Critical Connections: Forum on Cultural Studies in Asia and Beyond
16 March 2012, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SCHOLAR AND GUEST SPEAKER

Mr JUNAIDI                                                                         (Universitas Indonesia)          
email: <junaidi@ui.ac.id>

"The Suburban Estate in Contemporary Depok: Space, Discourses and Cultural Representations"

This paper aims to explore and read the symbolic meanings of the suburban estate in contemporary Depok, a suburb of Jakarta through the perspective of Cultural Studies. Much of the discussions of suburban estate in Depok have focused either on the economics or sociological perspectives. Very few studies have read the city with Cultural Studies. By focusing on Grand Depok City, an increasingly developed estate in the city of Depok, this study seeks to explore both history and geography, as well as identity and representation constructed in the estate through its brochures, landscape, ads, and map as well as experienced by its dwellers. Post-structuralist and Marxist readings will be used to interpret the city as a cultural site. The interaction between culture (meanings), social practices, physical and virtual environment which is best represented as a circle is used as a conceptual tool to interpret the estate and discourses surrounding it. The central argument of this paper is that the estate produces competing and blending of discourses experienced by middle class Indonesian in their everyday life. The findings show that the nexus of shared meanings, individual experience, economic interest, policy decisions, and geographical locations have so much to say about the created environment known as Grand Depok City and its ‘structure of feelings’ (following Williams’ famous concept).