GOING GLOBAL, STAYING LOCAL : THE DIALECTICS IN HAW PAR VILLA

Abstract

The intensification of globalisation in recent decades has given rise to the idea that capital, networks, peoples and ideas can now easily transcend territorial boundaries, leading to a convergence of cultures, social systems and institutional structures. As such, local societies are gradually losing their ability to assert their unique identities in a world characterised by the increasing homogenisation of place and culture. However, while there have been tendencies towards globalised forms of culture and landscapes, these certainly have not produced homogenisation worldwide. This is because globalisation processes do not occur in vacuum, but are inextricably embedded in the places in which they unfold. As such, the impacts of global forces will be mediated by forces emanating from the local level, producing distinct outcomes. An in-depth understanding of the global/local dynamics, therefore, is essential to the analysis of social and geographical phenomena in contemporary societies.

To illustrate this, a case study of Singapore's Haw Par Villa is used. Having undergone massive changes from a millionaire's fantasy garden in its heyday to a declining cultural theme park today, Haw Par Villa is a cultural site where global and local forces have worked with transformative powers. As its place meanings and representations are continually being inscribed and negotiated, Haw Par Villa reflects the dilemmas of a city-state caught in the countervailing forces of globalisation, modernity and tradition. Specifically, I attempt to uncover the complex interplay of global and local forces that underlie the changing faces of Haw Par Villa. Finally, this paper stresses that globalisation processes are mediated by various local agencies and deeply embedded in the social and power relationships between these agencies. As such, the global does not annihilate the local, making a case for the notion that 'geography matters'.