"Exotic Colonialism" in the Age of the Asian Traveler

Abstract

This article is an examination of the impact of intra-Asian travel on monuments tied to colonialism in Asia. The study highlights emergent changes surrounding perceptions of tourism and what is seen as "exotic" as well as "authentic" in Asia vis-à-vis the burgeoning feeling of postcolonial guilt in the contemporary West. Citing the example of architectural monuments tied to colonial era Christian missionaries in Malaysia and Singapore, the research suggests that the 21st century is witness to a developing "postcolonial paradox" where the cultural norms and values of the prewar West are becoming more readily acceptable in parts of developing Asia than in the West itself. As "traditional values" become increasingly superseded by "progressive values" in the Western world, the premise is that the rise of the intra-Asian traveler will nevertheless allow for a belated appreciation of monuments celebrating the principles, if not the politics, of the Imperial age in Asia.