Overview

Resilience as Heritage in Asia analyzes forms of collective resilience through manifestations of strength-in-fragility in selected communities in Asia (Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand). Persistent resistance to communal erasure taking place through repressive policies and commercialized, multinational urban development insensitive to local communities and values often presents an uphill battle. Some of these collective efforts to survive through persistent everyday actions, encounters, and constant struggles have successful outcomes, while others are ephemeral at best. The authors argue that persisting vernacular spaces located between resistance and co-optation are themselves a form of local cultural heritage in the rapidly urbanizing region. Recognizing these nonconformist forms of resilience as heritage acknowledges the creativity involved in challenging social and political inequalities. Supporting the cultural autonomy of local communities by acknowledging resilience as heritage contributes to social justice in the region.

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Michael Herzfeld is the Ernest E. Monrad Professor of the Social Sciences Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, and IIAS Professor of Critical Heritage Studies Emeritus, Leiden University. His fourteen books include Siege of the Spirits: Community and Polity in Bangkok (2016) and Subversive Archaism: Troubling Traditionalists and the Politics of National Heritage (2022). His current research addresses heritage politics, crypto-colonialism, and artisans’ practices of competition and cooperation. Rita Padawangi is Associate Professor (Sociology) at Singapore University of Social Sciences. Her research is on social movements, community engagement, and environmental justice. Rita coordinates the Southeast Asia Neighborhoods Network (SEANNET), a collaborative urban research and education initiative. She recently published Urban Development in Southeast Asia (2022).

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