Limits of imagineering: a case study of Penang

Peggy Teo

International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 2003, vol. 27, issue 3, 545-563

Abstract: Penang Development Corporation, tasked with placing Penang at the forefront of Malaysia's economic development, has imagineered Penang into a city of vibrance and innovation. Besides manufacturing, tourism is promoted as a mainstay of the economy. Consequently, the themes of culture, heritage, sun and sea, adventure/nature and agro‐tourism have been selected and attractions have been appropriated and strategically amplified to fit into the themes. At each of these themed sites, symbols and signifiers make the consumption of the landscape easier, bolstered by a carnival spirit that will heighten the fun tourists come to expect. Tourists can also safely consume the exotic beaches without exposure to danger because they are ‘protected’ from the locals. The imagineering has excluded Penangites whose lived landscapes have been ignored in favor of images which tourists can easily consume. Penangites have rallied together to challenge the conservation program which they claim is biased to tourism, to assert their rights to the maintenance of public roads, and to their use of public places such as Batu Ferringhi beach. The article exemplifies the contestation that occurs when places are commodified into a few recognizable and marketable characteristics that are devoid of the socio‐spatial contexts from which they evolved. La Penang Development Corporation, chargée d'amener Penang au premier rang du développement économique malais, a imaginé Penang en cité vibrante et novatrice. Outre la construction industrielle, le tourisme est encouragé en tant que principal pilier économique. En conséquence, les thèmes Culture, Patrimoine, Mer et soleil, Aventure/Nature et Agro‐tourisme ont été choisis; des lieux attractifs ont été récupérés et adaptés de manière stratégique en fonction de ces thèmes. Sur chacun de ces sites thématiques, des symboles et signes facilitent la consommation du paysage, entretenue par une atmosphère festive à la hauteur des espérances des touristes. Les visiteurs peuvent aussi consommer en toute sécurité des plages exotiques, ‘protégées’ des populations locales. En effet, la vision de Penang en a exclu les habitants, dont les paysages vécus ont été ignorés au profit d'images consommées aisément par les touristes. Les Penangais se sont regroupés contre le Programme de conservation qui, selon eux, favorise le tourisme. Ils veulent défendre leurs droits à l'entretien de la voirie et à l'usage des lieux publics tels que la plage de Batu Ferringhi. L'article illustre la contestation qui naît lorsque des lieux sont banalisés selon quelques caractéristiques identifiables et commercialisables, mais dépourvues du cadre socio‐spatial à partir duquel ils se sont développés.

Date: 2003
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