Malaysian Reclaimed Landscapes: Urbanization, Heritage, and Sustainability along the Littoral

Project Information

MaReLand

Grant agreement ID: 101062825

DOI

10.3030/101062825

Project closed

EC signature date 9 August 2022

Start date 1 February 2023

End date 31 January 2025

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 150 438,72

Coordinated by

UNIVERZITA PALACKEHO V OLOMOUCI
Czechia

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MaReLand (Malaysian Reclaimed Landscapes: Urbanization, Heritage, and Sustainability along the Littoral)

Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2025-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

MaReLand is an interdisciplinary project and ethnographic study of coastal land reclamation along the Malaysian littoral. Reclamation is the act of creating new land and artificial islands from the sea. The approach that the state and developers are taking is reminiscent of neocolonial and neoliberal conceptions of the mare nullius (“nobody’s sea”), an empty space to be transformed by large-scale construction projects. Many are concerned about the socio-ecological effects for the environment and coastal communities. On the one hand, reclaimed landscapes are being planned for the development of high-tech fantasies of a luxurious lifestyle in a greener and smarter environment. On the other hand, such projects are intended to transform spaces that nevertheless represent enduring heritage such as fisheries, seascapes and biodiversity. Reclaimed landscapes thus emerge as contested spaces where what is not considered heritage becomes attractive for development. Situated at the intersection of urban anthropology, marine/coastal research, and critical heritage studies, MaReLand explored the competing discourses of sustainability and heritage held by a variety of actors.

The two main research objectives of this Marie Skłodowska Curie Action (MSCA) have been to (a) advance empirical knowledge on practices related to the right to the city/right to the sea, and the ways environmental activism and discourses on sustainability and heritage conservation unfold on the ground; and (b) advance theoretical knowledge on the masterplans, policies, and the politics of compensation at work around yet-to-be-built-islands. A parallel goal was to develop the MaReLand website and a booklet introducing the Malaysian experience of land reclamation from below.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Work was ascribed to five work packages (WPs). WP1 comprised in-depth and systematic literature review of theories on urbanization along the littoral, reading groups, the consolidation of interdisciplinary skills, teaching of a class on heritage and anthropology, and the preparation of a fieldwork plan in consultation with the Supervisor. During WP2, the Fellow carried out a multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in Malaysia through participant observation and semi-structured, unstructured, and group interviews with different stakeholders, including fishers, coastal residents, activists, and also governmental and corporate stakeholders involved in land reclamation projects. The main case studies were based on Penang Island, but other interviews have been carried out in Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, and Melaka. Once back from fieldwork, the Fellow analyzed his ethnographic data and prepared submissions of papers disseminating the research findings via WP3 and WP4. During this period the MaReLand website was launched. Various communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities have been managed via WP5. Such activities included presentations at the Czech European Researchers’ Night, a Malaysia-focused event at Children University, the organization of the panel “The Temporalities of Land Reclamation in Maritime Southeast Asia” at ACAS 2024 (Annual Conference of Asian Studies), and consultation with activists in Malaysia and an artist to co-design a booklet in the form of ethnographic visual arts work.

Results of this MSCA have been disseminated via presentations at (1) the workshop “Speculative Climate Urbanism and the Sea: The Inequalities of Building and Living on Water in Southeast Asia” held at the Asia Research Institute, Singapore; (2) at the monthly Anthropology Cluster meetings; and (3) at ACAS 2024, Palacký University Olomouc. Research findings are reported in: (1) an article on contested spatio-temporalities of land reclamation in Penang published in Island Studies Journal; (2) a coauthored article/photo essay on the fishers’ right to stay put along the littoral published in ARIscope; (3) a submitted coauthored article on land reclamation in Melaka; (4) a submitted article on displacement and heritage discourses in a fishing village in Penang; and (5) the forthcoming ethnographic visual arts work which traces the journey of the Penang Tolak Tambak (Penang Rejects Reclamation) alliance between fishers and activists. (6) Another publication appears in the IIAS Newsletter as a kick off communication activity giving visibility to the project during WP1.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This MSCA project aimed to explore local communities’ perceptions, traditions, and activism related to land reclamation. It fills a gap in the literature on land reclamation, which is the absence of the perceptions citizens have of these projects and the politics of compensation at work. At the theoretical level, the project has expanded the literature on the right to the city, right to nature, and right to the island further to include the right to the sea. At the empirical level, the project sheds light the emergence of a sea-and-blue-oriented environmentalism which moves away from traditionally green land-based, and land-biased, movements. During fieldwork, the Fellow worked in several fishing and coastal communities, and he has been able to reach out a diverse range of stakeholders, including both those who oppose land reclamation and those who support it, as well those who are neutral.

MaReLand is meaningful at the societal level because it draws attention to the everyday life of local stakeholders, raising awareness on issues related to spatial planning, citizens’ participation and environmentalism. The project also increases awareness among future generations on the anthropogenic challenges faced by coastal communities. Innovative experimentations such as the forthcoming ethnographic visual arts work will inform a broader audience beyond academia, including the younger generations. By integrating ethnographic methods, participatory research, and community engagement, the project provides a framework for inclusive and culturally informed coastal development, reinforcing the EU’s commitment to sustainable development and environmental justice.