As the editors, we were continually concerned that this project was overly ambitious, given the daunting challenge of incorporating the multitude of issues and examples that might come under the heading of heritage for a region as vast as Asia. At the same time, we believed such a task would be both educational and rewarding, and therefore worth pursuing. In the long road from excited discussions over a curry to final publication, the process has benefited from our engagements with, and contributions from, a large number of people. We first discussed the need for a book addressing the Asian contexts of heritage at a 2009 conference held at the Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore. This gathering of almost 100 scholars and practitioners working on all facets of heritage in Asia made it clear that the region had major practical and intellectual contributions to make to the broader field of heritage studies. We would like to thank Professor Lily Kong, then director of ARI, who graciously supported and hosted the conference, and the wonderful events team at ARI that made it all happen, led by Valerie Yeo, Alyson Rozells, and Sharon Ong.
As we began to outline what such a volume could look like, we initially invited a number of authors who gave papers at the conference, and over the course of the next year or so secured the contributions of an additional fifteen authors. We would like to thank our contributors, all of whom have delivered versions on schedule, responded with patience and enthusiasm to our numerous editorial comments, and embraced the concept of the book wholeheartedly from its inception. It has been a rewarding and enriching experience working with them all, and a process that has deepened our knowledge and appreciation of Asia. The strengths of this volume lie in the experiences and insights of the individual contributors.
Throughout the publication process, we have been warmly encouraged by a number of people at Routledge, each of whom understood and supported the scope and intention of the project. They have been extremely generous with their time and publication flexibility, including inviting us to do the book as part of their signature Handbook Series, allowing us room for 23 chapters. In particular, we would like to thank Stephanie Rogers for commissioning the volume, Ed Needle who kept his hand on the tiller for most of the editorial process, and Sarah Enticknap who shepherded the book through its final stages. Special thanks go to Joyce Zaide at the Asia Research Institute and Kieryn McKay at the University of Western Sydney for their invaluable assistance in editing and compiling chapters. Finally, we have both received support and time from a number of institutions to work on this book, and would like to thank understanding colleagues and heads of departments at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, the Centre for Cultural Research (now ICS), University of Western Sydney, and the Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles.
Patrick Daly and Tim Winter