Current Research Projects

Nature as a Museum

My current research examines knowledge embedded in landscapes to highlight how these natural environments serve as museums – spaces for the conservation of memory and heritage. As part of this work, I’m conducting participatory mapping with Indigenous communities in Thailand and Cambodia, as well as partnering with local researchers in Northeast India.

This research is supported by funding from the European Research Council, as part of the Global Conservation: Histories and Theories project led by Prof. Noémie Étienne.

‘Mutelu’ and the Heritage of Modern Magic in Thailand

This project focuses on the emergence of มูเตลู (Mutelu) within Thailand and its various heritage manifestations – as amulets (including sak yant tattooing), fortune-telling, and sites of worship. I also conducted comparative research on magic and fortune-telling practices in Cambodia.

This research was supported by the Phyllis and Eileen Gibbs Travelling Research Fellowship (Newnham College, Cambridge) and the Evans Fellowship (University of Cambridge).

Previous Research:

The Last Elephant Catchers: (In)Visible Indigenous Heritage in Thailand

For my PhD, I worked with the Kui Ajiang in Surin Province, Thailand. My research focused on their elephant-related traditions, unpacking what caused the end of elephant-catching and the consequences of this in the present. My research highlighted how authorising discourses within heritage (the AHD), as well as the environment (in the form of an Authorised Environmental Discourse) can impact the heritage and identity of marginalised groups.