- Anthropology, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Humanitarianism, Development Studies, Sustainable Development, Cultural Heritage, and 6 moreCultural Heritage Management, Intangible Cultural Heritage (Culture), Natural Disasters, Disaster Management, Environmental Archaeology, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Reliefedit
Changing weather patterns, increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards, and rising sea levels associated with global climate change have the potential to threaten cultural heritage sites worldwide. This is especially the case... more
Changing weather patterns, increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards, and rising sea levels associated with global climate change have the potential to threaten cultural heritage sites worldwide. This is especially the case for maritime heritage sites located in the low-lying coastal and delta regions of Asia. Maritime heritage can reflect both highly localized cultural products based on the coupling of people and maritime environments and the historic footprints of complex maritime networks that connect people, ideas, and material over vast distances, creating unique cultural spheres. Furthermore, maritime heritage sites potentially serve as or contain records of how past societies have been impacted by and adapted to past environmental stress. Therefore, their degradation threatens local/regional/global cultural patrimony as well as evidence of human resilience and fragility in the face of environmental change. This makes a strong case for urgent preservation. However, the possible damage caused by climate change and the scale of vulnerable maritime heritage pose seemingly insurmountable challenges. In this paper, we present the ways in which maritime heritage sites across Asia are vulnerable to environmental stresses, such as changing sea levels, coastal erosion, flooding, and storm surges. Our objective is to draw upon our experience documenting endangered cultural heritage across South and Southeast Asia to illustrate that there are unique conceptual and practical characteristics of maritime heritage that complicate effective management and conservation efforts on the scale required to prevent massive loss by climate change. We conclude by stressing the need to reconceptualize debates about the custody and stewardship of maritime heritage and the urgency of employing a wide range of innovative preservation solutions to ensure maritime patrimony is not lost to the rising tides.
Research Interests: Climate Change, Cultural Heritage, Digital heritage in architecture, Indonesia, South Asian Archaeology, and 9 moreSoutheast Asian Archaeology, Digital preservation (Cultural Heritage), Digital Heritage, Cultural Heritage Management, Heritage Management, Digital Cultural Heritage, Heritage Conservation and Documentation, Maritime Cultural Heritage Management, and Maldives
Recent developments have made technologies such as LiDAR and photogrammetry visualizations more widely accessible to scholars in the humanities. This, in turn, is currently facilitating the production of larger and more complex data sets... more
Recent developments have made technologies such as LiDAR and photogrammetry visualizations more widely accessible to scholars in the humanities. This, in turn, is currently facilitating the production of larger and more complex data sets than those that have heretofore been associated with Digital Humanities. This new turn has stimulated innovative work in a number of fields, but also given rise to new challenges for researchers, IT departments, and university libraries. This paper highlights a number of such issues related to the management of research data with reference to the work the Maritime Asia Heritage Survey (MAHS) based at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies. The MAHS uses traditional archaeological survey techniques while also incorporating data capture through newer technologies of LiDAR scanning, RTK/GIS, digital photography and video, photogrammetry, CAD, and 3D modelling to produce interactive visualizations, IIIF deep-zoom digitized manuscripts, oral history recordings, architectural plans and elevations, and orthophotomaps integrated into robust records in an Arches database. Establishing this project at Kyoto University has highlighted the importance of developing new hardware infrastructure, policy guidelines, and support for the long-term management of the digital knowledge resources as crucial aspects of the institutional infrastructure for research universities in the future.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
On 28th September 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred on the Palu-Koro strike slip fault near Palu, Indonesia. Shortly after, large tsunami waves generated by the earthquake and the submarine landslides it triggered, washed into... more
On 28th September 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred on the Palu-Koro strike slip fault near Palu,
Indonesia. Shortly after, large tsunami waves generated by the earthquake and the submarine landslides it
triggered, washed into Palu Bay. Here, we describe sediment characteristics of the tsunami deposits and present
wave height models to provide a modern analogue for tsunamis occurring on strike slip faults. We analyzed 51
sediment samples from 21 sampling points on two transects at Palu City and one transect at Pantaloan. At Palu
City, the tsunami inundated between 250 and 270 m inland. Sediments were massive, with landward fining from
coarse sands (φ 0) to fine sands (φ 3.7) and weak upward fining sequences (by up to 1 φ). At Pantaloan the
tsunami inundated up to 275 m inland. Sediments were massive, with landward fining from a few grains of gravel
(φ 2) and coarse sands (φ 0.5) to fine sands (φ 2.5) and weak upward fining sequences (by up to 1 φ). Based on
the sediment data the TSUFLIND model predicted: at Palu city flow depths of 1 to 8 m, and flow velocities up to
3.9 m/s; and at Pantoloan flow depths of 2 to 8 m, and flow velocities up 3.8 m/s. The boulder transport model
was applied to data from heavy concrete blocks (0.8 to 4.9 tons) deposited by the tsunami between 46 and 125 m
inland, and predicted flow depths of 0.8 to 4.3 m and flow velocities up to 5.6 m/s. The rapid attenuation inland
of the tsunami flow depth is consistent with the event being partially generated by landslides caused by the Palu-
Donggala earthquake. A study of Dutch colonial archives and historical data reveals at least six tsunami events
have occurred in or near Palu Bay since 1920, suggesting a very short return period for such events, and a
significant tsunami hazard to the area.
Indonesia. Shortly after, large tsunami waves generated by the earthquake and the submarine landslides it
triggered, washed into Palu Bay. Here, we describe sediment characteristics of the tsunami deposits and present
wave height models to provide a modern analogue for tsunamis occurring on strike slip faults. We analyzed 51
sediment samples from 21 sampling points on two transects at Palu City and one transect at Pantaloan. At Palu
City, the tsunami inundated between 250 and 270 m inland. Sediments were massive, with landward fining from
coarse sands (φ 0) to fine sands (φ 3.7) and weak upward fining sequences (by up to 1 φ). At Pantaloan the
tsunami inundated up to 275 m inland. Sediments were massive, with landward fining from a few grains of gravel
(φ 2) and coarse sands (φ 0.5) to fine sands (φ 2.5) and weak upward fining sequences (by up to 1 φ). Based on
the sediment data the TSUFLIND model predicted: at Palu city flow depths of 1 to 8 m, and flow velocities up to
3.9 m/s; and at Pantoloan flow depths of 2 to 8 m, and flow velocities up 3.8 m/s. The boulder transport model
was applied to data from heavy concrete blocks (0.8 to 4.9 tons) deposited by the tsunami between 46 and 125 m
inland, and predicted flow depths of 0.8 to 4.3 m and flow velocities up to 5.6 m/s. The rapid attenuation inland
of the tsunami flow depth is consistent with the event being partially generated by landslides caused by the Palu-
Donggala earthquake. A study of Dutch colonial archives and historical data reveals at least six tsunami events
have occurred in or near Palu Bay since 1920, suggesting a very short return period for such events, and a
significant tsunami hazard to the area.
Research Interests:
The permanent relocation of persons from areas threatened by environmental stress is widely seen within the international humanitarian sector as problematic due to negative social and economic impacts. However, relocation is increasingly... more
The permanent relocation of persons from areas threatened by environmental stress is widely seen within the international humanitarian sector as problematic due to negative social and economic impacts. However, relocation is increasingly seen as a likely, if unfortunate, response to climate change as rising sea-levels, changing ecological conditions, and increasingly intense disasters create powerful push factors. The more dramatic examples of environmental migration focus on long-distance movements, including crossing national borders, which raise issues about
the importance of social capital for migrants trying to build community cohesion and integrate into different cultural contexts. However, it is likely that most relocation because of environment stress will occur at sub-national to very local geographic scales, similar to what happens after
large-scale disasters, meaning that persons might be resettled within familiar cultural, linguistic, and religious contexts. In this paper we use qualitative data collected in 12 resettlement complexes built in Aceh, Indonesia for persons displaced by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami to analyze the importance of social capital for building cohesion within resettlement complexes and between resettlement complexes and host communities. We find that even though tsunami-affected persons were generally relocated less than 20 km from their pre-tsunami homes, there were clear social distinctions between resettled persons and host communities, which had practical impacts on integration, access to resources, and participation within local governance structures. We found shared cultural and religious traditions and social practices served as important sources of bonding capital within resettlement complexes. However, the same attributes were less effective as bridging capital between resettlement complexes and their host communities. These findings show that governments and NGOs need to be cautious about underestimating the negative social disruptions caused by short-distance relocation and the importance of bonding social capital for
fostering stable and sustainable resettlement communities.
the importance of social capital for migrants trying to build community cohesion and integrate into different cultural contexts. However, it is likely that most relocation because of environment stress will occur at sub-national to very local geographic scales, similar to what happens after
large-scale disasters, meaning that persons might be resettled within familiar cultural, linguistic, and religious contexts. In this paper we use qualitative data collected in 12 resettlement complexes built in Aceh, Indonesia for persons displaced by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami to analyze the importance of social capital for building cohesion within resettlement complexes and between resettlement complexes and host communities. We find that even though tsunami-affected persons were generally relocated less than 20 km from their pre-tsunami homes, there were clear social distinctions between resettled persons and host communities, which had practical impacts on integration, access to resources, and participation within local governance structures. We found shared cultural and religious traditions and social practices served as important sources of bonding capital within resettlement complexes. However, the same attributes were less effective as bridging capital between resettlement complexes and their host communities. These findings show that governments and NGOs need to be cautious about underestimating the negative social disruptions caused by short-distance relocation and the importance of bonding social capital for
fostering stable and sustainable resettlement communities.
Research Interests: Disaster risk management, Social Capital, Refugee Resettlement, Disaster Management, Climate Change Adaptation And Mitigation Strategies, and 9 moreTsunami, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Disaster risk reduction, Emergencies and Disasters, Involuntary Resettlement, Resettlement, Acehnese Studies, and Post Disaster Planning
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused extensive loss of life and disrupted family units, leaving large numbers of widows, widowers, and orphans. While it is common to identify disaster widows and orphans as potentially vulnerable groups,... more
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused extensive loss of life and disrupted family units, leaving large numbers of widows, widowers, and orphans. While it is common to identify disaster widows and orphans as potentially vulnerable groups, there has been limited research about how families are reconstructed after a major disaster. The main objective of this paper is to better understand what factors motivate persons who lost a spouse in a disaster to either remarry or stay single. We use quantitative data from a statistically representative survey of tsunami-affected households in the Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, and Aceh Jaya districts in the Aceh province of Indonesia conducted a decade after the tsunami to show that 18% of households reported the death of a spouse during the tsunami. Out of these, 66% of widows/widowers reported marrying again within a decade after the tsunami, with most remarried within the first three years after the disaster. We use qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 36 widows and widowers to identify motivations behind the decision to remarry or stay single. We found that widows were most likely to get remarried to provide economic security, support for their surviving children, and because of concerns about their reputation if they were unmarried. Widowers were more likely to remarry to secure domestic support and caregiving for themselves as they got older and to help them care for their surviving children. Some widows and widowers decided not to remarry because of concerns about assuming additional financial liabilities, distressing their surviving children, and (for women) giving up personal freedoms. Our research on the re-marriage decisions of tsunami widows and widowers shows that very personal decisions about family should be seen within the framework of household and community resilience.
Research Interests:
The 2015 Nepal earthquakes devastated the Kathmandu Valley and exposed the challenges of conserving andrestoring architectural heritage in historic urban neighborhoods damaged by disasters, while also trying to rapidly rebuild houses,... more
The 2015 Nepal earthquakes devastated the Kathmandu Valley and exposed the challenges of conserving andrestoring architectural heritage in historic urban neighborhoods damaged by disasters, while also trying to rapidly rebuild houses, revitalize livelihoods, and reduce vulnerabilities to future hazards. In this paper we use quantitative and qualitative data to investigate how traditional housing was transformed during the post-earthquake reconstruction of four historic neighborhoods in the Kathmandu Valley. We assess how traditional housing stock in these neighborhoods was transformed by a combination of the direct impact of the earthquake; the enforcement of seismic-resistant modern building technology; the costs and logistics of rebuilding; and the priorities of local residents. Our findings indicate that the enforcement of seismic safety building codes and the expense of incorporating traditional architectural elements led to notable changes to the tangible cultural heritage of Kathmandu's historic urban neighborhoods, but likely also improved seismic safety.
Research Interests: Cultural Heritage, Cultural Heritage Conservation, Heritage Conservation, Nepal, Post Disaster Reconstruction, and 6 moreScience for Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Earthquakes, Disaster risk reduction, Nepali Architecture, Architectural Heritage Conservation, and Post Disaster Planning
River deltas are strongly affected by demographic growth and by the intensification of land use. The migration of deltaic coastlines is often rapid, threatening urban settlements, coastal farming, and coastal biotopes. Some deltas benefit... more
River deltas are strongly affected by demographic growth and by the intensification of land use. The migration of deltaic coastlines is often rapid, threatening urban settlements, coastal farming, and coastal biotopes. Some deltas benefit from centuries of monitoring, such that the evolution of their coastline is well documented. For most deltas, however, such long records do not exist. The study of their geomorphological
Research Interests:
During the COVID-19 pandemic the Singapore government instituted a series of mitigation measures to limit local COVID-19 transmission. These mitigation measures, especially during the peak of the official ‘Circuit Breaker’ period between... more
During the COVID-19 pandemic the Singapore government instituted a series of mitigation measures to limit local COVID-19 transmission. These mitigation measures, especially during the peak of the official ‘Circuit Breaker’ period between April and June 2020, helped contain the pandemic but also caused significant social and economic disruptions. Singapore experienced high levels of compliance with these mandatory measures. However, more insight is needed into how residents within Singapore perceived the efficacy and value of these mitigation measures and how they weighted the potential cost-benefits of the burdens of the mitigation measures versus the potential personal and communal health benefits. This NTS Insight presents data from a representative survey on the perceptions of Singaporean citizens and permanent residents on COVID-19 mitigation measures conducted between May and July 2020. Our results show consistently high levels of agreement that the Singapore government was handling the COVID-19 crisis well or very well. We found consistently high levels of support for some mitigation measures and more guarded support for others. These levels of support are in some cases influenced by demographic variables. Our data shows that people believe the government should prioritize public health over economic and other considerations when formulating COVID- 19 policy. Our data also shows a high level of willingness to continue some of the main mitigation measures (social distancing, wearing masks, health screening, etc.) for longer as needed, but with some fatigue with home-based learning. Furthermore, we found that respondents put more emphasis on their psychological well-being than their privacy.
Research Interests:
The COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore posed a number of social and economic challenges for many households. The Singapore government provided unprecedented support to households and businesses to help them cope with the restrictions caused... more
The COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore posed a number of social and economic challenges for many households. The Singapore government provided unprecedented support to households and businesses to help them cope with the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 mitigation measures, including cash grants and provision of personal protective equipment. This NTS Insight presents data from a representative survey of Singaporean citizens and permanent residents on access to essential resources and provision of assistance during the Circuit Breaker period from May to July 2020. Our results show that some households lacked access to financial resources, as well as facilities for exercise and working from home. We found that a small, but notable, number of respondents reported lack of food, medical supplies, and other vital resources. Almost half of our respondents reported receiving some sort of support from the government, NGOs, and their personal and professional networks. While support provided by the Singapore government was generally evenly distributed, or distributed on the basis of need, a range of demographic factors shaped access to most other types and sources of non-governmental assistance during the Circuit Breaker period.
Research Interests:
The Singapore government instituted a set of ‘Circuit Breaker’ (CB) measures in April 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. These included restricting international travel, closing non-essential businesses, telecommuting, home-based-... more
The Singapore government instituted a set of ‘Circuit Breaker’ (CB) measures in April 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. These included restricting international travel, closing non-essential businesses, telecommuting, home-based- learning, wearing faces masks in public spaces, temperature screening, rigorous contract tracing, and isolating infected and exposed persons. The COVID-19 CB measures helped the government control COVID-19 transmission in Singapore but disrupted economic and social life. This NTS Insight presents data from a representative survey on the social and economic impacts of Singapore’s COVID-19 mitigation measures during the CB period on Singaporean citizens and permanent residents from 7 May to 16 July 2020. Our results show that the top three cited disruptions caused by the CB were all social in nature. However, just under half of all respondents reported some form of direct economic disruption – while up to 80% of respondents expressed concerns about their longer-term financial situation. Finally, our disaggregated analysis shows that some of the negative impacts of the CB period disproportionately impacted potentially vulnerable segments of the population.
Research Interests: Community Resilience, Disaster risk management, Crisis communication and management, Risk and Vulnerability, Singapore, and 11 moreRisk Management, Disaster Management, Risk and Vulnerability - Natural Hazards, Singapore Politics, Singapore Studies, Crisis/disaster Management, Diasters, Coronavirus COVID-19, Pandemic Coronavirus COVID19, COVID-19 PANDEMIC, and Economic effects of COVID-19
On November , the Bhola Cyclone swept across the southern districts of East Pakistan, killing over , people. Small islands were swept away and dead bodies of humans and cattle lay strewn across the devastated landscape.... more
On November , the Bhola Cyclone swept across the southern districts of East Pakistan, killing over , people. Small islands were swept away and dead bodies of humans and cattle lay strewn across the devastated landscape. Following the news of the destruction, journalists, students, artists, and political workers rushed to the affected area with basic relief supplies, without waiting for the Military Law Administration (MLA) to intervene. The cyclone's occurrence just three weeks prior to the first general elections in Pakistan added a new dimension to the already simmering political crisis. The extensive media coverage of the disaster brought the pitiful state of infrastructural development and lack of governance in East Pakistan under local and global scrutiny. The cyclone and the corresponding issues soon became embroiled within the larger political demand for regional autonomy. The MLA came under attack from sections of East Pakistan's politicians, press, and public, as well as international political actors, for its poor disaster governance. This article uses the Bhola Cyclone of as the lens to explore the complex interconnections between environmental disasters and a key issue of governance. While the Bhola Cyclone has been a subject of recent discussions, this article uses * The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their comments and suggestions.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Development Economics, Humanitarianism, Disaster risk management, Rural Development, Natural Hazards, and 8 moreEconomic Development, Disaster Management, Sustainable Rural Development, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Rural livelihoods and economy, Sustainable Livelihoods, and 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
This paper presents a field study on the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of livelihood interventions following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia. We assess the extent to which post-tsunami aid in Aceh helped... more
This paper presents a field study on the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of livelihood interventions following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia. We assess the extent to which post-tsunami aid in Aceh helped beneficiaries to stabilize and restore their pre-disaster livelihoods, and/or develop new livelihoods. We draw upon qualitative data captured in 183 in-depth interviews and 38 focus group discussions involving village leaders, livelihood aid participants, and NGO workers. Our results show that livelihood assistance helped people stabilize their household finances and partially restore their pre-disaster livelihoods. Furthermore, we found that aid programs were able to help some people without pre-disaster livelihood experience to participate in part-time, ad hoc work. However, aid packages were generally not able to support the development of full-time, sustainable new livelihoods for people lacking pre-disaster training and experience. Our data suggests that it is difficult to conduct efficient and sustainable livelihood development initiatives within the time pressures and current institutional approaches to large-scale post-disaster reconstruction.
Research Interests: Development Economics, Humanitarianism, Disaster risk management, Humanitarian Intervention, Economic Development, and 10 moreDisaster Management, Tsunami, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Sustainable Livelihoods, Indonesian, Disaster risk reduction, Post Disaster Recovery, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
Archaeological evidence shows that a predecessor of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated nine distinct communities along a 40-km section of the northern coast of Sumatra in about 1394 CE. Our evidence is the spatial and temporal... more
Archaeological evidence shows that a predecessor of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated nine distinct communities along a 40-km section of the northern coast of Sumatra in about 1394 CE. Our evidence is the spatial and temporal distribution of tens of thousands of medieval ceramic sherds and over 5,000 carved gravestones, collected and recorded during a systematic landscape archaeology survey near the modern city of Banda Aceh. Only the trading settlement of Lamri, perched on a headland above the reach of the tsunami, survived into and through the subsequent 15th century. It is of historical and political interest that by the 16th century, however, Lamri was abandoned, while low-lying coastal sites destroyed by the 1394 tsunami were resettled as the population center of the new economically and politically ascen-dant Aceh Sultanate. Our evidence implies that the 1394 tsunami was large enough to impact severely many of the areas inundated by the 2004 tsunami and to provoke a significant reconfiguration of the region's political and economic landscape that shaped the history of the region in subsequent centuries. tsunami | Sumatra | Aceh | postdisaster recovery | hazards
Research Interests: Southeast Asian Studies, Indonesian History, Indonesia, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Tsunami, and 9 moreSoutheast Asian history, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Natural Disasters, Acehnese history, Tsunami impact, Disaster Mitigation, Environmental Hazards and Disasters, Banda Aceh, and Maritime Silk Roads
Kedahsyatan Tsunami Samudera Hindia 2004 terlewatkan dari perhatian masyarakat pesisir dan para peneliti kebencanaan, sampai peristiwa tersebut benar-benar terjadi. Serangkaian penelitian yang dilakukan pada cekungan Samudera India... more
Kedahsyatan Tsunami Samudera Hindia 2004 terlewatkan dari perhatian masyarakat pesisir dan para peneliti kebencanaan, sampai peristiwa tersebut benar-benar terjadi. Serangkaian penelitian yang dilakukan pada cekungan Samudera India menemukan adanya bukti-bukti tsunami pada masa pra-sejarah, tetapi waktu dan interval perulangan dari kejadian-kejadian demikian tidak jelas. Pada penelitian ini kami menyajikan bukti perulangan stratigrafi endapan tsunami pra-sejarah yang luar biasa dalam 7400 tahun dari sebuah gua pantai di Aceh, Indonesia. Rekaman ini menunjukan setidaknya terdapat 11 bukti tsunami pada masa pra-sejarah yang melanda pantai Aceh antara 7400 sampai 2900 tahun yang lalu. Rentang waktu rata-rata antara satu kejadian dengan kejadian tsunami berikutnya adalah sekitar 450 tahun yaitu dari interval yang terlama, periode dorman sampai 2000 tahun, hingga beberapa kali kejadian tsunami yang berulang dalam rentang satu abad. Meskipun terdapat bukti bahwa kemungkinan gempabumi yang berpotensi tsunami di Propinsi Aceh relatif tinggi, interval-interval perulangan variabel ini menyiratkan bahwa periode dorman dengan tanpa kejadian yang sangat lama memungkinkan terjadi gempabumi-gempabumi pada megathurst Sunda sebesar kejadian tsunami Samudera Hindia 2004.
Research Interests:
Dengan bertambahnya populasi di daerah pesisir dan naiknya permukaan laut, keputusan rekonstruksi pasca bencana di daerah pesisir semakin menjadi faktor penentu kerentanan sosial dan juga keberlanjutan pembangunan di masa mendatang.... more
Dengan bertambahnya populasi di daerah pesisir dan naiknya permukaan laut, keputusan rekonstruksi pasca bencana di daerah pesisir semakin menjadi faktor penentu kerentanan sosial dan juga keberlanjutan pembangunan di masa mendatang. Sektor kemanusiaan lebih cenderung mendukung pembangunan kembali di tempat semula demi menghindari dampak gangguan sosial dari relokasi massal, akan tetapi pada kenyataannya keinginan orang-orang yang terpapar bencana beragam. Dengan menggunakan kasus pascatsunami di Banda Aceh, Indonesia, kami menyelidiki apakah kebijakan untuk membangun kembali di daerah terpapar bencana cocok untuk populasi urban yang sebelumnya tidak memiliki pengetahuan tentang bencana tersebut. Kami menemukan bahwa setelah tsunami, sebagian besar dari populasi lebih memilih untuk tinggal jauh dari pesisir. Hal ini menyebabkan munculnya harga premium untuk properti di daerah daratan yang jauh dari pesisir dan pemilahan sosial ekonomi di daerah pesisir yang dihuni oleh keluarga atau rumah tangga miskin. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa menawarkan bantuan rekonstruksi yang didominasi pada daerah terpapar bencana dapat secara tidak sengaja memindahkan risiko bencana kepada orang-orang miskin.
Research Interests:
Paper ini membahas analisa sistem informasi geografis (geographic information system, GIS) terhadap penggunaan lahan berdasarkan citra satelit dalam rangkaian waktu yang berbeda untuk menghitung pemulihan pertanian padi dan budidaya... more
Paper ini membahas analisa sistem informasi geografis (geographic information system, GIS) terhadap penggunaan lahan berdasarkan citra satelit dalam rangkaian waktu yang berbeda untuk menghitung pemulihan pertanian padi dan budidaya perairan pada masyarakat pesisir di Aceh, Indonesia setelah tsunami Samudera Hindia 2004. Kami melengkapi analisa tersebut dengan data kualitatif untuk memberikan ilustrasi mengenai berbagai tantangan pasca bencana yang dihadapi oleh masyarakat dan sejauh mana masyarakat pesisir telah menyesuaikan diri dengan keadaan pasca tsunami. Analisa kami menunjukkan bahwa rehabilitasi pertanian padi dan budidaya perairan di daerah yang dilanda tsunami telah dibatasi oleh luasnya degradasi tanah, pergantian pekerja akibat kematian tsunami dan peralihan pekerjaan, dan perubahan fungsi lahan pertanian menjadi daerah pemukiman pada masa rekonstruksi. Hal ini terutama menonjol di daerah dimana kegiatan pertanian untuk menyambung hidup (subsistence) bukanlah sumber utama penghidupan. Studi kasus di Aceh ini menunjukkan bahwa faktor-faktor sosial, ekonomi, dan lingkungan dapat menjadi penentu yang lebih kuat terhadap kebangkitan dan perubahan penghidupan di daerah pesisir pasca genangan yang merusak dibandingkan bantuan rehabilitasi. Selain itu, studi kasus kami menunjukkan bahwa dampak kerusakan pesisir pada manusia dapat dirasakan sampai di luar wilayah jangkauan genangan secara fisik.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Sociology of Disaster, Development Studies, Humanitarianism, Disaster Studies, Disaster risk management, and 15 moreSustainable Development, Natural Hazards, Indonesia, Disaster Management, Disaster Response, Risk and Vulnerability - Natural Hazards, Disaster Preparedness, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Disaster risk reduction, Disaster, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Disaster Recovery, and Crisis/disaster Management
The Urban Reconstruction in Nepal Project is a research initiative to investigate aid governance, community-driven reconstruction initiatives and the rebuilding of historic urban settlements damaged by the 2015 earthquakes in the... more
The Urban Reconstruction in Nepal Project is a research
initiative to investigate aid governance, community-driven
reconstruction initiatives and the rebuilding of historic
urban settlements damaged by the 2015 earthquakes
in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. This research was
motivated by the lack of reconstruction progress in urban
settlements one year after the earthquakes, and was
carried out in conjunction with the Housing Recovery and
Reconstruction Platform–Nepal and the Earth Observatory
of Singapore. We conducted ethnographic fieldwork in
five urban settlements over a period of 18 months. Our
research shows that the delay in urban reconstruction was
a function of the lack of a clear and well-supported policy
for urban reconstruction; limited governance capacity and
neglect of municipal- and ward-level officials; financial
restrictions caused by the funding cap per family to rebuild
their homes; and the lack of a framework to support local
community-driven rebuilding initiatives.
initiative to investigate aid governance, community-driven
reconstruction initiatives and the rebuilding of historic
urban settlements damaged by the 2015 earthquakes
in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. This research was
motivated by the lack of reconstruction progress in urban
settlements one year after the earthquakes, and was
carried out in conjunction with the Housing Recovery and
Reconstruction Platform–Nepal and the Earth Observatory
of Singapore. We conducted ethnographic fieldwork in
five urban settlements over a period of 18 months. Our
research shows that the delay in urban reconstruction was
a function of the lack of a clear and well-supported policy
for urban reconstruction; limited governance capacity and
neglect of municipal- and ward-level officials; financial
restrictions caused by the funding cap per family to rebuild
their homes; and the lack of a framework to support local
community-driven rebuilding initiatives.
Research Interests: Development Studies, Humanitarianism, Sustainable Development, Natural Hazards, Humanitarian Intervention, and 13 moreDisaster Management, Risk and Vulnerability - Natural Hazards, Nepal, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Earthquakes, Community Based Disaster Management, Post disaster housing reconstruction, Development Agencies, Governance, Aid Management, Local Governments, Decentralization, Urban Quality, Corporate Social Responsibility, Youth Development and Participation, Policy Making, International Development Organizations, Nepali Architecture, Kathmandu Valley, and Crisis/disaster Management
With coastal populations growing and sea levels rising, reconstruction decisions after coastal disasters are increasingly consequential determinants of future societal vulnerability and thus the sustainability of development. The... more
With coastal populations growing and sea levels rising, reconstruction decisions after coastal disasters are increasingly consequential
determinants of future societal vulnerability and thus the sustainability of development. The humanitarian sector
tends to favour rebuilding in-place to avoid the social disruptions of mass relocation, yet evidence on what affected people
want is mixed. Using the case of post-tsunami Banda Aceh, Indonesia, we investigate whether a policy to rebuild in-place in
the disaster-affected area suits an urban population that was previously unaware of the hazard. We show that following the
tsunami, a substantial proportion of the population prefers to live farther from the coast. This has caused a new price premium
for inland properties and socio-economic sorting of poorer households into coastal areas. These findings show that offering
reconstruction aid predominantly within a hazard-exposed area can inadvertently transfer disaster risk to the poor.
determinants of future societal vulnerability and thus the sustainability of development. The humanitarian sector
tends to favour rebuilding in-place to avoid the social disruptions of mass relocation, yet evidence on what affected people
want is mixed. Using the case of post-tsunami Banda Aceh, Indonesia, we investigate whether a policy to rebuild in-place in
the disaster-affected area suits an urban population that was previously unaware of the hazard. We show that following the
tsunami, a substantial proportion of the population prefers to live farther from the coast. This has caused a new price premium
for inland properties and socio-economic sorting of poorer households into coastal areas. These findings show that offering
reconstruction aid predominantly within a hazard-exposed area can inadvertently transfer disaster risk to the poor.
Research Interests: Development Studies, Humanitarianism, Disaster Studies, Disaster risk management, Sustainable Development, and 13 moreSustainable Urban Environments, Humanitarian Intervention, Economic Development, Disaster Management, Environmental Sustainability, Disaster Preparedness, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Disaster risk reduction, Tsunami impact, Disaster Culture, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
AbStrAct A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people and destroying half a million homes. This paper analyses the effectiveness of Nepali government institutions managing the reconstruction. Using... more
AbStrAct A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people and destroying half a million homes. This paper analyses the effectiveness of Nepali government institutions managing the reconstruction. Using institutional ethnography, we analyse how the post-earthquake governance framework has incorporated the flexibility and decentralization outlined in pre-earthquake plans. We balance this with observations from five case study urban settlements in the Kathmandu Valley to provide a " bottom-up " perspective on how local stakeholders are engaged in rebuilding their communities. The creation of ad hoc national-level disaster management agencies can weaken already under-resourced local governance structures. The Nepal case study reveals that national disaster management plans drafted after the Hyogo and Sendai frameworks, which promote the decentralization of disaster governance, are not necessarily followed up with practical steps to empower local stakeholders and facilitate decentralization – and are readily dismissed in the face of a real emergency.
Research Interests: Humanitarianism, Disaster Studies, Disaster risk management, Risk and Vulnerability, Natural Hazards, and 13 moreHumanitarian Intervention, Disaster Management, Nepal, Urban Governance, Humanitarian Emergency Aid, Earthquake, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disaster risk reduction, Participatory development & governance, in urban development, disaster management, water supplay & sanitation sector, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Disaster Governance, and Nepal earthquake, Disaster Risk Reduction, City planning
A B S T R A C T Tsunami vertical evacuation (TVE) buildings have the potential to save many lives. Yet whether TVE buildings actually save lives depends critically on whether people trust and evacuate to them, a question that has not... more
A B S T R A C T Tsunami vertical evacuation (TVE) buildings have the potential to save many lives. Yet whether TVE buildings actually save lives depends critically on whether people trust and evacuate to them, a question that has not previously been researched. We examine the case of the city of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, where a M8.6 earthquake on 11-April-2012 caused a spontaneous mass evacuation but no tsunami. Our survey of residents living near TVE buildings (n = 202) shows that they clearly prefer horizontal evacuation: in the 2012 earthquake, only 26% evacuated to a TVE building, while 74% evacuated horizontally; if a similar earthquake happened in the future, only 32% intend to evacuate to a TVE building, while 68% intend to evacuate horizontally. To investigate the reasons for this, we extend protection motivation theory to examine people's choices among protective actions under social influence. Those who prefer to evacuate horizontally do not trust the safety of the TVE building and think they can reach a safe inland destination in time, while those who prefer to evacuate to a TVE building think they cannot reach a safe inland destination in time. Encouragement from friends and family influences people's evacuation destinations but official information and training do not. These findings suggest that more attention to the social context is crucial for the effectiveness of TVE buildings. Our extension of protection motivation theory to include choices among protective actions under social influence can be broadly useful in research on self-protective behavior in natural hazards, public health, and other contexts.
Research Interests:
The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caught millions of coastal residents and the scientific community off-guard. Subsequent research in the Indian Ocean basin has identified prehistoric tsunamis, but the timing and recurrence... more
The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caught millions of coastal residents and the scientific community off-guard. Subsequent research in the Indian Ocean basin has identified prehistoric tsunamis, but the timing and recurrence intervals of such events are uncertain. Here we present an extraordinary 7,400 year stratigraphic sequence of prehistoric tsunami deposits from a coastal cave in Aceh, Indonesia. This record demonstrates that at least 11 prehistoric tsunamis struck the Aceh coast between 7,400 and 2,900 years ago. The average time period between tsunamis is about 450 years with intervals ranging from a long, dormant period of over 2,000 years, to multiple tsunamis within the span of a century. Although there is evidence that the likelihood of another tsunamigenic earthquake in Aceh province is high, these variable recurrence intervals suggest that long dormant periods may follow Sunda megathrust ruptures as large as that of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Research Interests:
This paper presents GIS time-series land-use analysis of satellite images to quantify the recovery of rice cultivation and aquaculture following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in coastal communities in Aceh, Indonesia. We supplement this... more
This paper presents GIS time-series land-use analysis of satellite images to quantify the recovery of rice cultivation and aquaculture following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in coastal communities in Aceh, Indonesia. We supplement this with qualitative data to illustrate the post-disaster challenges faced by residents, and the extent to which coastal communities have adapted to post-tsunami realities. Our analysis shows that the rehabilitation of rice cultivation and aquaculture in areas inundated by the tsunami has been limited by extensive degradation of land, diversion of labor by tsunami mortality and transition to alternative livelihoods, and re-purposing of rice fields for residential use during the reconstruction phase. This is especially prominent in areas where subsistence activities are not the primary source of livelihood. The Aceh case study shows that social, economic, and environmental factors can be stronger determinants of how coastal livelihoods rebound and change following destructive inundation events than livelihood rehabilitation aid. Additionally, our case study suggests the human impact of coastal hazards can be felt outside the physical extent of inundation.
Research Interests:
Whether they are one-off, or part of cycles, disasters have exerted profound long-term cultural impacts on societies around the world. The verses quoted above, excerpted from a Malay poem written just after the cat-aclysmic eruption of... more
Whether they are one-off, or part of cycles, disasters have exerted profound long-term cultural impacts on societies around the world. The verses quoted above, excerpted from a Malay poem written just after the cat-aclysmic eruption of Krakatau in 1883, comprise part of one cultural artifact produced in response to natural disaster. More specifically, these lines open a window onto the roles that religion, and debates about religious interpretation, can play in post-disaster contexts. In this particular case, the poet first describes an almost stereotypically " fatalist " response on the part of some believers in his Muslim community. Immediately thereafter, however, he turns to make a critical intervention—arguing that in his understanding of Islam, the situation demanded not a retreat into theodicy discourse, but rather a renewed sense of communal solidarity and social action.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper analyses the role of local social, cultural, and political institutions in post-disaster reconstruction projects. It contends that such institutions are important considerations within community-driven reconstruction... more
This paper analyses the role of local social, cultural, and political institutions in post-disaster reconstruction projects. It contends that such institutions are important considerations within community-driven reconstruction initiatives, but are often viewed with ambivalence by external aid organisations. This paper draws upon in-depth qualitative interviews with aid workers involved in the post-tsunami reconstruction in Aceh, Indonesia, to establish: (i) what roles community institutions were suited to play in the reconstruction; (ii) what were the limitations of community institutions when engaging with external aid agencies; (iii) how did external aid agencies engage with local community institutions; and (iv) how did external aid agencies perceive community institutions.
Research Interests:
We present stratigraphic, archeological and historical evidence for two closely timed predecessors of the giant 2004 tsunami on the northern coast of Aceh, northern Sumatra. This is the first direct evidence that a tsunami played a role... more
We present stratigraphic, archeological and historical evidence for two closely timed predecessors of the giant 2004 tsunami on the northern coast of Aceh, northern Sumatra. This is the first direct evidence that a tsunami played a role in a fifteenth century cultural hiatus along the northern Sumatran portion of the
maritime silk route. One seacliff exposure on the eastern side of the Lambaro headlands reveals two beds of tsunamigenic coral rubble within a small alluvial fan. Radiocarbon and Uranium-Thorium disequilibrium dates indicate emplacement of the coral rubble after 1344 ± 3 C.E. Another seacliff exposure, on the western side of the peninsula, contains evidence of nearly continuous settlement from ~1240 C.E. to soon after 1366 ± 3 C.E., terminated by tsunami destruction. At both sites, the tsunamis are likely coincident with sudden
uplift of coral reefs above the Sunda megathrust 1394 ± 2 C.E., evidence for which has been published previously. The tsunami (or tsunami pair) appears to have destroyed a vibrant port community and led to the temporary recentering of marine trade dominance to more protected locations farther east. The reestablishment of vibrant communities along the devastated coast by about 1500 CE set the stage for the 2004 disaster.
maritime silk route. One seacliff exposure on the eastern side of the Lambaro headlands reveals two beds of tsunamigenic coral rubble within a small alluvial fan. Radiocarbon and Uranium-Thorium disequilibrium dates indicate emplacement of the coral rubble after 1344 ± 3 C.E. Another seacliff exposure, on the western side of the peninsula, contains evidence of nearly continuous settlement from ~1240 C.E. to soon after 1366 ± 3 C.E., terminated by tsunami destruction. At both sites, the tsunamis are likely coincident with sudden
uplift of coral reefs above the Sunda megathrust 1394 ± 2 C.E., evidence for which has been published previously. The tsunami (or tsunami pair) appears to have destroyed a vibrant port community and led to the temporary recentering of marine trade dominance to more protected locations farther east. The reestablishment of vibrant communities along the devastated coast by about 1500 CE set the stage for the 2004 disaster.
Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Natural Hazards, Tsunami, and 9 moreNatural Disasters, Natural hazards and disasters, especially vulnerability analysis, Coastal geoarchaeology, Tsunamigenic deposit, Acehnese history, Geoarchaeology and Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions, History of Disasters, Environmental Hazards and Disasters, and Acehnese Studies
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In the last decade, housing has become one of the most prominent and best funded sectors in large-scale post-disaster reconstruction efforts. This has especially been the case in Asian developing countries where both official and private... more
In the last decade, housing has become one of the most prominent and best funded sectors in large-scale post-disaster reconstruction efforts. This has especially been the case in Asian developing countries where both official and private aid helped finance a significant amount of the housing reconstruction. Despite the emphasis upon community involvement, inclusive and participatory processes for housing reconstruction by international non-governmental organisations, recent experiences show that such ideas often do not readily translate in practice on the ground.
This paper analyses the necessary conditions for successful involvement by local beneficiaries in rebuilding their homes following natural disasters. The analysis is situated within the context of community recovery, and the trade-off between centralized donor planning, and community driven initiatives, using primary and secondary data collected from post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia.
The paper also discusses how various stakeholders (including recipient government and donors) evaluate and make use of the practical capacities of affected persons and communities to
be involved in planning, building and monitoring processes in the housing sector. Our research focused on the level and types of roles played by the aid beneficiaries in the housing
reconstruction process in Aceh. In spite of considerable rhetoric about participation and inclusive reconstruction accompanying the post-tsunami reconstruction by various donors, a
number of systemic barriers created considerable distance between beneficiaries and NGOs in Aceh in the housing sector. The drive for efficiency and need to produce tangible results quickly, mixed with the sheer number of stakeholders and resources involved, created a largely top-down environment in which decisions were centralized, and arbitrary standards imposed. This was exacerbated by an extensive chain of sub-contractors, a large supply of lower-cost imported labor,
and highlighted the importance of local political affiliations, leading to weak accountability and reduced aid effectiveness.
This paper analyses the necessary conditions for successful involvement by local beneficiaries in rebuilding their homes following natural disasters. The analysis is situated within the context of community recovery, and the trade-off between centralized donor planning, and community driven initiatives, using primary and secondary data collected from post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia.
The paper also discusses how various stakeholders (including recipient government and donors) evaluate and make use of the practical capacities of affected persons and communities to
be involved in planning, building and monitoring processes in the housing sector. Our research focused on the level and types of roles played by the aid beneficiaries in the housing
reconstruction process in Aceh. In spite of considerable rhetoric about participation and inclusive reconstruction accompanying the post-tsunami reconstruction by various donors, a
number of systemic barriers created considerable distance between beneficiaries and NGOs in Aceh in the housing sector. The drive for efficiency and need to produce tangible results quickly, mixed with the sheer number of stakeholders and resources involved, created a largely top-down environment in which decisions were centralized, and arbitrary standards imposed. This was exacerbated by an extensive chain of sub-contractors, a large supply of lower-cost imported labor,
and highlighted the importance of local political affiliations, leading to weak accountability and reduced aid effectiveness.
Research Interests:
In this paper, we discuss the relevance of the “lessons learned” from the post-tsunami reconstruction efforts in Aceh, Indonesia for Japan following the 2011 tsunami using a comparative framework. This will be done through an analysis of... more
In this paper, we discuss the relevance of the “lessons learned” from the post-tsunami reconstruction efforts in Aceh, Indonesia for Japan following the 2011 tsunami using a comparative
framework. This will be done through an analysis of the following: a) differencesin the impact of the disasters; b) differences in the pre-disaster context of each country (i.e. preparedness, resilience, vulnerabilities, social and economic contexts); and c) differences
in the frameworks through which responses were planned, funded and carried out. This work draws upon extensive field experience in areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami
– especially Aceh, Indonesia, as well as documentary review of the relief and reconstruction efforts in both Aceh and Japan.
framework. This will be done through an analysis of the following: a) differencesin the impact of the disasters; b) differences in the pre-disaster context of each country (i.e. preparedness, resilience, vulnerabilities, social and economic contexts); and c) differences
in the frameworks through which responses were planned, funded and carried out. This work draws upon extensive field experience in areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami
– especially Aceh, Indonesia, as well as documentary review of the relief and reconstruction efforts in both Aceh and Japan.
Research Interests:
The Maldives Heritage Survey was established to document cultural heritage vulnerable to human and environmental threats in the Maldives. An open-access online database is being produced to inform academic studies, support... more
The Maldives Heritage Survey was established to document cultural heritage vulnerable to human and environmental threats in the Maldives. An open-access online database is being produced to inform academic studies, support heritage-management plans and create a permanent archive of digital heritage resources.
Research Interests:
This study presents a distinctive type of Muslim gravestone found on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, that dates to the 15th century. These grave markers, locally known as plang-pleng, provide evidence for the formation and... more
This study presents a distinctive type of Muslim gravestone found
on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, that dates to the
15th century. These grave markers, locally known as plang-pleng,
provide evidence for the formation and disappearance of an early
form of vernacular Muslim material culture in Southeast Asia. We
documented over 200 of these gravestones during a large-scale
archaeological landscape survey. In this article, we present a
typology of these gravestones based upon shape, morphology
and ornamentation. We then discuss their geographical
distribution and periodisation based on examples with dated
Arabic inscriptions. Our results show that these gravestones were
initially a cultural product of the historic trading settlement of
Lamri dating from the early 15th century. By the middle of the
15th century, variations of these stones started to appear widely
near the Aceh river. The plang-pleng tradition was displaced in
the early 16th century by the batu Aceh gravestones associated
with the Aceh sultanate, which became a standardised part of
Muslim material culture in the region for the next two centuries.
on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, that dates to the
15th century. These grave markers, locally known as plang-pleng,
provide evidence for the formation and disappearance of an early
form of vernacular Muslim material culture in Southeast Asia. We
documented over 200 of these gravestones during a large-scale
archaeological landscape survey. In this article, we present a
typology of these gravestones based upon shape, morphology
and ornamentation. We then discuss their geographical
distribution and periodisation based on examples with dated
Arabic inscriptions. Our results show that these gravestones were
initially a cultural product of the historic trading settlement of
Lamri dating from the early 15th century. By the middle of the
15th century, variations of these stones started to appear widely
near the Aceh river. The plang-pleng tradition was displaced in
the early 16th century by the batu Aceh gravestones associated
with the Aceh sultanate, which became a standardised part of
Muslim material culture in the region for the next two centuries.
Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Indonesian History, Landscape Archaeology, and 13 moreSoutheast Asia, Funerary Archaeology, Islamic Art, Islamic Studies, Islam, Southeast Asian history, Acehnese history, Chinese and Southeast Asian Art History and Archaeology, Islamic art and archaeology, Islamization, Sumatra, Southeast Asian Art History, and Acehnese Studies
We present archaeological evidence for a trading settlement dating from the 13th to the mid-16th century ce on an elevated headland in Lamreh village about 30 km east of Banda Aceh, on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. We propose... more
We present archaeological evidence for a trading settlement dating from the 13th to the mid-16th century ce on an elevated headland in Lamreh village about 30 km east of Banda Aceh, on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. We propose this site was part of historic Lamri, known from documentary sources as an important node in the maritime "silk road" between the 9th to 16th centuries ce. Our landscape archaeological survey revealed large concentrations of ceramics on the headland that span from the early 13th through the mid-16th century, some of them of imperial quality. Several of the Muslim grave markers at this site are of a distinctive type and date across nearly the entire range of the 15th century. Geological evidence suggests low-lying parts of Lamri were destroyed by a major tsunami at the end of the 14th century. However, our data show that activity on the elevated headland continued until the site was abandoned in the mid-16th century. The lack of material culture dating from the 9th to 13th centuries suggests that earlier textual references to Lamri referred more generally to a broad stretch of the north Sumatran coast, with the headland in Lamreh village emerging as the geographic centre of historic Lamri after the turn of the 13th century.
Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Southeast Asian Studies, Islamic Archaeology, Indonesian History, and 7 moreIndonesian Studies, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Southeast Asian history, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Acehnese history, Chinese and Southeast Asian Art History and Archaeology, and Acehnese Studies
Research Interests: Archaeology, Southeast Asian Studies, Indonesian History, Ming Dynasty, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), and 7 moreQing Dynasty (Ch'ing Dynasty), Chinese history (History), Southeast Asian history, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Acehnese history, Chinese and Southeast Asian Art History and Archaeology, and History of Chinese Ceramics
The Maldives Heritage Survey aims to systematically inventory and document endangered cultural heritage in the Maldives – including mosques, Muslim grave markers, the remains of Buddhist stupas, and other historical structures and... more
The Maldives Heritage Survey aims to systematically inventory and document endangered cultural heritage in the Maldives – including mosques, Muslim grave markers, the remains of Buddhist stupas, and other historical structures and physical objects – through digital photography, 3D terrestrial scanning, and GIS to create an open-access online heritage database. The materials documented through this work are critically endangered, facing both natural and human threats that jeopardize the survival and accessibility of historical information for this vital node in pre-modern global economic and religious networks. This work is thus crucial for the people of the Maldives in interpreting their own past, and for global scholarship on the history and material culture of this little-studied archipelago at the crossroads of an interconnected Indian Ocean world. The project, based at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, is led by Dr R. Michael Feener and funded by Arcadia. Work in country will be done in partnership with the Maldives Department of Heritage, with additional support from the Earth Observatory of Singapore. The initial field survey is planned over a two-year period beginning in April 2018. Watch this page for forthcoming updates: https://maldivesheritage.oxcis.ac.uk
Research Interests: Islamic Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, South Asian Studies, Indian Ocean History, Islamic Studies, and 14 moreIslamic' Architecture, Cultural Heritage Management, World Cultural Heritage, Architectural Heritage, Indian Ocean World, Indian Ocean Trade, Heritage, Indian Ocean, Indian Ocean Archaeology, Islamic art and architecture, Islamic art and archaeology, Maldives, Indian Ocean Studies, and Maldivian history
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Wadi Faynan Landscape Survey is an interdisciplinary investigation of settlement and land use history in the desertic Wadi Faynan, from the beginning of the Holocene to the present day, as a contribution to understanding processes of... more
The Wadi Faynan Landscape Survey is an interdisciplinary
investigation of settlement and land use history in the desertic Wadi Faynan, from the beginning of the Holocene to the present day, as a contribution to understanding processes of desertification and environmental degradation in arid lands. The wadi is now used only by pastoralists on a seasonal basis, but its
rich archaeological record indicates that the locality has also been the focus at different times in the past not just for pastoralism but also for sedentary settlement, intensive floodwater farming, and copper and lead extraction and processing on a major scale. The
paper focuses on the Nabataean and Roman/Byzantine
periods (ca. 300 B.C.–A.D. 700), to illustrate how an integrated program of landscape archaeology and environmental science is defining changing patterns of arable, pastoral, and industrial activity in classical antiquity, and how Roman imperialism transformed the landscape, with effects that still impact on the lives of the present-day Bedouin pastoralists.
investigation of settlement and land use history in the desertic Wadi Faynan, from the beginning of the Holocene to the present day, as a contribution to understanding processes of desertification and environmental degradation in arid lands. The wadi is now used only by pastoralists on a seasonal basis, but its
rich archaeological record indicates that the locality has also been the focus at different times in the past not just for pastoralism but also for sedentary settlement, intensive floodwater farming, and copper and lead extraction and processing on a major scale. The
paper focuses on the Nabataean and Roman/Byzantine
periods (ca. 300 B.C.–A.D. 700), to illustrate how an integrated program of landscape archaeology and environmental science is defining changing patterns of arable, pastoral, and industrial activity in classical antiquity, and how Roman imperialism transformed the landscape, with effects that still impact on the lives of the present-day Bedouin pastoralists.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Recent research in Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia suggests that we can no longer assume a direct and exclusive link between anatomically modern humans and behavioral modernity (the ‘human revolution’), and assume that the presence of... more
Recent research in Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia suggests that we can no longer assume a direct and exclusive link between anatomically modern humans and behavioral modernity (the ‘human revolution’), and assume that the presence of either one implies the presence of the other: discussions of the emergence of cultural complexity have to proceed with greater scrutiny of the evidence on a site-by-site basis to establish secure associations between the archaeology present there and the hominins who created it. This paper presents one such case study:
Niah Cave in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, famous for the discovery in 1958 in the West Mouth of the Great Cave of a modern human skull, the ‘Deep Skull,’ controversially associated with radiocarbon dates of ca. 40,000 years before the present. A new chronostratigraphy has been developed through a re-investigation of the lithostratigraphy left by the earlier excavations, AMS-dating using three different comparative pretreatments including ABOX of charcoal, and U-series using the Diffusion-Absorption model applied to fragments of bones from the Deep Skull itself. Stratigraphic reasons for earlier uncertainties about the antiquity of the skull are examined, and it is shown not to be an ‘intrusive’ artifact.
It was probably excavated from fluvial-pond-desiccation deposits that accumulated episodically in a shallow basin immediately behind the cave entrance lip, in a climate that ranged from times of comparative aridity with complete desiccation, to episodes of greater surface wetness, changes attributed to regional climatic fluctuations. Vegetation outside the cave varied significantly over time, including wet lowland forest, montane forest, savannah, and grassland. The new dates and the lithostratigraphy relate the Deep Skull to evidence of episodes of human activity that range in date from ca. 46,000 to ca. 34,000 years ago. Initial investigations of sediment scorching, pollen, palynomorphs, phytoliths, plant
macrofossils, and starch grains recovered from existing exposures, and of vertebrates from the current and the earlier excavations, suggest that
human foraging during these times was marked by habitat-tailored hunting technologies, the collection and processing of toxic plants for
consumption, and, perhaps, the use of fire at some forest-edges. The Niah evidence demonstrates the sophisticated nature of the subsistence
behavior developed by modern humans to exploit the tropical environments that they encountered in Southeast Asia, including rainforest.
Niah Cave in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, famous for the discovery in 1958 in the West Mouth of the Great Cave of a modern human skull, the ‘Deep Skull,’ controversially associated with radiocarbon dates of ca. 40,000 years before the present. A new chronostratigraphy has been developed through a re-investigation of the lithostratigraphy left by the earlier excavations, AMS-dating using three different comparative pretreatments including ABOX of charcoal, and U-series using the Diffusion-Absorption model applied to fragments of bones from the Deep Skull itself. Stratigraphic reasons for earlier uncertainties about the antiquity of the skull are examined, and it is shown not to be an ‘intrusive’ artifact.
It was probably excavated from fluvial-pond-desiccation deposits that accumulated episodically in a shallow basin immediately behind the cave entrance lip, in a climate that ranged from times of comparative aridity with complete desiccation, to episodes of greater surface wetness, changes attributed to regional climatic fluctuations. Vegetation outside the cave varied significantly over time, including wet lowland forest, montane forest, savannah, and grassland. The new dates and the lithostratigraphy relate the Deep Skull to evidence of episodes of human activity that range in date from ca. 46,000 to ca. 34,000 years ago. Initial investigations of sediment scorching, pollen, palynomorphs, phytoliths, plant
macrofossils, and starch grains recovered from existing exposures, and of vertebrates from the current and the earlier excavations, suggest that
human foraging during these times was marked by habitat-tailored hunting technologies, the collection and processing of toxic plants for
consumption, and, perhaps, the use of fire at some forest-edges. The Niah evidence demonstrates the sophisticated nature of the subsistence
behavior developed by modern humans to exploit the tropical environments that they encountered in Southeast Asia, including rainforest.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Providing a detailed and comparative assessment of the humanitarian responses to a series of major disasters in Asia over the past two decades, including massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, this book explores complex... more
Providing a detailed and comparative assessment of the humanitarian responses to a series of major disasters in Asia over the past two decades, including massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, this book explores complex and changing understandings and practices of relief, recovery, and reconstruction. These critical investigations raise questions about the position and responsibilities of a growing range of stakeholders, and provide in-depth explorations of the ways in which local communities are transformed on multiple levels - not only by the impact of disaster events, but also by the experiences of rebuilding. This timely volume highlights how the experiences of Asia can contribute towards post-disaster responses globally, to safeguard future communities and reduce vulnerabilities. This is a valuable resource for academic researchers interested in post-disaster transformations and development studies, practitioners in NGOs, and government officials dealing with disaster response and disaster risk reduction.
Longitudinal studies from more than two decades of major disasters allow the reader to see how accumulated experiences of reconstruction influence the shape of projects responding to subsequent events
Draws on contributions from academics and humanitarian practitioners with years of on-the-ground experience
Discusses new forms of humanitarianism and their intersection with development projects emerging in contemporary Asia
Provides long-term analyses of post-disaster transformations, including the consequences of massive physical rebuilding, social restructuring and economic development
Longitudinal studies from more than two decades of major disasters allow the reader to see how accumulated experiences of reconstruction influence the shape of projects responding to subsequent events
Draws on contributions from academics and humanitarian practitioners with years of on-the-ground experience
Discusses new forms of humanitarianism and their intersection with development projects emerging in contemporary Asia
Provides long-term analyses of post-disaster transformations, including the consequences of massive physical rebuilding, social restructuring and economic development
Research Interests: Asian Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, Disaster Studies, Disaster risk management, Cambodia, and 27 moreIndonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, China, Disaster Management, Disaster Response, Japan, Mass Disaster Preparedness/Management, Tsunami, Earthquake, Natural Disasters, India, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Gujarat, Disasters, Disaster Response and Recovery, Reconstruction, Disaster, New Zealand, Disaster Culture, Fukushima nuclear disaster, Floods, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Disaster Recovery, Flood Mangement, and Crisis/disaster Management
This Handbook is the first major volume to examine the conservation of Asia’s culture and nature in relation to the wider social, political and economic forces shaping the region today. Throughout Asia rapid economic and social change... more
This Handbook is the first major volume to examine the conservation of Asia’s culture and nature in relation to the wider social, political and economic forces shaping the region today.
Throughout Asia rapid economic and social change means the region’s heritage is at once under threat and undergoing a revival as never before. As societies look forward, competing forces ensure they re-visit the past and the inherited, with the conservation of nature and culture now driven by the broader agendas of identity politics, tradition, revival, rapid development, environmentalism and sustainability. In response to these new and important trends, the twenty three accessible chapters here go beyond sector specific analyses to examine heritage in inter-disciplinary and critically engaged terms, encompassing the natural and the cultural, the tangible and intangible. Emerging environmentalisms, urban planning, identity politics, conflict memorialization, tourism and biodiversity are among the topics covered here.
This path-breaking volume will be of particular interest to students and scholars working in the fields of heritage, tourism, archaeology, Asian studies, geography, anthropology, development, sociology, and cultural and postcolonial studies.
Throughout Asia rapid economic and social change means the region’s heritage is at once under threat and undergoing a revival as never before. As societies look forward, competing forces ensure they re-visit the past and the inherited, with the conservation of nature and culture now driven by the broader agendas of identity politics, tradition, revival, rapid development, environmentalism and sustainability. In response to these new and important trends, the twenty three accessible chapters here go beyond sector specific analyses to examine heritage in inter-disciplinary and critically engaged terms, encompassing the natural and the cultural, the tangible and intangible. Emerging environmentalisms, urban planning, identity politics, conflict memorialization, tourism and biodiversity are among the topics covered here.
This path-breaking volume will be of particular interest to students and scholars working in the fields of heritage, tourism, archaeology, Asian studies, geography, anthropology, development, sociology, and cultural and postcolonial studies.
Research Interests:
In a companion paper to this one (Daly and Lock, not submitted for publication), we detail the current situation in archaeological applications of temporal GIS, within a general background, of incorporating time and change through time,... more
In a companion paper to this one (Daly and Lock, not submitted for publication), we detail the current situation in archaeological applications of temporal GIS, within a general background, of incorporating time and change through time, with GIS technology. This paper is a case-study, within that wider framework, presenting a pragmatic attempt at spatiotemporal modelling, based on the analytical requirements of a single field-work project and the functionality of readily available, low-cost GIS software. The work has resulted in a useful methodology, based on the quantified comparison of snapshot images, for identifying and quantifying change and continuity, along the axis of time, within surface survey data. It may have wider applications although, perhaps not surprisingly, it does raise some important archaeological questions, concerning theory, methodology and assumptions.
Research Interests:
The work at Marcham/Frilford fits in with the wider aims of the Hillforts of the Ridgeway Project in exploring the Ridgeway in southern Oxfordshire as both a physical entity that could act as a conduit for movement and as a cultural... more
The work at Marcham/Frilford fits in with the wider aims of the Hillforts of the Ridgeway Project in exploring the Ridgeway in southern Oxfordshire as both a physical entity that could act as a conduit for movement and as a cultural barrier separating the chalk downlands from the ...
Research Interests:
The permanent relocation of persons from areas threatened by environmental stress is widely seen within the international humanitarian sector as problematic due to negative social and economic impacts. However, relocation is increasingly... more
The permanent relocation of persons from areas threatened by environmental stress is widely seen within the international humanitarian sector as problematic due to negative social and economic impacts. However, relocation is increasingly seen as a likely, if unfortunate, response to climate change as rising sea-levels, changing ecological conditions, and increasingly intense disasters create powerful push factors. The more dramatic examples of environmental migration focus on long-distance movements, including crossing national borders, which raise issues about the importance of social capital for migrants trying to build community cohesion and integrate into different cultural contexts. However, it is likely that most relocation because of environment stress will occur at sub-national to very local geographic scales, similar to what happens after large-scale disasters, meaning that persons might be resettled within familiar cultural, linguistic, and religious contexts. In this paper we use qualitative data collected in 12 resettlement complexes built in Aceh, Indonesia for persons displaced by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami to analyze the importance of social capital for building cohesion within resettlement complexes and between resettlement complexes and host communities. We find that even though tsunami-affected persons were generally relocated less than 20 km from their pre-tsunami homes, there were clear social distinctions between resettled persons and host communities, which had practical impacts on integration, access to resources, and participation within local governance structures. We found shared cultural and religious traditions and social practices served as important sources of bonding capital within resettlement complexes. However, the same attributes were less effective as bridging capital between resettlement complexes and their host communities. These findings show that governments and NGOs need to be cautious about underestimating the negative social disruptions caused by short-distance relocation and the importance of bonding social capital for fostering stable and sustainable resettlement communities.
Research Interests: Disaster risk management, Social Capital, Refugee Resettlement, Disaster Management, Climate Change Adaptation And Mitigation Strategies, and 9 moreTsunami, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Disaster risk reduction, Emergencies and Disasters, Involuntary Resettlement, Resettlement, Acehnese Studies, and Post Disaster Planning
Changing weather patterns, increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards, and rising sea levels associated with global climate change have the potential to threaten cultural heritage sites worldwide. This is especially the case... more
Changing weather patterns, increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards, and rising sea levels associated with global climate change have the potential to threaten cultural heritage sites worldwide. This is especially the case for maritime heritage sites located in the low-lying coastal and delta regions of Asia. Maritime heritage can reflect both highly localized cultural products based on the coupling of people and maritime environments and the historic footprints of complex maritime networks that connect people, ideas, and material over vast distances, creating unique cultural spheres. Furthermore, maritime heritage sites potentially serve as or contain records of how past societies have been impacted by and adapted to past environmental stress. Therefore, their degradation threatens local/regional/global cultural patrimony as well as evidence of human resilience and fragility in the face of environmental change. This makes a strong case for urgent preservation. However,...
Research Interests: Geography, Climate Change, Cultural Heritage, Digital heritage in architecture, Indonesia, and 11 moreSouth Asian Archaeology, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Climate, Digital preservation (Cultural Heritage), Digital Heritage, Cultural Heritage Management, Heritage Management, Digital Cultural Heritage, Heritage Conservation and Documentation, Maritime Cultural Heritage Management, and Maldives
ln 2010 the city of Shanghai hosted the largest, most spectacular and most expensive World's Fair ever. The Shanghai Expo attracted a staggering 70 million visitors, ensuring China and the host city remained in the global spotlight... more
ln 2010 the city of Shanghai hosted the largest, most spectacular and most expensive World's Fair ever. The Shanghai Expo attracted a staggering 70 million visitors, ensuring China and the host city remained in the global spotlight for the six-month duration of the event. Costing around US $45 billion, and with its theme of Better City, Better Life, the Expo was held in a country experiencing a level of urban growth unparalleled in history. With more than half of the world's population now living in cities, many of which face uncertain futures, this mega event confronted the multitude of challenges now converging on the all-pervasive notion of'sustainability'. To this end, 190 countries, more than fifty non-governmental organisations, and a variety of multi-national institutions involved in urban governance addressed such issues
Research Interests: Geography, Asian Studies, Cultural Heritage, Heritage Studies, Conservation, and 11 moreHeritage Tourism, Heritage Conservation, Cultural Heritage Management, Intangible Cultural Heritage (Culture), Architectural Heritage, Heritage, Science for Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Museum and Heritage Studies, Change, Exhibitions, and Asia
River deltas are strongly affected by demographic growth and by the intensification of land use. The migration of deltaic coastlines is often rapid, threatening urban settlements, coastal farming, and coastal biotopes. Some deltas benefit... more
River deltas are strongly affected by demographic growth and by the intensification of land use. The migration of deltaic coastlines is often rapid, threatening urban settlements, coastal farming, and coastal biotopes. Some deltas benefit from centuries of monitoring, such that the evolution of their coastline is well documented. For most deltas, however, such long records do not exist. The study of their geomorphological evolution can benefit from overlapping maps drafted over time, combined with aerial photographs and satellite images, to track the evolution of fluvial and coastal landforms. Both fluvial and coastal landforms are sensitive to variations in water and sediment supply, such that covariations in the evolution of these landforms, or the lack thereof, provide clues on the contribution of water and sediment supply to delta evolution. We document the evolution of river channels and coastlines in the delta of the Aceh River in northwest Sumatra, by overlying maps, ortho‐rectified aerial photographs, and satellite images covering the past 130 years. We assess the accuracy of the overlays, and then use multivariate statistics to analyze the co‐evolution of fluvial and coastal landforms. We propose that a progressive decrease in sediment supply spurred river channel lengthening and narrowing, landward migration of the shoreline, and narrowing of beach ridges. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami generated an instantaneous retreat of the coastline that amounts to ∼53% of the coastal retreat from 1884 to 2019 ce. Post‐tsunami evolution is marked by an irreversible acceleration of previous trends. Beach ridges located up‐drift of rivers and tidal channel mouths are more sensitive to long‐term landward retreat and tsunamigenic erosion.
Research Interests:
This file contains the supplementary online material to: R. Michael Feener, et al. "ISLAMISATION AND THE FORMATION OF VERNACULAR MUSLIM MATERIAL CULTURE IN 15TH-CENTURY NORTHERN SUMATRA," Indonesia and the Malay World:... more
This file contains the supplementary online material to: R. Michael Feener, et al. "ISLAMISATION AND THE FORMATION OF VERNACULAR MUSLIM MATERIAL CULTURE IN 15TH-CENTURY NORTHERN SUMATRA," Indonesia and the Malay World: https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2021.1873564
Research Interests: Southeast Asian Studies, Islamic Archaeology, Indian Ocean History, Indonesia, Islamic Studies, and 12 moreIslam in the Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Medieval Islamic History, Southeast Asian history, Indian Ocean Archaeology, Southeast Asian Art, Islamic art history, Acehnese history, Sumatra, Southeast Asian Art History, Indian Ocean Studies, and Southeast Asian Islam
The Singapore government instituted a set of ‘Circuit Breaker’ (CB) measures in April 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. These included restricting international travel, closing non-essential businesses, telecommuting, home-based-... more
The Singapore government instituted a set of ‘Circuit Breaker’ (CB) measures in April 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. These included restricting international travel, closing non-essential businesses, telecommuting, home-based- learning, wearing faces masks in public spaces, temperature screening, rigorous contract tracing, and isolating infected and exposed persons. The COVID-19 CB measures helped the government control COVID-19 transmission in Singapore but disrupted economic and social life. This NTS Insight presents data from a representative survey on the social and economic impacts of Singapore’s COVID-19 mitigation measures during the CB period on Singaporean citizens and permanent residents from 7 May to 16 July 2020. Our results show that the top three cited disruptions caused by the CB were all social in nature. However, just under half of all respondents reported some form of direct economic disruption – while up to 80% of respondents expressed concerns about their longer-term financial situation. Finally, our disaggregated analysis shows that some of the negative impacts of the CB period disproportionately impacted potentially vulnerable segments of the population.
Research Interests: Community Resilience, Disaster risk management, Crisis communication and management, Risk and Vulnerability, Singapore, and 10 moreRisk Management, Disaster Management, Risk and Vulnerability - Natural Hazards, Singapore Politics, Singapore Studies, Crisis/disaster Management, Diasters, Coronavirus COVID-19, COVID-19 PANDEMIC, and Economic effects of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore posed a number of social and economic challenges for many households. The Singapore government provided unprecedented support to households and businesses to help them cope with the restrictions caused... more
The COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore posed a number of social and economic challenges for many households. The Singapore government provided unprecedented support to households and businesses to help them cope with the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 mitigation measures, including cash grants and provision of personal protective equipment. This NTS Insight presents data from a representative survey of Singaporean citizens and permanent residents on access to essential resources and provision of assistance during the Circuit Breaker period from May to July 2020. Our results show that some households lacked access to financial resources, as well as facilities for exercise and working from home. We found that a small, but notable, number of respondents reported lack of food, medical supplies, and other vital resources. Almost half of our respondents reported receiving some sort of support from the government, NGOs, and their personal and professional networks. While support provided by the Singapore government was generally evenly distributed, or distributed on the basis of need, a range of demographic factors shaped access to most other types and sources of non-governmental assistance during the Circuit Breaker period.
Research Interests:
During the COVID-19 pandemic the Singapore government instituted a series of mitigation measures to limit local COVID-19 transmission. These mitigation measures, especially during the peak of the official ‘Circuit Breaker’ period between... more
During the COVID-19 pandemic the Singapore government instituted a series of mitigation measures to limit local COVID-19 transmission. These mitigation measures, especially during the peak of the official ‘Circuit Breaker’ period between April and June 2020, helped contain the pandemic but also caused significant social and economic disruptions. Singapore experienced high levels of compliance with these mandatory measures. However, more insight is needed into how residents within Singapore perceived the efficacy and value of these mitigation measures and how they weighted the potential cost-benefits of the burdens of the mitigation measures versus the potential personal and communal health benefits. This NTS Insight presents data from a representative survey on the perceptions of Singaporean citizens and permanent residents on COVID-19 mitigation measures conducted between May and July 2020. Our results show consistently high levels of agreement that the Singapore government was handling the COVID-19 crisis well or very well. We found consistently high levels of support for some mitigation measures and more guarded support for others. These levels of support are in some cases influenced by demographic variables. Our data shows that people believe the government should prioritize public health over economic and other considerations when formulating COVID- 19 policy. Our data also shows a high level of willingness to continue some of the main mitigation measures (social distancing, wearing masks, health screening, etc.) for longer as needed, but with some fatigue with home-based learning. Furthermore, we found that respondents put more emphasis on their psychological well-being than their privacy.
Research Interests:
1. Heritage in Asia: converging forces, conflicting values Tim Winter and Patrick Daly Part I: Challenging Conservation: the view from Asia 2. Same same but different? A roundtable discussion on the philosophies, methodologies, and... more
1. Heritage in Asia: converging forces, conflicting values Tim Winter and Patrick Daly Part I: Challenging Conservation: the view from Asia 2. Same same but different? A roundtable discussion on the philosophies, methodologies, and practicalities of conserving cultural heritage in Asia Kecia Fong, Tim Winter, Hae Un Rii, Pinraj Khanjanusthiti, and Aparna Tandon 3. The unbearable impermanence of things: reflections on Buddhism, cultural memory and heritage conservation Maurizio Peleggi 4. From multi-religious sites to mono-religious monuments in South Asia: the colonial legacy of heritage management Himanshu Ray 5. Exotification, conservation and the history of natural heritage in Indonesia Timothy P. Barnard 6. Beyond Band Aids: The need for specialized materials conservation expertise in Asia Jeff Cody & Kecia Fong Part II: The Politics and Governance of Heritage 7. States, governance and the politics of culture: World Heritage in Asia William Logan 8. "Selecting the refined and discarding the dross": The post-1990 Chinese leadership's attitude towards cultural tradition Jiawen Ai 9. Legislating to safeguard Asia's intangible cultural heritage Georgina Lloyd 10. Intangible cultural heritage and peace building in Indonesia and East Timor Birgit Brauchler 11. The revitalization of Khmer ethnic identity in Thailand: empowerment or confinement? Alexandra Denes 12. A political-ecological heritage of resource contest and conflict Michael Dove Part III: Rethinking Relationships, Remembrance and Loss 13. Out in the cold? Remembering socialism and global conflict in Asia Colin Long 14. War and revolution as national heritage: "Red Tour" in China Horng-luen Wang 15. The politics of loss and nostalgia in Luang Prabang (Lao PDR) David Berliner 16. Rethinking relationships: world heritage, communities and tourism Robyn Bushell & Russell Staiff 17. Heritage challenges in Asian urban cultural landscape settings Ken Taylor Part IV: Negotiating Modernity and Globalisation 18. Heritage and modernity in India Jyoti Hosagrahar 19. Anti-superstition: Campaigns against popular religion and its heritage in Asia Denis Byrne 20. Globalisation and sacred adivasi landscapes in Eastern India Vinita Damodaran 21. Shifting pilgrim trains and temple-towns in India Kiran Shinde 22. Asian orientalism: perspectives of Buddhist heritage in Japan Aki Toyoyama 23. Fighting modernity: traditional Chinese martial arts and the transmission of intangible cultural heritage Patrick Daly
Research Interests: Buddhism, Geography, Cultural Geography, Asian Studies, Archaeology, and 15 moreCultural Heritage, Material Culture Studies, Heritage Studies, Conservation, Heritage Tourism, Cultural Theory, Cultural Heritage Conservation, Politics, Heritage Conservation, Culture, East Asian Studies, Cultural Heritage Management, Heritage, Asia, and Association of Critical Heritage Studies
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
We present archaeological evidence for a trading settlement dating from the 13th to the mid-16th century ce on an elevated headland in Lamreh village about 30 km east of Banda Aceh, on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. We propose... more
We present archaeological evidence for a trading settlement dating from the 13th to the mid-16th century ce on an elevated headland in Lamreh village about 30 km east of Banda Aceh, on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. We propose this site was part of historic Lamri, known from documentary sources as an important node in the maritime “silk road” between the 9th to 16th centuries CE. Our landscape archaeological survey revealed large concentrations of ceramics on the headland that span from the early 13th through the mid-16th century, some of them of imperial quality. Several of the Muslim grave markers at this site are of a distinctive type and date across nearly the entire range of the 15th century. Geological evidence suggests low-lying parts of Lamri were destroyed by a major tsunami at the end of the 14th century. However, our data show that activity on the elevated headland continued until the site was abandoned in the mid-16th century. The lack of material culture dating from the 9th to 13th centuries suggests that earlier textual references to Lamri referred more generally to a broad stretch of the north Sumatran coast, with the headland in Lamreh village emerging as the geographic centre of historic Lamri after the turn of the 13th century.Nous présentons les preuves archéologiques d’un établissement commercial datant du XIIIe au milieu du XVIe siècle EC sur un promontoire élevé du village de Lamreh, à environ 30 km à l’est de Banda Aceh, sur la côte nord de Sumatra, en Indonésie. Nous l’identifions au site historique de Lamri, décrit par les sources textuelles comme un noeud important de la « route de la soie » maritime entre le IXe et le XVIe siècle EC. Notre prospection a révélé de grandes concentrations de céramiques sur le promontoire, qui datent du début du XIIIe siècle jusqu’au milieu du XVIe siècle, certaines de qualité impériale. Plusieurs des stèles funéraires musulmanes de ce site sont d’un type particulier et datent de la quasi-totalité du XVe siècle. Les données géologiques suggèrent que les parties basses de Lamri ont été détruites par un fort tsunami à la fin du XIVe siècle. Cependant, nos données montrent que l’activité sur le promontoire s’est poursuivie jusqu’à ce que le site soit abandonné au milieu du XVIe siècle. L’absence de culture matérielle datant du IXe au XIIIe siècle suggère que les références textuelles antérieures à Lamri se référaient plus généralement à une grande partie de la côte nord de Sumatra, le village de Lamreh ne devenant le centre géographique du Lamri historique qu’après le tournant du XIIIe siècle.Daly Patrick t., McKinnon E.E., Feener R.Michael, Yew Seng Tai, Ardiansyah , Parnell Andrew, Nizamuddin , Ismail Nazli, Sieh Kerry, Majewski Jedrzej. The Historic Trading Port of Lamri on the North Sumatran Coast. In: Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient. Tome 105, 2019. pp. 115-144
Research Interests: Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Anthropology, Humanities, Historical Archaeology, and 12 moreSoutheast Asian Studies, Art, Islamic Archaeology, Indonesian History, Indonesian Studies, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Southeast Asian history, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Acehnese history, Chinese and Southeast Asian Art History and Archaeology, Historical Studies, and Acehnese Studies
Research Interests: Business, Development Economics, Humanitarianism, Disaster risk management, Humanitarian Intervention, and 14 moreEconomic Development, Disaster Management, Tsunami, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Livelihood, Disasters, Sustainable Livelihoods, Indonesian, Disaster risk reduction, Post Disaster Recovery, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Acehnese Studies, and Sustainability
Research Interests: Geography, Economics, Development Studies, Humanitarianism, Disaster Studies, and 15 moreDisaster risk management, Migration, Natural Hazards, Humanitarian Intervention, Economic Development, Disaster Management, Environmental Sustainability, Disaster Preparedness, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Disaster risk reduction, Disaster Culture, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, and HAZARD
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Geography, Southeast Asian Studies, Disaster Studies, Political Science, Indonesia, and 14 moreDisaster Management, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Tsunami impact, Post Disaster Recovery, Aceh, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Environmental Hazards and Disasters, Conflict in Aceh, Post conflict reconstruction and development, Aceh Studies, Acehnese Studies, and Post Disaster Planning
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Wadi Faynan Landscape Survey is an interdisciplinary investigation of settlement and land use history in the desertic Wadi Faynan, from the beginning of the Holocene to the present day, as a contribution to understanding processes of... more
The Wadi Faynan Landscape Survey is an interdisciplinary investigation of settlement and land use history in the desertic Wadi Faynan, from the beginning of the Holocene to the present day, as a contribution to understanding processes of desertification and environmental degradation in arid lands. The wadi is now used only by pastoralists on a seasonal basis, but its rich archaeological record indicates that the locality has also been the focus at different times in the past not just for pastoralism but also for sedentary settlement, intensive floodwater farming, and copper and lead extraction and processing on a major scale. The paper focuses on the Nabataean and Roman/Byzantine periods (ca. 300 B.C.–A.D. 700), to illustrate how an integrated program of landscape archaeology and environmental science is defining changing patterns of arable, pastoral, and industrial activity in classical antiquity, and how Roman imperialism transformed the landscape, with effects that still impact on the lives of the present-day Bedouin pastoralists.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Significance We demonstrate that a tsunami in the late 14th century CE destroyed coastal sites along a critical part of the maritime Silk Road and set in motion profound changes in the political economy of Southeast Asia. Our results... more
Significance We demonstrate that a tsunami in the late 14th century CE destroyed coastal sites along a critical part of the maritime Silk Road and set in motion profound changes in the political economy of Southeast Asia. Our results provide a precise chronology of settlement and trade along a historically strategic section of the Sumatran coast and are robust physical evidence for the rise of the Aceh Sultanate. Tragically, coastal areas impacted by the late 14th century tsunami were devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. This makes our findings relevant to debates about hazard mitigation and risk reduction. This example shows that archaeological, historical, and geological data are relevant in discussions about the long-term sustainability of communities exposed to geological hazards.
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Indonesian History, Disaster Studies, Indonesian Studies, and 15 moreIndian Ocean History, Indonesia, Islam in the Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean World, Multidisciplinary, Disasters, Indian Ocean Archaeology, Acehnese history, Disaster, Disaster Culture, Disaster Mitigation, Environmental Hazards and Disasters, Banda Aceh, Aceh Studies, and Maritime Silk Roads
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Development Studies, Humanitarianism, Corporate Governance, Political Science, Sustainable Development, and 15 moreNatural Hazards, Humanitarian Intervention, Disaster Management, Nepal, Environmental Planning, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Earthquakes, Community Based Disaster Management, Informal Settlements, Post disaster housing reconstruction, Nepali Architecture, Human Settlement, and Kathmandu Valley
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Kedahsyatan Tsunami Samudera Hindia 2004 terlewatkan dari perhatian masyarakat pesisir dan para peneliti kebencanaan, sampai peristiwa tersebut benar-benar terjadi. Serangkaian penelitian yang dilakukan pada cekungan Samudera India... more
Kedahsyatan Tsunami Samudera Hindia 2004 terlewatkan dari perhatian masyarakat pesisir dan para peneliti kebencanaan, sampai peristiwa tersebut benar-benar terjadi. Serangkaian penelitian yang dilakukan pada cekungan Samudera India menemukan adanya bukti-bukti tsunami pada masa pra-sejarah, tetapi waktu dan interval perulangan dari kejadian-kejadian demikian tidak jelas. Pada penelitian ini kami menyajikan bukti perulangan stratigrafi endapan tsunami prasejarah yang luar biasa dalam 7400 tahun dari sebuah gua pantai di Aceh, Indonesia. Rekaman ini menunjukan setidaknya terdapat 11 bukti tsunami pada masa pra-sejarah yang melanda pantai Aceh antara 7400 sampai 2900 tahun yang lalu. Rentang waktu rata-rata antara satu kejadian dengan kejadian tsunami berikutnya adalah sekitar 450 tahun yaitu dari interval yang terlama, periode dorman sampai 2000 tahun, hingga beberapa kali kejadian tsunami yang berulang dalam rentang satu abad. Meskipun terdapat bukti bahwa kemungkinan gempabumi yang ...
Research Interests:
The Maldives Heritage Survey was established to document cultural heritage vulnerable to human and environmental threats in the Maldives. An open-access online database is being produced to inform academic studies, support... more
The Maldives Heritage Survey was established to document cultural heritage vulnerable to human and environmental threats in the Maldives. An open-access online database is being produced to inform academic studies, support heritage-management plans and create a permanent archive of digital heritage resources.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Islamic Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Indian Ocean History, Cultural Heritage Management, and 15 moreArchitectural Heritage, Indian Ocean World, Indian Ocean Trade, Antiquity, Heritage, Buddhist art and architecture, Indian Ocean, Indian Ocean Archaeology, Islamic architecture, Islamic art and archaeology, Indian Ocean Maritime Trade, Buddhist Archaeology, Climate change in the Maldives, Islamic Architecture, and Indian Ocean Studies
Research Interests:
In cases where local leadership was cited as negative, it is often because donors and NGOs either side-stepped local leadership systems (Dixon and McGregor 2011), or misread traditional systems and over-invested in the village head as a... more
In cases where local leadership was cited as negative, it is often because donors and NGOs either side-stepped local leadership systems (Dixon and McGregor 2011), or misread traditional systems and over-invested in the village head as a way of ‘ensuring’ local involvement and endorsement. In Aceh, the village head is just one prominent figure embedded within a wider framework that allows for checks and balances. To fully utilize the strengths of local leadership it was necessary to also engage religious leaders such as the imam gampung (head of the local mosque), and other respected village elders such as the tuha peut, which oversee different livelihood sectors, and use of communal lands. The fact that these were not engaged at the village level by most NGOs, allowed too much of the success or failure of community-level efforts to be concentrated in the hands of the village head. The ways that many external organizations engaged with communities simplified a complex system of decision-making and left great scope for abuse by under-qualified or self-serving village heads, and very limited options for disaffected villagers to communicate issues with higher social or source of funding (donors and NGOs).
Research Interests: Sociology of Disaster, Development Studies, Humanitarianism, Disaster Studies, Disaster risk management, and 15 morePolitical Science, Sustainable Development, Natural Hazards, Indonesia, Disaster Management, Disaster Response, Risk and Vulnerability - Natural Hazards, Disaster Preparedness, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Disasters, Disaster risk reduction, Disaster, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, and Disaster Recovery
Acknowledgements Biographies of Authors Part I- Where We've Been and Where We are going Introduction: Archaeological Theory and Digital Pasts Digital Archaeology: A Historical Context Part II -- Data Collection Archaeological Survey... more
Acknowledgements Biographies of Authors Part I- Where We've Been and Where We are going Introduction: Archaeological Theory and Digital Pasts Digital Archaeology: A Historical Context Part II -- Data Collection Archaeological Survey in a Digital World Drowning in data? - digital data in a British contracting unit Part III -- Quantification Made Easy You Me and IT: The Application of Simple Quantitative Techniques in the Examination of Gender, Identity and Social Reproduction in the Early to Middle Iron Age of North-eastern France Part IV Modelling the Past Jouma's tent: bedouin and digital archaeology Digital Archaeology and the Scalar Structure of Pastoral Landscapes: Modeling Mobile Societies of Prehistoric Central Asia What you see is what you get? Visualscapes, visual genesis and hierarchy Part V -- Virtual Worlds 'Digital gardening' - An approach to simulating elements of palaeovegetation and some implications for the interpretation of prehistoric sites and landscapes At the edges of the lens: photography, graphical constructions and cinematography Part VI- Disseminating the Data Electronic Publication in Archaeology Computers, Learning and Teaching in Archaeology: life past and present on the screen What's another word for thesaurus? Data Standards and Classifying the Past Part VII -- Conclusion Afterword:
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Southeast Asian Studies, Indonesian History, Indian Ocean History, and 15 moreIndonesia, Ming Dynasty, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Ceramics (Archaeology), Southeast Asian Politics, Southeast Asian history, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Indian Ocean Archaeology, Acehnese history, Chinese and Southeast Asian Art History and Archaeology, Chinese art history, Sumatra, Indian Ocean Maritime Trade, Ceramic Analysis Archaeology, and History of Chinese Ceramics
The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caught millions of coastal residents and the scientific community off-guard. Subsequent research in the Indian Ocean basin has identified prehistoric tsunamis, but the timing and recurrence... more
The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caught millions of coastal residents and the scientific community off-guard. Subsequent research in the Indian Ocean basin has identified prehistoric tsunamis, but the timing and recurrence intervals of such events are uncertain. Here we present an extraordinary 7,400 year stratigraphic sequence of prehistoric tsunami deposits from a coastal cave in Aceh, Indonesia. This record demonstrates that at least 11 prehistoric tsunamis struck the Aceh coast between 7,400 and 2,900 years ago. The average time period between tsunamis is about 450 years with intervals ranging from a long, dormant period of over 2,000 years, to multiple tsunamis within the span of a century. Although there is evidence that the likelihood of another tsunamigenic earthquake in Aceh province is high, these variable recurrence intervals suggest that long dormant periods may follow Sunda megathrust ruptures as large as that of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Research Interests: Geography, Earth Sciences, Geology, Geoarchaeology, Seismic Hazard, and 14 morePaleoenvironment, Natural Hazards, Indonesia, Risk and Vulnerability - Natural Hazards, Medicine, Coastal Hazards, Tsunami, Multidisciplinary, Subduction Zone Processes, Earthquakes, Geoarchaeology and Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions, Acehnese Studies, Nature Communications, and Tsunami Wave
Research Interests: Trust, Disaster risk management, Natural Hazards, Social Norms, Risk and Vulnerability - Natural Hazards, and 12 moreTsunami, Social Influence, Natural Disasters, Disasters, Disaster risk reduction, Environmental Hazards and Disasters, Geo-Environmental Hazard Mitigation, DRR, Evacuation, TSUNAMI EVACUATION ROUTE, Protection Motivation Theory, and Acehnese Studies
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people and destroying half a million homes. This paper analyses the effectiveness of Nepali government institutions managing the reconstruction. Using... more
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people and destroying half a million homes. This paper analyses the effectiveness of Nepali government institutions managing the reconstruction. Using institutional ethnography, we analyse how the post-earthquake governance framework has incorporated the flexibility and decentralization outlined in pre-earthquake plans. We balance this with observations from five case study urban settlements in the Kathmandu Valley to provide a “bottom-up” perspective on how local stakeholders are engaged in rebuilding their communities. The creation of ad hoc national-level disaster management agencies can weaken already under-resourced local governance structures. The Nepal case study reveals that national disaster management plans drafted after the Hyogo and Sendai frameworks, which promote the decentralization of disaster governance, are not necessarily followed up with practical steps to empower local stakeholders an...
Research Interests: Humanitarianism, Disaster Studies, Disaster risk management, Corporate Governance, Risk and Vulnerability, and 15 moreNatural Hazards, Humanitarian Intervention, Disaster Management, Nepal, Urban And Regional Planning, Urban Governance, Humanitarian Emergency Aid, Earthquake, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Environment and Urbanization, Disaster risk reduction, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Disaster Governance, and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Islamic Law, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Development Studies, Disaster Studies, and 15 moreIslamic Contemporary Studies, Governance, Natural Hazards, Indonesia, Islamic Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Natural Disasters, Post Disaster Reconstruction, Social Reconstruction, Disasters, Disaster Culture, Environmental Hazards and Disasters, Anthropology of Religion, Aceh Studies, and Acehnese Studies
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Maldives Heritage Survey was established to document cultural heritage vulnerable to human and envir- onmental threats in the Maldives. An open-access online database is being produced to inform academic studies, support... more
The Maldives Heritage Survey was established to document cultural heritage vulnerable to human and envir- onmental threats in the Maldives. An open-access online database is being produced to inform academic studies, support heritage-management plans and create a permanent archive of digital heritage resources.
Research Interests: Islamic Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Material culture of religion, Indian Ocean History, Islamic History, and 13 moreIndian Ocean World, Indian Ocean Trade, Buddhist art and architecture, Indian Ocean, Mosque Architecture, Indian Ocean Archaeology, Islamic art and architecture, Islamic art and archaeology, Maldives, Indian Ocean Maritime Trade, Buddhist Archaeology, Climate change in the Maldives, and Indian Ocean Studies
This study presents a distinctive type of Muslim gravestone found on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, that dates to the 15th century. These grave markers, locally known as plang-pleng, provide evidence for the formation and... more
This study presents a distinctive type of Muslim gravestone found on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, that dates to the 15th century. These grave markers, locally known as plang-pleng, provide evidence for the formation and disappearance of an early form of vernacular Muslim material culture in Southeast Asia. We documented over 200 of these gravestones during a large-scale archaeological landscape survey. In this article, we present a typology of these gravestones based upon shape, morphology and ornamentation. We then discuss their geographical distribution and periodisation based on examples with dated Arabic inscriptions. Our results show that these gravestones were initially a cultural product of the historic trading settlement of Lamri dating from the early 15th century. By the middle of the 15th century, variations of these stones started to appear widely near the Aceh river. The plang-pleng tradition was displaced in the early 16th century by the batu Aceh gravestones associated with the Aceh sultanate, which became a standardised part of Muslim material culture in the region for the next two centuries.
Research Interests: Southeast Asian Studies, Islamic Archaeology, Indian Ocean History, Indonesia, Islamic Studies, and 11 moreIslam in the Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Medieval Islamic History, Southeast Asian history, Indian Ocean Archaeology, Islamic art history, Acehnese history, Sumatra, Southeast Asian Art History, Indian Ocean Studies, and Southeast Asian Islam
This file contains the supplementary online material to: R. Michael Feener, et al. "ISLAMISATION AND THE FORMATION OF VERNACULAR MUSLIM MATERIAL CULTURE IN 15TH-CENTURY NORTHERN SUMATRA," Indonesia and the Malay World:... more
This file contains the supplementary online material to: R. Michael Feener, et al. "ISLAMISATION AND THE FORMATION OF VERNACULAR MUSLIM MATERIAL CULTURE IN 15TH-CENTURY NORTHERN SUMATRA," Indonesia and the Malay World: https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2021.1873564
Research Interests: Southeast Asian Studies, Islamic Archaeology, Indian Ocean History, Indonesia, Islamic Studies, and 12 moreIslam in the Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Medieval Islamic History, Southeast Asian history, Indian Ocean Archaeology, Southeast Asian Art, Islamic art history, Acehnese history, Sumatra, Southeast Asian Art History, Indian Ocean Studies, and Southeast Asian Islam
Archaeological evidence shows that a predecessor of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated nine distinct communities along a 40-km section of the northern coast of Sumatra in about 1394 CE. Our evidence is the spatial and temporal... more
Archaeological evidence shows that a predecessor of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated nine distinct communities along a 40-km section of the northern coast of Sumatra in about 1394 CE. Our evidence is the spatial and temporal distribution of tens of thousands of medieval ceramic sherds and over 5,000 carved gravestones, collected and recorded during a systematic landscape archaeology survey near the modern city of Banda Aceh. Only the trading settlement of Lamri, perched on a headland above the reach of the tsunami, survived into and through the subsequent 15th century. It is of historical and political interest that by the 16th century, however, Lamri was abandoned, while low-lying coastal sites destroyed by the 1394 tsunami were resettled as the population center of the new economically and politically ascen-dant Aceh Sultanate. Our evidence implies that the 1394 tsunami was large enough to impact severely many of the areas inundated by the 2004 tsunami and to provoke a significant reconfiguration of the region's political and economic landscape that shaped the history of the region in subsequent centuries.
tsunami | Sumatra | Aceh | postdisaster recovery | hazards
tsunami | Sumatra | Aceh | postdisaster recovery | hazards
Research Interests: Southeast Asian Studies, Indonesian History, Disaster Studies, Indonesian Studies, Southeast Asia, and 15 moreIndian Ocean History, Indonesia, Islam in the Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Indian Ocean World, Southeast Asian history, Natural Disasters, Disasters, Indian Ocean Archaeology, Acehnese history, Disaster, Disaster Culture, i. China in Southeast Asia/Southeast Asia in China, Banda Aceh, and Aceh Studies
Whether they are one-off, or part of cycles, disasters have exerted profound long-term cultural impacts on societies around the world. This essay explores diverse aspects of post-disaster recovery as a reflecting the ways in which... more
Whether they are one-off, or part of cycles, disasters have exerted profound long-term cultural impacts on societies around the world. This essay explores diverse aspects of post-disaster recovery as a reflecting the ways in which individuals and communities navigate tensions between desires for return to the pre-disaster status quo ante and other agendas of reconstruction in terms of projects for 'development' and improvement of previous social, economic, and political conditions. We argue that understanding religion in post-disaster contexts must involve more than simply looking at how local actor selectively engage and interpret established doctrinal repertoires to make sense of tragedy and loss. Rather, we must also look to how both the trauma of catastrophe and the profound social disruptions of contemporary reconstruction projects come to reshape the ways in which religion and its place within society becomes reconceptualized and diversely deployed in post-disaster contexts.
The massive reconstruction work in Aceh following the 2004 earthquake and tsunami was framed from the onset by ambitious transformative agendas advocated by a wide range of stakeholders - each with their own agendas. This paper focuses on... more
The massive reconstruction work in Aceh following the 2004 earthquake and tsunami was framed from the onset by ambitious transformative agendas advocated by a wide range of stakeholders - each with their own agendas. This paper focuses on the rhetorics of transformation that drove the reconstruction, discussing the diversity of ways in which perceived 'opportunities for change' were pursued by diverse parties. In the wake of the disaster the massive amounts of aid relative to loss opened paths for imagining new and significantly different futures for Aceh, with agendas of reducing vulnerabilities and increasing resilience, as well as of economic development, the formation of new modes of governance, and reconfigurations of culture, religion, and social relationships.
Research Interests: Islamic Law, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Southeast Asian Studies, Disaster Studies, and 12 moreIslamic Contemporary Studies, Governance, Indonesia, Islamic Studies, Cultural Anthropology, NGOs (Anthropology), Post Disaster Reconstruction, Social Reconstruction, Tsunami impact, Disaster Culture, Anthropology of Religion, and Acehnese Studies
The articles in this special issue explore the complex dynamics at play in the intersections of religion and disaster relief in contemporary Asia. This special issue is premised on the conviction that the relationships between religion... more
The articles in this special issue explore the complex dynamics at play in the intersections of religion and disaster relief in contemporary Asia. This special issue is premised on the conviction that the relationships between religion and disaster relief - salvage and salvation - are good to think and theorize with as we work toward understanding the complexity and dynamic of diverse religious traditions in Asia.