Events

Over the past centuries, many smaller, offshore islands across Southeast Asia experienced drastic transformations to their social, physical, and symbolic landscapes. These changes have been brought about by technological advancements, transitions in political regimes and migratory flows, national and regional economic growth, and the shifting positions of these offshore islands within their respective nation-states. But in the course of such multifaceted development, the histories of these offshore islands have been largely forgotten. Although some of these histories may have found sanctuary through informal and intangible memory-making processes such as heritage tourism, the material aspects associated with these histories have largely been abandoned or demolished, ultimately jeopardizing the long-term survival of these histories. Increasingly, the preservation of natural heritage is also the focus of many offshore islands due to interest in ecotourism. There are seldom efforts to bridge the gap between the cultural history and the natural heritage of the islands despite their deep linkages.

This interdisciplinary workshop brings together researchers to share findings on the histories of offshore islands—defined here as the smaller secondary islands within nations—of Southeast Asia and beyond. Of interest to this workshop are islands that, in the past, had robust populations but have since declined for various reasons, and are connected to large cities or urbanising regions. We hope to articulate the possible connections and continuities, along with the emergent development and heritage conservation practices, of these small islands. The speakers assembled for this workshop intend to:

1. Highlight the interplay of cultural and natural aspects of island heritage, challenging divisions between urban/rural, cultural/natural, and tangible/intangible heritage that currently dominate academic and policy approaches to heritage conservation;
2. Explore how memories/heritages of the offshore islands may be made, unmade, or remade within the context of national and global pressures imposed upon them. Of interest are how vernacular memories of former island residents are being remembered and communicated;
3. Examine the possible futures of offshore islands, noting the challenges and opportunities in the conservation of their remaining tangible and intangible heritage

WORKSHOP CONVENORS

Dr Hamzah Muzaini | National University of Singapore
Dr Creighton Connolly | University of Lincoln, UK
Dr Sonia Lam-Knott | Independent Researcher
Assoc Prof Ho Kong Chong | National University of Singapore