Category Archives: Publishing

Happy new year

By benbansal Posted in Personal, Publishing Leave a reply

I am glad to have had a relatively productive 2025 on this blog, having penned 24 posts in total, ranging from substantial to travelogue. After I struggled to maintain momentum on this blog for some years (coinciding with more professional demands and a backlog of PhD-related writing), I hope to continue in this fashion in 2026.

There are some ideas already. I don’t want to call them resolutions, as they might fall by the wayside organically, but maybe they can act as a reminder whenever I feel I don’t have anything to do.

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ARCH+ Contested Modernities

By benbansal Posted in Burma, Publishing Leave a reply

I wrote an article for the current issue (#243) of ARCH+, a German magazine for architecture and urbanism. This special issue is entitled “Contested Modernities” and about the development of postcolonial modernisms in Southeast Asia.

My contribution recounts the works of Raglan Squire and Benjamin Polk, who left their mark on Yangon’s built environment and ought to be rediscovered today. I have written about their work and my research on this blog before.

The edition is in German and has an impressive list of authors, covering a wide geography and breadth of topics. An English edition will be published in the fall.

On inspiration

By benbansal Posted in China, Publishing Leave a reply

The reason to visit China this time in 2016 had a lot to do with my new professional passion, i.e. the history and development of cities. After having met the author of a book project I have always admired as well as pondering life amid landscapes zooming by the train window, herewith some notes on inspiration.

Hongqiao Integrated Transport Hub, Shanghai

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