More than 60 percent of Asian populations today live in cities. This trend is bringing tremendous changes in the social, cultural and political economy of Asian societies and cities. Modern urban planning and management has to take into account the challenges of a diversity of urban societies of unmatched size and global connectivity with their heterogeneous populations, cultures and identities. The central role of the city in many regions of Asia is not new. Cities and urban cultures have long been a feature of Asian history. While some present-day metropolises have made use of Western models, they have also retained their indigenous development paradigms.

The social-spatial dynamic follows different models associated with political, economic but also religious configurations. In the present context of Asia’s assertion Asian cities are cradles of new forms of modernity.   

Aim
With a special eye on contemporary developments, the cluster aims to explore the longstanding Asian urban “tradition”, by exploring the origins of urbanism and urban culture in different parts of Asia and linking the various elements of city cultures and societies, from ancient to modern (colonial and post-colonial) times.

Through an international knowledge-network of experts, cities and research institutes it seeks to encourage social scientists and scholars in the humanities to interact with contemporary actors including artists, activists, planners and architects, educators, and policy makers. By bringing together science and practice, IIAS wishes to initiate a productive dialogue where each participant can contribute his or her own expertise with the potential to evolve into a broad multi-disciplinary corpus contributing to the actual development of Asian cities today.

Research topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, shelter/housing and the quality of the neighborhoods where people live, infrastructural developments, the impact of urbanization on the natural environment, the question of urban heritage, etc.

Today’s globalization processes have brought about a global integration of regional economies, cultures and political systems with consequences in the social, political and cultural realms. However, globalization is not an exclusively contemporary phenomenon. Through trade and the spread of religions large parts of the world became intertwined long before the modern era. Chinese inventions reached Europe overland through Central Asia, and the Indian Ocean functioned as a commercial and intercultural gateway connecting Europe, Asia and Africa. Western colonial domination had its own effects on the transformation of local culture and knowledge systems. Today, this legacy is still impacting the relation between Europe as a global partner and her former colonies, with new forms of hegemony on the rise, including from Asia (e.g. China in Africa).

Aim
The cluster wishes to contribute to a better academic understanding of the phenomenon by challenging the Euro-centricity of much of its current literature, acknowledging the central role of Asia as an agent of global transformations. It also wishes to explore new forms of non-hegemonic intellectual interaction in the form of South-South and East-West dialogue models. By multi-polarizing the field of Asian studies, an enriched comparative understanding of globalization processes and the role of Asia in both time and space will be possible.

Targeted research
In principle, any research which deals with Asian global projection is of interest. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: the migration of peoples and their diasporas, religious trans-national pilgrimages and networks, forms of economic expansion, cultural dissemination, geo-strategic projections and engagement, etc. Also of interest are issues that are central to the contemporary discussion on knowledge production and its circulation in a globalized world.

The notion of heritage

Whether viewed from a Western or Asian perspective, at a nation-state or local community level, different meanings and strategies may be assigned to “heritage”. In Asia, the notion is often associated with the construction of post-independence nation-state models, the definition of national “traditions” and “authenticity,” and the idea of a pre/post-colonial historical national continuity. Discussions about heritage are often state-dominated, and this leaves little room for local views.

But who decides what heritage is, how it should be managed, and what rules should apply? Having an understanding of the notion of heritage in a given situation is a powerful instrument in any discussion of “ownership” and social agency. For example, the listing of a site or building as “national” or “world heritage” may very well expose the object of conservation to the negative side-effects of increased tourism. This is relevant when the object involved is of special importance to the local community (for example a temple with its significance for the local inhabitants). In that case the local community may justifiably fear dispossession by conservationist zealots from outside. In order to stand up to this threat, local communities should be aware of the mechanisms and consequences of heritage recognition and of the benefits and dangers of heritage exploitation.
 
Aim
The cluster will address the variety of definitions associated with heritage and their implications for determining who benefits or suffers from their implementation. It aims to engage with a broad range of concepts including the issues of “authenticity,” “national heritage,” and “shared heritage”, and, more generally, issues pertaining to the political economy of heritage. It will also critically address the dangers involved in the commodification of perceived endangered local cultures/heritages, including languages, religious practices, crafts and art forms, as well as material vernacular heritage. The cluster aims at directly engaging Asian and European scholars, artists, intellectuals, and other social educators in a constructive postcolonial civil-society-to-civil-society dialogue, in a spirit of genuine, mutually beneficial Europe-Asia collaboration.

Research topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: the different concepts of “heritage” to be found in various social groups, the ownership of heritage, the uses and problems associated with colonial heritages, national and international aspects of heritage management, heritage and sustainable development, “modernization,” endangered forms of heritage and their conservation, and participatory forms of heritage politics.