Worlding multiculturalisms are practices that infuse our arbitrary cultural lives with new things from other cultures in poetic ways to enable us to dwell and be at home with the complexity of the world. In the context of the crisis of multiculturalism in the West and the growing obsolescence of state-based multiculturalism in the postcolonial world, this book offers examples of new practices of worlding multiculturalisms that go beyond issues of immigration, integration and identity. It draws on cultural studies approaches to document instances of worlding multiculturalisms that bring Asian cultures into conflict, dialogue and settlement with each other, instances with the potential to transform social relations and the very terms of cultural exchange.
Introduction Part I: Inter-subjects 1. "Dreams of Colliding Worlds": Worlding Multiculturalism in Lawrence Chua's Gold by the Inch 2. Nation, Diaspora and the World: Locating Namewee and Malaysian Popular Culture 3. In-your-face Multiculturalism: Reclaiming Public Space and Citizenship by Filipina Immigrant Workers in Hong Kong Part II: Empowerments 4. Popular Culture and Multiculturalism in East Asia: Market-Led Visions of Incorporating Diversity?5. Worlding Activism: Transnationalizing the Movement for Domestic Workers in Hong Kong and the Philippines 6. Bersih dan Ubah: citizenship rights, intergenerational togetherness and multicultural unity in Malaysia Part III: Dwellings 7. Casino Multiculturalism and the Reinvention of Heritage in Macao 8. Shopping Mall as Dwelling-place: Multiculturalism and the Spatial Struggle over Time Square, Seoul 9. Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery: Contesting Imaginations of the Good Life in Singapore
Daniel P.S. Goh is Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.