Author:

Keywords:

urban discourse, glocality, Bangkok, Colombo

Abstract:

The social reproduction of cities involves everyday social and cultural practices as well as visionary imaginaries about urban futures and a better life for all. Drawing on Appadurai (1995), this paper contends that the efforts to negotiate an urban ‘locality’ that is culture-specific as well as progressive and inclusive is an “inherently fragile social achievement” in a world where “spatial localization, quotidian interaction and social scale” are “not always isomorphic” (Appadurai, 1995:204 [my italics]. It increasingly involves “supra-local” drives and interests that may – or may not – support local goals and concerns. To illustrate this position, the paper ventures into a comparison between the urban discourses that were circulating in Bangkok in the booming early-1990s and an exploratory observation of similar trends in contemporary Colombo. Whilst two decades and vastly diverging historical backgrounds separate these contexts, the urban development strategies deployed in both situations are marked by strong economic growth and a booming real estate sector. The post-war Sri Lankan government has laid down a clear vision for the future (Mahinda Chinthana): “to transform Sri Lanka to be the Pearl of the Asian Silk Route once again”. Since the 2015 elections and change of government, city beautification does not command the attention it once had and development plans have seen a dramatic shift in geo-political focus: plans for a China-led Port-city Project have made way for a Megapolis development plan that would transform Colombo and the Western Province into the most vibrant and livable cosmopolitan smart city offering Technologically Advanced IT, Transport, Communication, Power and energy in South Asia. These aspirations call to mind Thailand’s ambitions to spearhead economic development in Southeast Asia by “turning battlefields into a marketplace” under the Chatichai Choonhavan administration (1988-1991) or resurrecting the suvarnhabhumi or “golden peninsula” concept under Thaksin Shinawatra’s premiership (2001-2006). While Choonhavan’s government was cut short by a military coup, Thailand subsequently saw a succession of short-lived governments and an unprecedented economic crisis. After an economic revival under premier Thaksin and another military coup, Bangkok became the scene of repeated political upheaval. The current military-led regime has vowed to return happiness to a deeply divided nation. Sri Lanka also thrives on a desire to consolidate national unity ever since the end of civil war in 2009. However, fears are rising that excessive growth of the Colombo Metropolis would exacerbate large-scale regional disparities that already resulted in three uprisings in the past. While the paper unavoidably remains inconclusive on the political future of either one of the contexts it examines, its preliminary findings support the idea the urban has become a privileged scale to build critical mass for collective action.