Connected Heritages

Connected Heritages: The Inner Life of Penang in the Indian Ocean World opens up the interdisciplinary possibilities of transnational and oceanic historical inquiry paired with granular ethnographic research. Departing from conventional land- and nation-centric approaches, the book situates Penang, Malaysia and particularly its historic core, George Town within the fluid realm of lateral networks, revealing the profound influence of the sea on the port city's political, economic, social and cultural landscape.

It does so by integrating ethnographic depth, offering readers an intimate and immersive journey into the lived experiences of George Town's diverse communities, notably its two major Peranakan groups, with a broader historical and transnational understanding of the circulations that have shaped the inner life of the port city.

Through the careful observation and interpretation of everyday practices, habits and stories, this singular study paints a vivid portrait of the port city's complex connections and identities shaped by its maritime connections. In doing so, the book offers an anthropology of the everyday and its utility for developing our understanding of the ways in which people and communities in Penang perceive and interpret their contemporary reality.

Approaches the study of two Peranakan communities through historically and spatially connected heritages Provides empirically rich accounts of the anthropology of the everyday Contributes to comparative studies of the dynamic shift from diasporic identity to localised identity

Autorentext

Mareike Pampus is a Lecturer at the Human Geography Department, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. She researches and teaches courses on food geographies, Indian Ocean connections, heritage studies and (more-than-)human geography.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: A Strategic Settlement: Penang Island and the Founding of George Town.- Chapter 3: A Strategic Settlement: Penang Island and the Founding of George Town.- Chapter 4: Transforming Port and Power: Historical Conjunctures, Racial Tensions and the Emergence of a Nation State.- Chapter 5: Becoming Nyonya: Oral Tradition and Cooking Skills.- Chapter 6: Chicken Kapitan: Knowledge, Ingredients and Adjustment.- Chapter 7: Bead It: Nyonya Beadwork as Practice and Things.- Chapter 8: Mansions and Manners: Incorporating Colonial Heritage.- Chapter 9: Conclusion: Penang in the Indian Ocean World.