TY - UNPB
T1 - Orientalist Imaginations and Touristification of Museums
T2 - Experiences from Singapore
AU - Ooi, Can-Seng
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - This paper draws inspiration from Edward Said's orientalism, and examines how the three National Museums of Singapore - the Singapore History Museum, the Singapore Art Museum and the Asian Civilizations Museums - are orientalized. The process is mediated through the museums' close links to tourism promotion in the city-state. The tourism authorities in Singapore have found that the city destination has become too modern and western for many tourists, and the destination has embarked on a campaign to make Singapore more oriental. The creation of the museums is one strategy to orientalize Singapore; these museums assert different layers of Singapore's oriental identities. Each museum appropriates the tourist orientalist imagination in different ways. This paper argues that the orientalist imagination can be understood as a set of knowledge resources for the construction of local identities to enhance a destination's uniqueness and attractiveness. Besides reviewing Said's orientalism, this paper visits criticisms of the theory, within the context of the orientalization process of museums in Singapore.Keywords: orientalism, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore History Museum, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore tourism.
AB - This paper draws inspiration from Edward Said's orientalism, and examines how the three National Museums of Singapore - the Singapore History Museum, the Singapore Art Museum and the Asian Civilizations Museums - are orientalized. The process is mediated through the museums' close links to tourism promotion in the city-state. The tourism authorities in Singapore have found that the city destination has become too modern and western for many tourists, and the destination has embarked on a campaign to make Singapore more oriental. The creation of the museums is one strategy to orientalize Singapore; these museums assert different layers of Singapore's oriental identities. Each museum appropriates the tourist orientalist imagination in different ways. This paper argues that the orientalist imagination can be understood as a set of knowledge resources for the construction of local identities to enhance a destination's uniqueness and attractiveness. Besides reviewing Said's orientalism, this paper visits criticisms of the theory, within the context of the orientalization process of museums in Singapore.Keywords: orientalism, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore History Museum, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore tourism.
KW - Turisme
KW - Turismemarkedsføring
KW - Brand image
KW - Identitet
KW - Museer
KW - Sydøstasien
KW - Singapore
KW - Orientalisme
M3 - Working paper
BT - Orientalist Imaginations and Touristification of Museums
CY - København
ER -