How best to bridge divides and strengthen a common national identity?

SMU Professor of Psychology and Director of the SMU Behavioural Sciences Initiative David Chan was a panellist at a conference on identity organised by the Institute of Policy Studies and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He said that for platforms such as the Conversations on Singapore Women's Development to be effective, they must be made available, accessible and attractive for people to take part in. But timing and context matter, especially when the issues under discussion involve irreconcilable differences in values and are likely to stir up strong emotions, Prof Chan said.