Gateways, Corridors and Peripheries

Abstract

Southeast Asia as a region was only ‘discovered’ after the mid-twentieth century. Thus the discourse frame itself was contingent, while the internal structure was for several decades con-tested by nationalisms and neocolonialism. During the Cold War period, cities were very much subsidiary to nation-states. Since then, along with a tidal wave of globalization, city-regions have emerged into new prominence that challenges political structures and familiar imaginings, not least by academics themselves. The result is an intellectual mess.