De-colonizing public spaces in Malaysia: dating in Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

This article discusses places and practices of young heterosexual Malaysian Muslims dating in non-private urban spaces. It is based on research conducted in Kuala Lumpur in two consecutive summers 2016 and 2017. Malaysian law (Khalwat law) does not allow for two unrelated people (where at least one of them is Muslim) of opposite sexes to be within ‘suspicious proximity’ of one another in public. This law significantly influences behaviors and activities in urban spaces in KL. In addition to the legal framework, the beliefs of Malaysian Muslims significantly influence the way they perceive space and how they behave in the city. The article discusses the empirical theme, beginning with the participants’ narratives of their engagement with the dominant sexual and gender order in non-private spaces of KL. Utilizing questionnaires, interviews and observations, this article draws upon a qualitative research project and questions the analytical usefulness of the notion of public space (as a Western construct) in the context of an Islamic, post-colonial, tropical, global city.

Spaces of exposure: Re-thinking ‘publicness’ through public transport

“…As Krzysztof Nawratek and Asma Mehan argued in this journal from their analysis of dating practices in Kuala Lumpur, the Eurocentric concept of public space as a space of free access, which allows for a more open, democratic and inclusive contact and communality than other, privatized spaces, is not helpful for analyzing urban spaces in the Global South. 4 This paper agrees with the authors' suggestion to understand urban space through a series of temporary situations of privacy that are never fully public in the liberal sense of the word. 5 In addition, we propose that by looking at public space through the lens of exposure, we can overcome a dualist understanding of public space altogether and instead develop a more processual notion of publicness that however does not lose perspective of structural inequalities in urban contexts across the Global North and South.…”

“…4 This paper agrees with the authors' suggestion to understand urban space through a series of temporary situations of privacy that are never fully public in the liberal sense of the word. 5 In addition, we propose that by looking at public space through the lens of exposure, we can overcome a dualist understanding of public space altogether and instead develop a more processual notion of publicness that however does not lose perspective of structural inequalities in urban contexts across the Global North and South.…”

Gio Ponti and Villa Namazee: (De)listed Modern Heritage

“…In times of war and conflict, shared identity and cultural heritage become more significant. Another vital factor is the active participation of international organizations such as UNESCO, DOCOMOMO, TICCIH, and other community-based NGOs in saving the heritage in countries where the modern heritage is threatened by demolition, real estate development, or war [21][22][23]. The main question which still needs to be answered here is: when the complex heritage policies in countries such as Iran delisted buildings from the national heritage, is there a legal way to protect them in the time of conflict by international organs?…”

Conjunctions of Islam: rethinking the geographies of art and piety through the notebooks of Ahmet Süheyl Ünver

“…This insight matters because it complicates how we understand the 'Islamic' character of a city. While there is value to returning to the Qur'an and Islamic legal traditions to make sense of the religiousness of the city, 91 Ünver's work calls our attention instead to the ongoing work of transmission through which his Muslim identity was brought into conjunction with Eyüp and the city beyond.…”