Difficult history : saving Yangon from colonial nostalgia
Name
1003291279-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
10.19 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
5949cbccc43e8ff93a592209da676699
Author(s)
Bassett, Aurora Kazi
Advisor(s)
J. Phillip Thompson.
Date Issued
2017
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Using the form of an essay I discuss the preservation of built heritage from the 'difficult' histories of colonialism and enslavement, linking together the global stories of oppression through colonialism and slavery to the global tourism and pressure for economic growth today. I focus on Yangon, Myanmar (Rangoon, Burma), which has the world's largest collection of Victorian and Edwardian colonial architecture. Years of active neglect by the military government have preserved these aging structures, but this era is coming to an end amid with often conflicting pressures to modernize and campaigns to actively restore the historic downtown. In this thesis I explore the politics of preservation and the market forces of international tourism that have led to nostalgic restorations of colonial relations for elite travelers.
Description
Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 62-67).
Subjects
Urban Studies and Planning.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Terms of Use
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