Current Research Projects

A lush green landscape with trees and bushes in the foreground, a mountain range in the background, and a sky filled with large, white clouds.

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. This work builds on previous research I conducted as part of the Heritage Ecosystems project, conceptualised and led by Dr Dacia Viejo Rose at the University of Cambridge.

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.

A display shelf filled with colorful baby Ganesha statues in various poses and attires.

‘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).

The webpage titled "Glossary of Communities" has a colorful background with icons and images related to conservation, heritage, and community knowledge. There are six thumbnail images labeled "Mbakhana," "Conservation," "Xeme," "Lefëm," "Kpasatin," and "Wolpertinger."

The Global Conservation Project – A Digital Heritage Glossary

The Global Conservation (GloCo) project is led by PI Noémie Étienne at the University of Vienna. It seeks to decenter Eurocentric epistemologies and vocabulary related to heritage and conservation through the creation of a glossary of heritage and conservation terms with words and definitions chosen by communities around the world. You can check out the glossary at glo-co.org.

This research is funded by the ERC.

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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.