SEANNET in Seattle

A group of SEANNET delegates recently made our way to the city of Seattle to participate in the Association of Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Conference 2024. Our panels, titled “Place-Making in City Neighborhoods of Southeast Asia (Part 1 & 2),” explored the different processes of neighborhood-making in Southeast Asia, drawing upon our diverse cases from Chiang Mai, Batu, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Chiang Mai, Dili, Jayapura, Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh City. 

I had the honor of presenting preliminary findings from research conducted with my colleague Boonanan, focusing on the canal neighborhood of Khlong Bang Luang in western Bangkok. Our research over the past two years has shed light on the community’s recent transformations, highlighting issues such as tourisification, community displacement, and shifting tourist preferences.

As our discussions unfolded, several themes began to emerge, including preservation and change, and the interplay between human and nature. These themes speak to the diverse agency of neighborhood-level actors and their strategies for coping with change. This conversation is crucial for broadening our understanding of urban theory and reaffirms the importance of theorizing the city from the neighborhood vantage point. 

It was also a pleasure to co-present with Hun Sokagna from Phnom Penh. Look forward to visiting the neighborhood of Chen Damdek in July this year. 

Photo credit: Tessa Maria Guazon, Janice Kam, Jeff Hou