Commodification of place and self-change in residents of Balestier.

• Main Author: Poon, Cheryl Shuwen.
• Other Authors: Lim Khek Gee, Francis
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/25671
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Commodification of place is seen as the process in which places are marketed and its unique features are “sold” to tourists and visitors. It has been seen by some academics as a means to earn tourist revenue since the selling of heritage places is now big business. However, often the effects of these changes on the self of the locals are left unheard. Using Balestier as a case study, this paper shows how commodification changes the physical landscape of Balestier and in the process causes the residents to face a wide range of possible selves. Through the study of their biographies or life stories, I discovered that for some, they developed an unconfident self and others instead, developed a confident self. However, ultimately, all of the residents affirmed a progressive and modern self as a result of the commodification of place of Balestier.