Contested Space Revisited

In August 2007, the month when Malaysia celebrated 50 years of independence from colonial rule, two historic sites were jointly assessed for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List – Melaka and George Town, ‘Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca’. This book explores the cultural, social and physical history of George Town and its multi-ethnic population, tracing its urban evolution, the cultures of its diverse communities and the reflection of their cultures in their architecture, urban forms and traditional ways of living and celebration. It also investigates national and international influences – including those of heritage conservation bodies – and examines their impact on cultural perceptions, in order to unravel the identity reconstructions that have taken place over the nation’s first 50 years.

The first part of this book documents the issues of George Town’s ‘contested space’, as World Heritage listing was sought; it ends on the day the nominated sites were visited for evaluation. The second part of this book relooks at the issues of ‘contested space’ in the decade after UNESCO listing, and the impacts of population decline, site management, urban interventions, cultural interpretations, gentrification and tourism.

Publisher: Areca Books

Paperback

2019

ISBN: 9789675719370