| The Politics of Landscapes in Singapore: Constructions of Nation Contributor(s): Kong, Lily (Editor), Yeoh, Brenda S. a. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0815629613 ISBN-13: 9780815629610 Publisher: Syracuse University Press OUR PRICE: $19.75 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: March 2003 Annotation: This book shows how power relations that define and challenge the concept of "nation" are played out in and through landscapes. Has the era of globalization neutralized the institution of "nation?" This thought-provoking book focuses on attempts to build "nation" through landscape. Specifically, it explores strategies employed by Singapore, a multiracial society, to create a Singapore "nation" with an emphasis on the role of landscapes. As such, the authors cast a keen eye on religious buildings, public housing, heritage landscapes, and street name changes as tangible methods of nation-building in a postcolonial society. The authors point out that notions of "identity" and "nation" are social constructs rooted in history. They then illustrate how "nation" and "national identity" are concepts that are negotiated and disputed by varied social, economic, and political groups -- some of which may actively resist powerful state-centrist attitudes. Throughout this work, the role of the landscape prevails both as a way to naturalize state ideologies and as a means of providing possibilities for reinterpretation in everyday life. Insightful and informative, this is a crucial reference for geographers as well as scholars of international political economy, postcolonial and cultural studies, and Asian history. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | History & Theory - General - Social Science | Human Geography - Political Science | Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Development |
| Dewey: 320.959 |
| LCCN: 2002015781 |
| Series: Space, Place and Society |
| Physical Information: 0.84" H x 6.04" W x 9.5" (1.08 lbs) 268 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Asian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This book shows how power relations that define and challenge the concept of nation are played out in and through landscapes. Has the era of globalization neutralized the institution of nation? This thought-provoking book focuses on attempts to build nation through landscape. Specifically, it explores strategies employed by Singapore, a multiracial society, to create a Singapore nation with an emphasis on the role of landscapes. As such, the authors cast a keen eye on religious buildings, public housing, heritage landscapes, and street name changes as tangible methods of nation-building in a postcolonial society. The authors point out that notions of identity and nation are social constructs rooted in history. They then illustrate how nation and national identity are concepts that are negotiated and disputed by varied social, economic, and political groups - some of which may actively resist powerful state-centrist attitudes. Throughout this work, the role of the landscape prevails both as a way to naturalize state ideologies and as a means of providing possibilities for reinterpretation in everyday life. Insightful and informative, this is a crucial reference for g |
