Chin Ee Ong

I am a human geographer with an interest in the dynamic interface between heritage, tourism and urban spaces. Much of my work is based on heritage, tourism and urban processes in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Macau and Zhuhai. In these cities, I have explored issues concerning actor-networks, carcerality, freedom, violence, care, governmentality and control in urban, heritage and tourism spaces and the beautification and ‘cuteification’ of animals and spaces and the hyperreal performance of cultures within theme parks and themed spaces broadly defined.

I also have strong ongoing interest in pedagogic research concerning the teaching of cultural geography and landscape-based subjects in the academia (technologies, approaches and curriculum), the training of tourism and heritage professionals (labour geography, capacity building and Foucauldian power-knowledge) and the ways Geography and geographers feature (or not) in these real-world centred knowledge fields. The second of these trajectories has grown from my decade long pedagogic involvements as writer and teacher in a series of UNESCO World Heritage training project for tourism and heritage professionals in about 15 World Heritage sites.

Current Research

I am currently working on a few small research projects:

a) Built heritage conservation in Hong Kong and Singapore and the current and historical Maritime Silk Road geographies b) Cultural geographies of theme parks and themed spaces in Singapore c) Carceral geographies and former refugee spaces in Singapore and Indonesia d) Gamification and Geographical Education in Singapore e) Critical heritage education and international efforts in heritage training in Asia

Research Interests

• Carceral geographies and dark tourism
• Critical heritage studies and World Heritage
• Governmentality of urban and tourism spaces
• Theme parks and themed spaces
• Gamification and Geographical Education
• Knowledge production and contestation in heritage conservation and tourism

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management
• Masters of Social Science Department of Geography

Books and Monographs

• Erb, M. and Ong, C. E. (2018) (eds.) Theming Asia: Culture, Nature and Heritage in a Transforming Environment, Routledge.