The Geopolitics of Spectacle: Space, Synecdoche, and the New Capitals of Asia

210 Pages·2018·3.549 MB·English

by  Natalie Koch

The Geopolitics of Spectacle

The Geopolitics of
Spectacle
Space, Synecdoche, and the
New Capitals of Asia
Natalie Koch
Cornell University Press
Ithaca and London
Copyright © 2018 by Cornell University

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First published 2018 by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Koch, Natalie, author.
Title: The geopolitics of spectacle : space, synecdoche, and the new
capitals of Asia / Natalie Koch.
Description: Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2018. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2017060053 (print) | LCCN 2018000740 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781501720925 (pdf) | ISBN 9781501720932 (ret) |
ISBN 9781501720918 | ISBN 9781501720918 (cloth ; alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Urban renewal x Political aspects—Asia. | City
planning—Political aspects—Asia. | New towns—Political
aspects—Asia. | Spectacular, The—Political aspects—Asia. |
Capitals (Cities)—Asia.
Classifi cation: LCC HT178.A78 (ebook) | LCC HT178.A78 K63 2018
(print) | DDC 307.3/416095—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017060053
Cover illustration: View of contemporary Astana. Photograph by
Natalie Koch.
For Gulya
Personal violence shows . The object of personal violence perceives the
violence, usually, and may complain—the object of structural violence
may be persuaded not to perceive this at all. Personal violence represents
change and dynamism—not only ripples on waves, but waves on other-
wise tranquil waters. Structural violence is silent, it does not show—it is
essentially static, it i s the tranquil waters. In a s tatic society, personal vio-
lence will be registered, whereas structural violence may be seen as about
as natural as the air around us.
—Johan Galtung,
“Violence, Peace, and Peace Research” (1969)
Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Spectacular Urbanism and the New Capitals of Asia 1
1. Approaching Spectacle Geographically 25
2. From Almaty to Astana: Capitalizing the Territory
in Kazakhstan 47
3. From Astana to Aral: Making Inequality Enchant
in Kazakhstan’s Hinterlands 75
4. From Astana to Asia: Spectacular Cities and the New
Capitals of Asia Compared 107
Conclusion: Synecdoche and the Geopolitics of Spectacular
Urbanism in Asia 147
Notes 161
Index 187

Illustrations
Figure I.1 The fl ag of Kazakhstan. 10
Figure 2.1 Astana’s new administrative center skyline. 48
Figure 2.2 Billboard reading “My heart—Astana!” 59
Figure 2.3 Visitors at the top of Baiterek’s golden orb in Astana. 60
Map 3.1 M ajor resource extraction sites and ecological
disaster zones in Kazakhstan. 81
Figure 3.1 Empty harbor in Aral. 87
Figure 3.2 Kokaral Dam sluice letting water from the Small Sea
into the Big Sea. 89
Figure 4.1 Monumental boulevard in central Ashgabat. 113
Figure 4.2 The Flame Towers in central Baku. 113
Figure 4.3 “Healthy Path” mountain trail on Ashgabat’s
outskirts. 117
Figure 4.4 View of Baku’s revamped Caspian Sea promenade. 117
Figure 4.5 The Khan Shatyr entertainment complex in Astana. 118
Figure 4.6 “Unoffi cial” view of a Soviet housing block in Baku. 121
Figure 4.7 The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku. 122
Figure 4.8 Downtown Doha’s iconic skyline. 126
Figure 4.9 Downtown Abu Dhabi’s skyline. 126
x Illustrations
Figure 4.10 Central Bandar Seri Begawan. 137
Figure 4.11 The prime minister’s offi ce in Bandar Seri Begawan. 138
Figure 4.12 The Kampong Ayer water village offshore from
Bandar Seri Begawan. 139
Figure 4.13 Myanmar’s Parliament building in Naypyidaw. 142