Globalization, Modernity and Urban Change in Asian Cities (Edited by Pham Quang Minh, Nguyen Van Suu, Ien Ang and Gay Hawkins (Knowledge Publishing House, 2016, ISBN 9-786049-433-924)

Abstract

VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-USSH) has just introduced a new book title "Globalization, Modernity and Urban Change in Asian Cities", edited by Nguyen Van Suu and other professors from Vietnam and Australia. This is the product of the international conference in 2015 between VNU-USSH and Western Sydney University, Australia focusing the impacts of globalization and modernity to urban development in Asian countries.

This book contains 13 chapters covering various aspects of globalization, modernity and impacts to Asian urban to some specific cases about the livelihood and life experiences in urban of Vietnamese and Malaysia contexts. This collection is informative and would bring benefits for scholars in many fields of social sciences such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, communication studies or urban studies as well. It is constructed from papers in four main contents, as following: At first, It starts with very basic and fundamental background about the impact of globalization to the urban studies and presents the theoretical frameworks in terms of engaged research and urban changes in global perspective. These contributions would encourage the social research on urban and related problems in Vietnam. At second one, other three papers show many cases in aspects of developing industrial zones in Vietnam also draw the transformation in the suburban or peri-urban areas which need additional and further research in order to have comprehensive views about the changes of local people life during such transformation. In the third part, researchers from Malaysia share their research work about livelihood of low income urban people by the safety network and accessibility to the community shop to help such low income urban people. That is a good example for service provision in the urban areas of the developing countries. And at the final part, five other papers in the overall topic of cultural changes in the urban of Hanoi identify the specific topic of religious, consumption and waste, television watching and changes of museum. With this final part, the edited book would present additional changes in the urban life following the impacts of globalization and modernity.

Although it is an informative book about the urban in Asian, it would be easier for readers to follow if it would be constructed into four main parts as above mentioned with headings (for example: theoretical background, transformation in peri-urban, economic changes and cultural changes), and it would include the index of keywords and authors for better presentation. In the final reviewing, it is a good reading collection for researchers who are interested in the contemporary urban changes in the globalization and modernity in general and in the specific contexts of Vietnam and Malaysia in particular.

*VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-USSH) has just introduced a new book title "Globalization, Modernity and Urban Change in Asian Cities", edited by Nguyen Van Suu and other professors from Vietnam and Australia. This is the product of the international conference in 2015 between VNU-USSH and Western Sydney University, Australia focusing the impacts of globalization and modernity to urban development in Asian countries.

This book contains 13 chapters covering various aspects of globalization, modernity and impacts to Asian urban to some specific cases about the livelihood and life experiences in urban of Vietnamese and Malaysia contexts. This collection is informative and would bring benefits for scholars in many fields of social sciences such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, communication studies or urban studies as well. It is constructed from papers in four main contents, as following: At first, It starts with very basic and fundamental background about the impact of globalization to the urban studies and presents the theoretical frameworks in terms of engaged research and urban changes in global perspective. These contributions would encourage the social research on urban and related problems in Vietnam. At second one, other three papers show many cases in aspects of developing industrial zones in Vietnam also draw the transformation in the suburban or peri-urban areas which need additional and further research in order to have comprehensive views about the changes of local people life during such transformation. In the third part, researchers from Malaysia share their research work about livelihood of low income urban people by the safety network and accessibility to the community shop to help such low income urban people. That is a good example for service provision in the urban areas of the developing countries. And at the final part, five other papers in the overall topic of cultural changes in the urban of Hanoi identify the specific topic of religious, consumption and waste, television watching and changes of museum. With this final part, the edited book would present additional changes in the urban life following the impacts of globalization and modernity.

Although it is an informative book about the urban in Asian, it would be easier for readers to follow if it would be constructed into four main parts as above mentioned with headings (for example: theoretical background, transformation in peri-urban, economic changes and cultural changes), and it would include the index of keywords and authors for better presentation. In the final reviewing, it is a good reading collection for researchers who are interested in the contemporary urban changes in the globalization and modernity in general and in the specific contexts of Vietnam and Malaysia in particular.

* VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi; email: khamtv@ussh.edu.vn