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Leeds East Asia Papers: New Series No.4 Authors: Victor T. King Abstract: The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Melaka within the ‘Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca’ together with George Town in Penang is arguably the most important national historical site in the Federation of Malaysia. As the origin of the Malay-Muslim sultanate system in Peninsular Malaysia and more widely it has been a crucial element in the Malaysian government’s nation-building policies since independence. It symbolizes a ‘golden age’ in the development of Malay civilization and in that regard the emphasis on Malay and Islamic culture in the construction of a national identity has played an important part in the ways in which Melaka has been represented and developed as a heritage site. However, the post-independence preoccupation with the necessity for economic growth and modernization has generated a tension between the protection and conservation of national heritage and the need to transform urban landscapes to realize modernity and profit, which in turn generates additional pressures on these sites. This tension presents particular difficulties for those bodies responsible for the management of a UNESCO-inscribed site in regard to the multi-vocal character of heritage discourse and the conflicting political, economic, social and cultural pressures on global heritage. |
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UNESCO in Melaka: Cultural Politics, Identities and Tourism in a World Heritage Siteposted 29 Jan 2012 05:10 by Admins (Jenni Rauch) [ updated 29 Jan 2012 05:18 ] |