the Chinese in Southeast Asia, National University of Singapore, 25 October 2021.

 

Jeremy Goh (吴杰明)

Jeremy.Goh.1@warwick.ac.uk

Academia

ORCID / Google Scholar

Postgraduate Membership:

Royal Historical Society, Economic History Society, Association of Southeast Asian Studies, UK

Peer Reviewer:

Business History, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Applied Economics Letters

Photo taken with Ms. Josephine Teo (Minister for Communications and Information, Singapore), book editors, and contributors of Good Governance in a Post-COVID-19 World
25 August 2023 (Source)

Photo taken with NTU senior management, book editors, and contributors of ASEAN Centrality and the Revitalisation of Regional Connectivity,
21 July 2025

Photo taken at a public talk in Singapore, 'Small Shops and Businesses in Chinatown, 1819s-1980s', 13 June 2025

Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal, awarded by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in 2018

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