1st Edition

Worlding Multiculturalisms The Politics of Inter-Asian Dwelling

Edited By Daniel P. S. Goh Copyright 2015
    200 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    198 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Worlding multiculturalisms are practices that infuse our arbitrary cultural lives with new things from other cultures in poetic ways to enable us to dwell and be at home with the complexity of the world. In the context of the crisis of multiculturalism in the West and the growing obsolescence of state-based multiculturalism in the postcolonial world, this book offers examples of new practices of worlding multiculturalisms that go beyond issues of immigration, integration and identity.

    Contrasting Western and Asian notions of multiculturalism, this book does not focus on state issues, but rather, highlights manifestations of cultural exchange. The chapters draw on cultural studies approaches to document instances of worlding multiculturalisms that bring Asian cultures into conflict, dialogue and settlement with each other. Instances include an Asian American return novel set in Penang, the cultural productions and street performances of democracy marches in Malaysia, the campaigns to reclaim public spaces and citizenship rights by migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, the imaginary vistas opened up by Japanese popular culture consumed throughout Asia, the localisations of casino complexes in Macau and a shopping mall in Seoul, and an old municipal cemetery being defended from urban redevelopment in Singapore. Rather than merely globalizing forms of political diversity, these are instances with the potential to transform social relations and the very terms of cultural exchange.

    Worlding Multiculturalisms offers a truly interdisciplinary examination of multiculturalism in action. As such, it will appeal to students and scholars of cultural studies, Asian studies, Asian culture and society, cultural anthropology and sociology and political sociology.

    Introduction, Daniel P.S. Goh Part I: Inter-subjects 1. "Dreams of Colliding Worlds": Worlding Multiculturalism in Lawrence Chua’s Gold by the Inch, Chih-ming Wang 2. Nation, Diaspora and the World: Locating Namewee and Malaysian Popular Culture, Keng We Koh 3. In-your-face Multiculturalism: Reclaiming Public Space and Citizenship by Filipina Immigrant Workers in Hong Kong, Yun-Chung Chen and Mirana May Szeto Part II: Empowerments 4. Popular Culture and Multiculturalism in East Asia: Market-Led Visions of Incorporating Diversity?, Nissim Otmazgin and Eyal Ben-Ari 5. Worlding Activism: Transnationalizing the Movement for Domestic Workers in Hong Kong and the Philippines, Ma. Glenda Lopez Wui 6. Bersih dan Ubah: citizenship rights, intergenerational togetherness and multicultural unity in Malaysia, Gaik Cheng Khoo  Part III: Dwellings 7. Casino Multiculturalism and the Reinvention of Heritage in Macao, Vincent Ho 8. Shopping Mall as Dwelling-place: Multiculturalism and the Spatial Struggle over Time Square, Seoul, Sung Kyung Kim 9. Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery: Contesting Imaginations of the Good Life in Singapore, Terence Chong

    Biography

    Daniel P.S. Goh is Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.