Tiffany Chung’s research explores the notion of “colonialism as civilising mission”, predominantly in the sphere of public works that the British carried out in Singapore, in comparison with the policy that underlay the construction of Indochina by French imperialism during its colonial rule in the neighbouring region. These comparative studies examined the connections between imperialism and modernity, the continuities of late-colonialism and the process of nation building – whether it is the construction of a national history or its national land development.

Chung looked into the local Vietnamese Refugee Camps as well as the National Archives of Singapore and the National Museum Archives of Singapore.