Competition Among Local Government for Construction of Space-Place Identity

No space identity constructs itself, as the space and identity themselves are all constructed through a series of political and historical synthesis about and within a certain region, space, and place. The construction of space/place identity in the globalisation era is not merely conducted for the sake of tourism promotion and offering economic value-added for a region, but it is also to position it as a representative of an existing and inherent space identity. The thickening of globalisation has affected the development of spatially-connected identities in which they were either preserved or overlooked. Contested and preserved identity depends on political, social-cultural, and economic considerations. Identity is constructed based on a space/place’s morphology, such as its historical heritage, cultural heritage, and other inherent uniqueness which becomes the region’s brand. Studies on space identity have attracted experts from various disciplines, such as Political Science, Sociology, Geography, and Anthropology. 

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Theorists of urban sociology and political geography, for example Castells (2010), Harvey (1989), and Sennett (1999), identified the effect of globalisation on the strengthening of space identity against internationalisation. In this context, examining the distinctiveness of a space/place in order to study the construction of identity is multidisciplinary in nature. According to Castell, identity was built on historical sources. He highlighted the tremendous role of sociologist  and anthropologist. However, in Indonesia, not only do the sociological and anthropological factors determine the construction of identity, but also so does the government’s political interests at the national, provincial, and municipal level. Such an argument is derived from a notion that spatial commitment is developed as a response toward a space’s distinctiveness and it is reflected from the experts’ attitude and perception in building their own argumentation about the construction of spatial identity and its objectives. 


The experts’ arguments can be classified into some specific perspectives based on their respective disciplines. Hence, to explain and understand the meaning of government-constructed identity, many perspectives can be employed. This article itself employs the politico-spatial identity, which is integrated with the socio-spatial perspective. Studies on space identity were introduced by Lefebvre (1974) and later developed by Fairbanks (2003), Boisen (2011), Kalandides (2011), Vela (2013), and many others. The experts were keen to study space identity in terms of spatial, geographical, anthropological, sociological, and political analyses. Actually, some scientists have suggested devoting their attention to the role of branding which becomes a space/place identity in certain regions/local areas. As Zenker & Jacobsen (2015) pointed out, numerous scientists from different disciplines need to study about the construction of space identity, both as a branding or an image-construction effort. Although some scientists continue to argue about the construction of identity and its branding’s meaning, by studying space identity, they can contribute to the enrichment of the theoretical framework. It is a necessary method to reveal the relationship between the strategic spatial approach and the construction of space identity. 


Lefebvre, with his socio-spatial perspective, learned how identity is always correlated to space existence and space ideology. His study on urban space identity in the 1950s and 1960s showed that space ideology should have not been removed or eliminated by urban city planners or architects, because modernised cities have actually owned their standardised architecture and efficient urban plans. However, the thickening of globalisation has affected inter-region competition. Identity has become the most important element in recognition, differentiation, and commodification in the communication process in which cities, regions, and countries position themselves. Hence, both government and society should seek a clear formulation for their space identity. 


The current situation already indicates fierce competition for geographical space. Competition for identity is embodied in the construction of identity attached to a region’s branding. The construction of identity ideally serves to integrate the infinite number of cultural and ideological heritage which is inherent in the region’s space and place, both geographically and practically. The space is full of political and socio-historical dynamics. Thus, the space identity of the geographical region represents the power and importance of the government and society.

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