篇名 | From Silt to Shit: The Past and Present of Post-Natural Bangkok |
---|---|
卷期 | 44:1 |
作者 | Jaime Moreno-Tejada |
頁次 | 137-161 |
關鍵字 | Anthropocene 、 Bangkok 、 community mall 、 critical geography 、 historical geography 、 hybrid 、 A&HCI 、 Scopus 、 THCI |
出刊日期 | 201803 |
DOI | 10.6240/concentric.lit.201803.44(1).0007 |
Using the Anthropocene as a guiding proposition, this essay offers a critical historical geography of post-natural Bangkok, and an equally critical assessment of present-day gentrification. One of the most interesting aspects of the recent literature on the Anthropocene is its geological approach to nature and culture. I borrow the notion of layer to convey the idea that contemporary Bangkok is the product of a process of material layering that may be traced back to the early nineteenth century. Contemporary Bangkok is here represented by Centenary Park, a green space under construction in the city center that is being marketed as a “great gift” to society. In line with my approach, I make an interpretive, critical analysis of Centenary Park and its immediate surroundings. The park is part of a next-generation, open-air shopping district, including upscale apartments, known as Lifestyle Center and Community Mall. Finally, I provide a critique of the concept of “hybridity” as a valid approach to both Thai modernity and the Anthropocene.