Seeking a Future for the Past w/ Philipp Demgenski

In this episode, Christoph Brumann talks to Philipp Demgenski
about his book "Seeking a Future for the Past: Space, Power, and
Heritage in a Chinese City". The conversation centers around
Demgenski's fieldwork in the Qingdao neighborhood of Dabaodao, a
former German colony, where he explores the transformation from a
slum to a heritage site. Demgenski's research aims to answer a
crucial question: why do urban redevelopment projects in China
often go wrong, stagnate, or fail? His book delves into this
issue, focusing on the city's urban redevelopment projects that
have stalled due to a preservation mandate imposed by the
government. Through ten years of ethnographic fieldwork,
Demgenski sheds light on the diverse experiences of residents,
migrant workers, preservationists, and government officials,
revealing a bureaucracy that is often scattered and ineffective,
leading to deadlocks and stalled redevelopment projects.