Modern Dreams An Inquiry into Power, Cultural Production, and the Cityscape in Contemporary Urban Penang, Malaysia

A fascinating ethnographic study of the cultural politics of urban redevelopment in Kampung Serani, one Penang community, in the 1990s. Through interviews, newspaper reports, and other records, Goh considers changing notions of culture, ethnic identity, and urban space.

"This excellent piece of research work... fills a significant gap in knowledge about the evolution and transformation of the cityscapes in modern cities of Malaysia."

"Goh provides a refreshingly analytical and nuanced account of the interplay especially between competing influences of ethnicity, religion, class, and politics that have shaped modern Malaysia."

"A major contribution to the understanding of Malaysian modernity. The theories and themes discussed... would be of interest to a range of scholars from the disciplines of anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, politics, and human geography."