Dr. Lyons' research focuses on two inter-related areas: the intersection between gender, the state and civil society in Southeast Asia, and the intersection between citizenship, nationality and identity in the Riau Islands which form the borderlands between Singapore and Indonesia. Dr. Lyons is recognised as the leading scholar on the feminist movement in Singapore. Drawing on critical race theory and third world feminism, her research makes an important contribution to feminist theoretical work on coalition and alliance building within multi-racial, multi-class contexts.
Articles
Love, Sex and the Spaces In-between: Kepri Wives and their Cross-border Husbands (with M. Ford), Faculty of Arts - Papers (2008)
In the Riau Islands of Indonesia significant numbers of women have entered into marriages with...
L’organisation au service des droits des travailleurs migrants: le militantisme transnational à Singapour et en Malaisie, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2007)
La mondialisation marque un point charnière dans l’action des militantes féministes et des organisations non...
Dignity Overdue: Women’s Rights Activism in Support of Foreign Domestic Workers in Singapore, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2007)
The forces of globalisation increasingly compel feminist activists to engage internationally, either through their involvement...
Where Internal and International Migration Intersect: Mobility and the Formation of Multi-Ethnic Communities in the Riau Islands Transit Zone (with M. Ford), Faculty of Arts - Papers (2007)
While migration studies scholars have paid considerable attention to internal migration within Indonesia, as well...
A curious space ‘in-between’: The public/private divide and gender-based activism in Singapore, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2007)
In Singapore, the state’s role in shaping the space of civil society has been well...
Contributions to Books
Embodying transnationalism: The making of the Indonesian maid, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2005)
Extract: Female domestic workers are emblematic of the increasing movement of peoples across national borders....
Organizing for Domestic Worker Rights in Singapore: The Limits of Transnationalism, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2004)
Extract: This article examines the limits of transnational feminist activism through a case study of...
Sexing the nation: normative heterosexuality and the construction of the ‘good’ Singaporean citizen, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2004)
Extract: What does it mean to sex a nation? In the discourses surrounding nationalism, nations...
Negotiating Difference: Singaporean Women Building an Ethics of Respect, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2001)
Extract: The problem of difference emerged as a significant issue in western feminist theory making...
Re-telling ‘Us’: Researching the Lives of Singaporean Women, Faculty of Arts - Papers (2001)
Extract: Feminist scholars have long been interested in the politics of speech acts. Early calls...
Other
Making the most of what you’ve got: Sex Work and Class Mobility in the Riau Islands (with M. Ford), Faculty of Arts - Papers (2007)
The islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun on the Indonesian border with Singapore and Malaysia...