Worlding Sites and Their Ambiguity An Introduction

The idea of this volume was born within a multidisciplinary research on regional dynamics in Southeast Asia which considered both micro and macro levels of analysis. As anthropologists in the team, we chose to study social objects defined by the interplay of capital, the environment and work. Monika Arnez focused on the development of a luxury neighbourhood entirely built on reclaimed land in Melaka, and Silvia Vignato singled out a declining extractive location in North Aceh. The two sites were part of developmental plans that very explicitly targeted world standards and Asian ideals and reflected local policies, national economic trends and massive transnational investments; they were also the scene of long-term social conflict. Through the people who were involved in the sites as workers, residents or planners, we intended to study how different and often competing regional visions become not only relevant, but also consciously relevant in people’s life.