Category: Academic life

Reading the Malay-Indonesian Film syllabus

It’s now 4th week of term, and so obviously I’m only sharing this for the benefit of non-students of this course. Designed for final year undergraduates majoring in Malay Studies, this course is an intensive critical engagement with key film and scholarly texts on Malay/Singaporean and Indonesian cinema. It was a pleasure creating this syllabus,… Continue reading Reading the Malay-Indonesian Film syllabus

From ‘nowhere’ to ‘somewhere’

In her famous essay on situated knowledges, Donna Haraway writes about why the place of ‘subjugated knowledges’ is more politically privileged and ‘preferred’ over the position of established authoritative knowledge: ‘… they are preferred because in principle they are least likely to allow the denial of the critical and interpretive core of all knowledge. They… Continue reading From ‘nowhere’ to ‘somewhere’

Voiceover exercise for Doing Women’s Global Horror Film History

For the second exercise of the AHRC-funded project, I have created an experimental voiceover video that combines an unrelated audio recording with scenes from a horror film, in this case Amanda Nell Eu’s It’s Easier to Raise Cattle (Lagi Senang Jaga Sekandang Lembu, 2017). Amanda’s film is excellent for this exercise; it’s largely devoid of… Continue reading Voiceover exercise for Doing Women’s Global Horror Film History

Upcoming roundtable discussion on the ‘Labour of Piety’ at AAS 2023, Boston

I’m quite thrilled to announce that my colleagues and I will be in Boston next March for the 2023 Association for Asian Studies conference to participate in a roundtable discussion panel on the ‘Labour of Piety in Southeast Asia’. This roundtable discussion focuses on an under-examined aspect of religious life that is, piety as labour,… Continue reading Upcoming roundtable discussion on the ‘Labour of Piety’ at AAS 2023, Boston

My talk at IIAS, 30th March 2022: From the factory floor to the page

I will be giving a short talk on my current project on modern Malay print romance at Leiden University on 30th March 2022 via Zoom. For more info on registration, click here. About the talk: What is the significance of place and space in the print culture of Malay romance? My presentation demonstrates how print… Continue reading My talk at IIAS, 30th March 2022: From the factory floor to the page

Bandar Baru Bangi field notes

The following was published in the latest issue of BERITA [Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei Studies Group Association for Asian Studies] 48 (1) (2022): On my revisit to Bandar Baru Bangi (New Town of Bangi) in August 2021, I spent hours exploring the town with my assistant behind the wheel. We were also there to see Mrs Hamidah again,… Continue reading Bandar Baru Bangi field notes

Comments on Alluring Monsters: The Pontianak and Cinemas of Decolonization

On 28th January 2022, I was invited to discuss Rosalind Galt’s new book, Alluring Monsters: The Pontianak and Cinemas of Decolonization (Columbia University Press) at NTU’s Asian Cinema Research Lab. We had a great audience and Rosalind was superb. The following are my comments on her book, soon to be published in the journal of… Continue reading Comments on Alluring Monsters: The Pontianak and Cinemas of Decolonization

How to teach Gender and Sexuality in Malaysia

It was a huge privilege to teach Gender and Sexuality at the University of Malaya between August 2015 and June 2019. Right from the outset of my appointment, I overhauled the syllabus to reflect current, local and global debates in the field of feminist and queer theory. I felt that it was absolutely pertinent to… Continue reading How to teach Gender and Sexuality in Malaysia