Kiasu Offenders, Islandness Anxiety, and Corporate Discipline: "Browsing Madness" in Borders Bookstore in Singapore.

Drawing on empirical data collected from interviews, focus groups and participant observation, this article explores the intersections between cultural globalization, transnational booksellers and print cultures in Singapore. More specifically, it is a case study of the well-known browsing saga in Borders Bookstore Singapore, which has been debated in The Straits Times, online, and elsewhere for almost a decade. What triggered the browsing saga at Borders? Why are so many Singaporeans worked up about an act that seems so mundane? The major task of this article is answering these questions. In this pursuit, I consider various explanations for why rogue consumers abused Borders' browsing policies. I also analyze three discourses surrounding the browsing saga. Interestingly, all three discourses reveal different types of "island-ness anxiety" embodied by various social groups in Singapore. At the heart of these anxieties are questions concerning Singapore's place in the global world and Singaporeans' place in their country. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]