SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia Vol. 22/2 (October 2007)

Contents

• SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia Vol. 22/2 (October 2007)
  [Whole Publication]
• Preliminary pages

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• ARTICLES
• Authenticity, Tourism, and Self-discovery in Thailand: Self-creation and the Discerning Gaze of Trekkers and Old Hands, by Andrew Johnson, author see abstract
  Through an analysis of tourist-related advertisements and literature, as well as some ethnographic work among tourists, I argue that hill-tribe tourism and sex tourism in Thailand are a means by which white [<i>farang</i>] tourists attempt to identify authenticity and incorporate this sense of the authentic into their own identity. Tourists (and ethnographers alike) attempt to become experts at distinction in order to perceive a truer sense of "self" through authentic interaction with Thais. This interaction is always problematic, however, as the tourist's pre-conceived image of the country continually differs from the reality, especially outside of those spaces designed for tourists, thus provoking a sense of anxiety about the truth of interactions between the tourist and the toured.
• Living with Globalization Tactically: The Metapragmatics of Globalization in Singapore, by Aaron Koh, author see abstract
  Singaporeans need not be told what globalization means. The popular media, as well as the political leaders of Singapore, have generated a "local-babble" of the derivative meanings of globalization. That globalization means "competitiveness", "innovation", "creativity", "entrepreneurship", and "foreign talent", has become deeply enculturated and embedded in the Singaporean consciousness. This paper will show that the "local-babble" on globalization in Singapore is ineluctably linked to state discourses and practices. I will argue in the paper that these state discourses are not free-floating, but produce teleological and ideological effects to regulate the Singaporean habitus, and create new subjectivities suitable for the new economy. Using Foucault's (1979) notion of "governmentality" and its related concepts and vocabularies, this paper will illuminate Singapore's response to new geo-politicocultural-economic realities as it continues to live with globalization tactically.
• Re-inventing Society: State Concepts of Knowledge in Germany and Singapore, by Anna-Katharina Hornidge, author see abstract
  Different concepts of knowledge and the ways they are valued have influence on the politics of research and development, information, arts, and culture in various countries. In a time when knowledge increasingly gains importance for economic and social development, these concepts of knowledge, as they are defined within society, are receiving greater attention. State governments worldwide aim for the creation of "knowledge societies". At the core of these knowledge-based futures lie particular understandings of knowledge in each country, which determine what kinds of knowledge society are constructed. This paper attempts to grasp the dominant concepts of knowledge in Germany and Singapore as reflected in state activities and budgeting. The data suggest that the dominant concepts of knowledge in both countries differed widely in the past, which was in great part due to the structural realities in each country. Yet in recent times, with the common goals of economic growth and the exposure to global competition, these concepts of knowledge seem to increasingly converge.
• Food-buying Habits in Hanoi, by Rolf Jensen, Don Peppard, authors see abstract
  One common but increasingly threatened source of fresh fruits and vegetables in Hanoi is roving street vendors. These vendors are mostly rural women who come to work in Hanoi's informal sector because agricultural income alone is insufficient. As Vietnam continues the transition from a planned to a market-oriented economy, the availability of other more modern sources of food and government policy to eliminate their presence on the streets pose a threat to the informal sector incomes of these women. We analyse these threats using the results of a survey of food-buying customers about various ways and places to buy food in Hanoi.
• RESEARCH NOTES AND COMMENTS
• Toooot! Vroooom! The Urban Soundscape in Indonesia, by Freek Colombijn, author see abstract
  This article will explore the soundscape of Indonesian cities: What are the main components of the soundscape and how do people experience the urban sounds? The soundscape has changed in the course of history through the interconnected processes of modernization and globalization, and yet, the Indonesian urban soundscape has kept its distinctive character. This article is an attempt to see whether social scientists can study something as intangible as noise in a meaningful way.
• "Disrupted" Historical Trajectories and Indigenous Agency: Rethinking Imperial Impact in Southeast Asian History, by Michael C Hawkins, author see abstract
  This article explores the intellectual dilemma of reconciling Southeast Asia's imperial past and colonial legacy with the realities and validity of indigenous agency. By critiquing notions of disrupted historical trajectories, this paper attempts to move Southeast Asian studies away from reified and teleologically confining narratives of imperial determinism while simultaneously negotiating the risks associated with overly discursive and relativistic approaches to colonial pasts. In conclusion, the paper offers a unique perspective on historical inquiry, which offers an alternative to the strictures of teleological history.
• BOOK REVIEWS
• BOOK REVIEW: Reclaiming Adat: Contemporary Malaysian Film and Literature. By Khoo Gaik Cheng, by Chan Kah Mei, author

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• BOOK REVIEW: Piety and Politics: Nurcholish Madjid and His Interpretation of Islam in Modern Indonesia. By Ann Kull, by Mark R Woodward, author

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• BOOK REVIEW: Chinese Business in the Making of a Malay State, 18821941: Kedah and Penang. By Wu Xiao An, by Yao Souchou, author

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