http://hdl.handle.net/10398/81 2013-05-22T13:12:59Z 2013-05-22T13:12:59Z Ooi, Can-Seng http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8677 2013-04-15T09:49:46Z 2013-04-15T00:00:00Z

Why are cities becoming alike when each city is branded as different? Ooi, Can-Seng Cities are becoming alike. As a result, there is a rise of “copy-cat” cities. There are many reasons for this, and this paper looks from the perspective of city branding: how does place branding lead to the homogenization of cities? Using the case of Singapore, and with references to Chinese cities, this paper highlights a number of accreditation tactics in place branding campaigns. Accreditation is necessary because the brand needs to seek credibility for the messages it sends. The types of accreditation used must also be globally understood, so as to reach out to diverse world audiences.

2013-04-15T00:00:00Z Ooi, Can-Seng http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8672 2013-04-04T12:14:35Z 2013-04-04T00:00:00Z

How to capture and present complexity, ambivalence and ambiguity Ooi, Can-Seng Bakhtin was a literary theorist and was the widely acknowledged father of dialogism. This working paper shows how Bakhtin and dialogism can be used to capture complexity, ambivalence and ambiguity in the social world. In following the spirit of dialogism, I will refer to my own research experiences in tourism and art worlds, through which I will reveal my own inclinations – which can be read as biases – in my research knowledge production. Through the concept of genre, heteroglossia, polyphony and carnivalesque, dialogism allows social science researchers to identify and structure the forces of order and disruption in society. There are methodological consequences if one is to follow dialogism. Besides having to get deep into the empirical field, dialogism challenges by raising questions on the manner we collect data, the extent to which we can present a holistic analysis, the ways to engage alternative analytical interpretations and the approach to address a researcher’s own biases.

2013-04-04T00:00:00Z Brødsgaard, Kjeld Erik http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8622 2013-01-14T09:46:28Z 2013-01-14T00:00:00Z

Murder, Sex, Corruption Brødsgaard, Kjeld Erik The recent Bo Xilai affair has created strains in the Chinese political system and has intensified the power struggle concerning the new leadership appointments due to take place at the 18th Party Congress. The pressure on the political system is intensified by a number of social phenomena such as increased fragmentation, vested interests, corruption, social unrest, increased income and social inequalities and a de facto reform stop since 2009. Some scholars believe that we now see the end of ‘resilient authoritarianism’ and that China either will experience a political and social collapse or move towards a democratic system. However, developments since 1989 show the regime’s amazing ability to revitalize its organizational capabilities and regain its Mandate of Heaven. It may be too early to declare the Party over.

2013-01-14T00:00:00Z Munar, Ana María http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8570 2012-11-20T10:07:15Z 2012-11-20T00:00:00Z

Revealing the attractiveness of outrageous beer tourism Munar, Ana María Tourism is often linked to ideas of escapism and release from everyday duties and obligations. Modern societies are characterized by highly complex systems of social and cultural control, and citizens of these societies find forms of liberation in travel (Jafari 1987). Tourism destinations act as magnetic spaces of leisure and relaxation that can be visualized as the realm of ‘touristhood’– a theatrical arena in which individuals adopt different masks and conduct themselves according to expectations and norms that differ from those that rule their everyday lives. The consumption and enjoyment of alcoholic drinks constitutes a relevant element of the scenery of touristhood. In touristic spaces the beer product is socially transformed and constructed; tourists enact beer tourism through drinking practices and rituals performed at the destination. Alcohol, and in this case beer consumption, is constitutive of socio-cultural traditions in many national cultures (such as those in Northern Europe). National and local beer cultures are however being transformed and re-shaped in tourism destinations. This study examines the interrelation of beer cultures, more specifically German beer culture, and tourism. It examines how beer culture, combined with touristhood, produces extreme and novel forms of consumption transforming both tourism practices and the world of beer.

2012-11-20T00:00:00Z