Spatial and Ideological Transformations: Constructing a Counternarrative

This chapter interprets the physical transformation described in the previous chapter by cross-referencing it with other types of evidence. This evidence is based on analyses of the communication strategy of the Adopt-a-Pagoda Program; the flagship reconstruction projects of the most iconic Bagan monuments; infrastructural developments associated with the reconstruction program; contextualization of the program within national-level contemporary construction history, particularly of the capital Naypyitaw; and the perception of the program and its measures among the local population. As a whole, this chapter sheds light on the multifaceted meanings of Bagan’s transformation from 1995 to 2011 and its social embedment thereby providing for a rich counternarrative.