Podcast appearances and mentions of sophie chao

When we read anthropological accounts, it is easy to overlook the extensive fieldwork and lived experiences that inform them. How can anthropologists interrogate the ethics of their discipline, and fundamentally, what does anthropology offer?  In this episode of Oxpods, Ushika Kidd, a second-year Human Sciences student at Keble, speaks with Dr. Sophie Chao, anthropologist and academic at the University of Sydney, to discuss the ethics and practical aspects of multispecies research and research with Indigenous communities, and how we can approach the challenge of decolonising climate change knowledge.  Host: Ushika Kidd Looking to make the most of Oxford's world-leading professors, we decided to set up a platform to interview these academics on the niche, weird and wonderful from their subjects. We aim to create thought-provoking and easily digestible podcast episodes, made for anyone with an interest in the world around them, and to facilitate university access and outreach for students aspiring to Oxford or Cambridge.   To learn more about OxPods, visit our website ⁠www.oxpods.co.uk⁠⁠, ⁠or follow us on socials ⁠@ox.pods. ⁠ ⁠ If you would like an audio transcription of this episode, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. OxPods is made possible through the support of our generous benefactors. Special thanks to: St Peter's College JCR, Jesus College JCR & Lady Margaret Hall JCR for supporting us in 2024. OxPods © 2023 by OxPods is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

How humans react to environmental change can take many forms. Sophie Chao, Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow and Lecturer in the Discipline of Anthropology at the University of Sydney, explores one. Sophie Chao is an anthropologist interested in the intersections of Indigeneity, ecology, capitalism, health, and justice in the Pacific. She is author […]

How might we imagine justice in times of ecological harm? How are human struggles for social justice entangled with the lives of other beings including plants, animals, fungi, and microbes? What is at stake when claims are made about who or what is the subject of justice? These questions and more are explored in this conversation between Terese Gagnon and Sophie Chao, co-editor of the new volume The Promise of Multispecies Justice from Duke University Press. In addition to unpacking key questions posed by the volume Terese and Sophie discuss some of the volume's chapters, which are empirically rooted in Asia. These chapters cover topics of spectral justice in the Indian Himalayas, and justice for humans and “pests” on banana plantations in the Philippines region of Mindanao. Additionally, Sophie shares about her research on more-than-human solidarities in racial justice protests in the Indonesian-controlled province of West Papua. This interdisciplinary conversation covers critical developments in the social sciences and humanities as well as works of contemporary art and poetry including by Chamorro scholar Craig Santos Perez, author of Navigating CHamoru Poetry. Sophie Chao is Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow and Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. Her research investigates the intersections of Indigeneity, ecology, capitalism, health, and justice in the Pacific. Chao is author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua and co-editor of The Promise of Multispecies Justice. Related podcasts Karen Sanctuaries: Memory, Biodiversity, and Political Sovereignty Urban Climate Change and Adaptation: Messages from the IPCC Report for Southeast Asia Transcendence and Sustainability: Asian Visions with Global Promise The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen, along with our academic partners: the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Turku, and Asianettverket at the University of Oslo. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

How might we imagine justice in times of ecological harm? How are human struggles for social justice entangled with the lives of other beings including plants, animals, fungi, and microbes? What is at stake when claims are made about who or what is the subject of justice? These questions and more are explored in this conversation between Terese Gagnon and Sophie Chao, co-editor of the new volume The Promise of Multispecies Justice from Duke University Press. In addition to unpacking key questions posed by the volume Terese and Sophie discuss some of the volume's chapters, which are empirically rooted in Asia. These chapters cover topics of spectral justice in the Indian Himalayas, and justice for humans and “pests” on banana plantations in the Philippines region of Mindanao. Additionally, Sophie shares about her research on more-than-human solidarities in racial justice protests in the Indonesian-controlled province of West Papua. This interdisciplinary conversation covers critical developments in the social sciences and humanities as well as works of contemporary art and poetry including by Chamorro scholar Craig Santos Perez, author of Navigating CHamoru Poetry. Sophie Chao is Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow and Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. Her research investigates the intersections of Indigeneity, ecology, capitalism, health, and justice in the Pacific. Chao is author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua and co-editor of The Promise of Multispecies Justice. Related podcasts Karen Sanctuaries: Memory, Biodiversity, and Political Sovereignty Urban Climate Change and Adaptation: Messages from the IPCC Report for Southeast Asia Transcendence and Sustainability: Asian Visions with Global Promise The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen, along with our academic partners: the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Turku, and Asianettverket at the University of Oslo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

How might we imagine justice in times of ecological harm? How are human struggles for social justice entangled with the lives of other beings including plants, animals, fungi, and microbes? What is at stake when claims are made about who or what is the subject of justice? These questions and more are explored in this conversation between Terese Gagnon and Sophie Chao, co-editor of the new volume The Promise of Multispecies Justice from Duke University Press. In addition to unpacking key questions posed by the volume Terese and Sophie discuss some of the volume's chapters, which are empirically rooted in Asia. These chapters cover topics of spectral justice in the Indian Himalayas, and justice for humans and “pests” on banana plantations in the Philippines region of Mindanao. Additionally, Sophie shares about her research on more-than-human solidarities in racial justice protests in the Indonesian-controlled province of West Papua. This interdisciplinary conversation covers critical developments in the social sciences and humanities as well as works of contemporary art and poetry including by Chamorro scholar Craig Santos Perez, author of Navigating CHamoru Poetry. Sophie Chao is Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow and Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. Her research investigates the intersections of Indigeneity, ecology, capitalism, health, and justice in the Pacific. Chao is author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua and co-editor of The Promise of Multispecies Justice. Related podcasts Karen Sanctuaries: Memory, Biodiversity, and Political Sovereignty Urban Climate Change and Adaptation: Messages from the IPCC Report for Southeast Asia Transcendence and Sustainability: Asian Visions with Global Promise The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen, along with our academic partners: the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Turku, and Asianettverket at the University of Oslo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

How might we imagine justice in times of ecological harm? How are human struggles for social justice entangled with the lives of other beings including plants, animals, fungi, and microbes? What is at stake when claims are made about who or what is the subject of justice? These questions and more are explored in this conversation between Terese Gagnon and Sophie Chao, co-editor of the new volume The Promise of Multispecies Justice from Duke University Press. In addition to unpacking key questions posed by the volume Terese and Sophie discuss some of the volume's chapters, which are empirically rooted in Asia. These chapters cover topics of spectral justice in the Indian Himalayas, and justice for humans and “pests” on banana plantations in the Philippines region of Mindanao. Additionally, Sophie shares about her research on more-than-human solidarities in racial justice protests in the Indonesian-controlled province of West Papua. This interdisciplinary conversation covers critical developments in the social sciences and humanities as well as works of contemporary art and poetry including by Chamorro scholar Craig Santos Perez, author of Navigating CHamoru Poetry. Sophie Chao is Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow and Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. Her research investigates the intersections of Indigeneity, ecology, capitalism, health, and justice in the Pacific. Chao is author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua and co-editor of The Promise of Multispecies Justice. Related podcasts Karen Sanctuaries: Memory, Biodiversity, and Political Sovereignty Urban Climate Change and Adaptation: Messages from the IPCC Report for Southeast Asia Transcendence and Sustainability: Asian Visions with Global Promise The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen, along with our academic partners: the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Turku, and Asianettverket at the University of Oslo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/animal-studies

How might we imagine justice in times of ecological harm? How are human struggles for social justice entangled with the lives of other beings including plants, animals, fungi, and microbes? What is at stake when claims are made about who or what is the subject of justice? These questions and more are explored in this conversation between Terese Gagnon and Sophie Chao, co-editor of the new volume The Promise of Multispecies Justice from Duke University Press. In addition to unpacking key questions posed by the volume Terese and Sophie discuss some of the volume's chapters, which are empirically rooted in Asia. These chapters cover topics of spectral justice in the Indian Himalayas, and justice for humans and “pests” on banana plantations in the Philippines region of Mindanao. Additionally, Sophie shares about her research on more-than-human solidarities in racial justice protests in the Indonesian-controlled province of West Papua. This interdisciplinary conversation covers critical developments in the social sciences and humanities as well as works of contemporary art and poetry including by Chamorro scholar Craig Santos Perez, author of Navigating CHamoru Poetry. Sophie Chao is Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow and Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. Her research investigates the intersections of Indigeneity, ecology, capitalism, health, and justice in the Pacific. Chao is author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua and co-editor of The Promise of Multispecies Justice. Related podcasts Karen Sanctuaries: Memory, Biodiversity, and Political Sovereignty Urban Climate Change and Adaptation: Messages from the IPCC Report for Southeast Asia Transcendence and Sustainability: Asian Visions with Global Promise The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen, along with our academic partners: the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Turku, and Asianettverket at the University of Oslo.

How might we imagine justice in times of ecological harm? How are human struggles for social justice entangled with the lives of other beings including plants, animals, fungi, and microbes? What is at stake when claims are made about who or what is the subject of justice? These questions and more are explored in this conversation between Terese Gagnon and Sophie Chao, co-editor of the new volume The Promise of Multispecies Justice from Duke University Press. In addition to unpacking key questions posed by the volume Terese and Sophie discuss some of the volume's chapters, which are empirically rooted in Asia. These chapters cover topics of spectral justice in the Indian Himalayas, and justice for humans and “pests” on banana plantations in the Philippines region of Mindanao. Additionally, Sophie shares about her research on more-than-human solidarities in racial justice protests in the Indonesian-controlled province of West Papua. This interdisciplinary conversation covers critical developments in the social sciences and humanities as well as works of contemporary art and poetry including by Chamorro scholar Craig Santos Perez, author of Navigating CHamoru Poetry. Sophie Chao is Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow and Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. Her research investigates the intersections of Indigeneity, ecology, capitalism, health, and justice in the Pacific. Chao is author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua and co-editor of The Promise of Multispecies Justice. Related podcasts Karen Sanctuaries: Memory, Biodiversity, and Political Sovereignty Urban Climate Change and Adaptation: Messages from the IPCC Report for Southeast Asia Transcendence and Sustainability: Asian Visions with Global Promise The Nordic Asia Podcast is a collaboration sharing expertise on Asia across the Nordic region, brought to you by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) based at the University of Copenhagen, along with our academic partners: the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University of Turku, and Asianettverket at the University of Oslo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

In this episode, you'll meet anthropologist Sophie Chao and a few others you've already encountered earlier in the season - social scientist Micah Fisher, political ecologist Irendra Radjawali and scholar Rini Astuti. We discuss the limitations of modern cartography and what we miss when we privilege the visual above all other perspectives.

This week's Gatty Lecture Rewind podcast features ANU department of anthropology professor Dr. Sophie Chao. In the episode, Francine unpacks Dr. Chao's Gatty Lecture titled: We are (not) Monkeys: Raciality, Animality, and Cosmopolitical Struggles in Indonesian West Papua. They also dive further into what inspired her work, and the ways it connects with her expertise in environmental anthropology, and reflect critically on questions about the ethicality, justice, and positionality surrounding her research. Lightning Round: 03:19 Research and lecture summary: 8:41 Advice for researchers and recommendations: 43:06 Dr. Chao's Top Recommendations: The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis (link) Sydney Southeast Asia Centre Stories podcast: Sustainable Peatland Management and Transboundary Haze in Southeast Asia (link) The music on the podcast is from "Me and Some Friends", a musical project by a group of friends at Cornell, to experiment with how the beautiful timbres of Gamelan music can meld with hypnotic guitar parts to create a contemplative and unique experience. Check them out here. 

This week's episode has a special co-host! Welcome Tamar Law, a graduate student in Development Studies at Cornell University and the current co-chair of SEAP's graduate committee. On this week's episode, Francine and Tamar host a tag-team interview with Dr. Tania Li, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Pujo Semedi, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Gadjah Mada University, to unpack their new book Plantation Life (link) on the structure and governance of Indonesia's contemporary palm oil plantations. Join us for a lively yet informative discussion about Tania and Pujo's long-standing academic partnership, corporate occupation in the palm oil plantations, movie recommendations, and more from the dynamic duo! Lightning Round: 04:30 Research and lecture summary: 16:10 Advice for researchers and recommendations: 54:15 Tania and Pujo's Top Recommendations: Aroma of Heaven documentary (trailer) Durga/Umayi by Y.B. Mangunwijaya (link) In the Shadow of the Palms by Sophie Chao (link)   The music on the podcast is from "Me and Some Friends", a musical project by a group of friends at Cornell, to experiment with how the beautiful timbres of Gamelan music can meld with hypnotic guitar parts to create a contemplative and unique experience. Check them out here. 

From Manly to Wagga-Wagga to around the world and back, this week's guest, Michael Bible, has always gotten stick for his surname. Maybe that's payback for the times he used to ride around Wagga on his ponies and torment the priests and nuns. Michael is a former sports kid and, later, anthropogist who quit on grounds of 'cultural theft' and these days provides his policy nous to the West Papua Office in Docklands. He joined us this week to talk about the West Papua Office Open Day this Sunday, September 11th, from 1pm, where you will find Sophie Chao premiering her book In the shadow of the palms to the Melbourne audience. This book documents communities' survival among the palm oil industry. Should be a good afternoon. Michael is a '67 kid and has had a full life which you can hear all about in this episode. Thank-you for joining us this week, Michael. It was a pleasure to have you on.   

We are really honoured to speak with anthropologist and author Sophie Chao on this week's Radical Australia. Sophie has recently had her award-winning book published, In the shadow of the palms. It takes readers on a jouney into the heart of the palm oil industry in West Papua, Australia's closest neighbour. Sophie will be joining us here in Naarm very soon at the West Papua Office in Docklands to launch her book to the Melbourne audience. An event not to be missed! As for Sophie's personal journey, she grew up in Hong Kong to a French mother and Chinese father before heading off to Oxford and getting into anthropology and the cause of Tibet. Then came interest in the indigenous rights movement which gradually led her to West Papua. We were really pleased to speak with Sophie and we thank her so much for sharing some of her life and passion with us this week. Thank-you, Sophie.West Papua Open Day Book Launch - Sunday 11th September 2pm - trybooking.com/events/landing/913101An arresting trailer for In the shadow of the palms can be viewed on the SOPHIE CHAO Youtube channel 

“Lies, deceit, and dupery are also very much part of the story. Often, these promises are made in the early stages of oil palm development, but they do not end up materializing in practice.” In this episode, we welcome Sophie Chao, a Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Fellow and Lecturer at the Department of Anthropology, University of Sydney. Her research investigates the intersections of Indigeneity, ecology, capitalism, health, and justice in the Pacific. Chao is the author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua (Duke University Press, 2022) and co-editor of The Promise of Multispecies Justice (Duke University Press, 2022). (The musical offering in this episode is Come The Rain by Maggie Clifford.) Support our in(ter)dependent show: GreenDreamer.com/support

This episode we speak with Sophie Chao, author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua (Duke University Press, 2022). Her new book examines the lives of Marind people in West Papua as they are transformed by Indonesian colonialism. These transformations are epitomized in Marind relations to two species of trees: Sago palm, a source of subsistence which is profoundly meaningful to them, and oil palm, an introduced species grown in mono-crop plantations which are destroying Marind lands. While it would be easy to vilify the oil palm as a nefarious symbol of colonialism, Chao chooses the subtler route of describing Marind ambivalence about oil palm, which they see as both the stuff of nightmares and a kidnapped species pressed into use against them by the capitalism and the state. Both pitiful and threatening, oil palm complicate multispecies ethnography, which has not yet fully come to grips with the fact that relationships between species can be violent and exploitative. In this podcast, Sophie talks with Alex Golub about the history of her research, the argument of the book, and changing definitions of 'theory' and 'ethnography' in contemporary anthropology. For more on Sophie and her work, see her website morethanhumanworlds.com Alex Golub is a professor of anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

This episode we speak with Sophie Chao, author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua (Duke University Press, 2022). Her new book examines the lives of Marind people in West Papua as they are transformed by Indonesian colonialism. These transformations are epitomized in Marind relations to two species of trees: Sago palm, a source of subsistence which is profoundly meaningful to them, and oil palm, an introduced species grown in mono-crop plantations which are destroying Marind lands. While it would be easy to vilify the oil palm as a nefarious symbol of colonialism, Chao chooses the subtler route of describing Marind ambivalence about oil palm, which they see as both the stuff of nightmares and a kidnapped species pressed into use against them by the capitalism and the state. Both pitiful and threatening, oil palm complicate multispecies ethnography, which has not yet fully come to grips with the fact that relationships between species can be violent and exploitative. In this podcast, Sophie talks with Alex Golub about the history of her research, the argument of the book, and changing definitions of 'theory' and 'ethnography' in contemporary anthropology. For more on Sophie and her work, see her website morethanhumanworlds.com Alex Golub is a professor of anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/australian-and-new-zealand-studies

This episode we speak with Sophie Chao, author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua (Duke University Press, 2022). Her new book examines the lives of Marind people in West Papua as they are transformed by Indonesian colonialism. These transformations are epitomized in Marind relations to two species of trees: Sago palm, a source of subsistence which is profoundly meaningful to them, and oil palm, an introduced species grown in mono-crop plantations which are destroying Marind lands. While it would be easy to vilify the oil palm as a nefarious symbol of colonialism, Chao chooses the subtler route of describing Marind ambivalence about oil palm, which they see as both the stuff of nightmares and a kidnapped species pressed into use against them by the capitalism and the state. Both pitiful and threatening, oil palm complicate multispecies ethnography, which has not yet fully come to grips with the fact that relationships between species can be violent and exploitative. In this podcast, Sophie talks with Alex Golub about the history of her research, the argument of the book, and changing definitions of 'theory' and 'ethnography' in contemporary anthropology. For more on Sophie and her work, see her website morethanhumanworlds.com Alex Golub is a professor of anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

This episode we speak with Sophie Chao, author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua (Duke University Press, 2022). Her new book examines the lives of Marind people in West Papua as they are transformed by Indonesian colonialism. These transformations are epitomized in Marind relations to two species of trees: Sago palm, a source of subsistence which is profoundly meaningful to them, and oil palm, an introduced species grown in mono-crop plantations which are destroying Marind lands. While it would be easy to vilify the oil palm as a nefarious symbol of colonialism, Chao chooses the subtler route of describing Marind ambivalence about oil palm, which they see as both the stuff of nightmares and a kidnapped species pressed into use against them by the capitalism and the state. Both pitiful and threatening, oil palm complicate multispecies ethnography, which has not yet fully come to grips with the fact that relationships between species can be violent and exploitative. In this podcast, Sophie talks with Alex Golub about the history of her research, the argument of the book, and changing definitions of 'theory' and 'ethnography' in contemporary anthropology. For more on Sophie and her work, see her website morethanhumanworlds.com Alex Golub is a professor of anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

This episode we speak with Sophie Chao, author of In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua (Duke University Press, 2022). Her new book examines the lives of Marind people in West Papua as they are transformed by Indonesian colonialism. These transformations are epitomized in Marind relations to two species of trees: Sago palm, a source of subsistence which is profoundly meaningful to them, and oil palm, an introduced species grown in mono-crop plantations which are destroying Marind lands. While it would be easy to vilify the oil palm as a nefarious symbol of colonialism, Chao chooses the subtler route of describing Marind ambivalence about oil palm, which they see as both the stuff of nightmares and a kidnapped species pressed into use against them by the capitalism and the state. Both pitiful and threatening, oil palm complicate multispecies ethnography, which has not yet fully come to grips with the fact that relationships between species can be violent and exploitative. In this podcast, Sophie talks with Alex Golub about the history of her research, the argument of the book, and changing definitions of 'theory' and 'ethnography' in contemporary anthropology. For more on Sophie and her work, see her website morethanhumanworlds.com Alex Golub is a professor of anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

We talk with Dr. Sophie Chao from the University of Sydney's Department of Anthropology to talk about the evolution of indigenous resistance within Indonesia. What has made indigenous resistance in this region more effective than in many other places in the world, and what can we learn from it elsewhere? Further, how is food used as a tool for colonialism-- what Dr. Chao describes as gastrocolonialism. Dr. Sophie Chao's research investigates the intersections of capitalism, ecology, Indigeneity, health, and justice in the Pacific region. Sophie Chao previously worked for Indigenous rights organization Forest Peoples Programme in Indonesia. Her current DECRA project explores the diverse perceptions, practices, and knowledges surrounding human-kangaroo relations in Australia. For more information, please visit www.morethanhumanworlds.com.   Support this podcast by becoming a Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/PoorProlesAlmanac

Despite the fact that Indonesia's deforestation rate reached a historic low in 2020, the social, cultural, and ecological wellbeing of people whose livelihoods depend on forests has continued to suffer greatly. The indigenous Marind people in Papua, for example, have seen 1.2 million hectares of their lands and forests targeted for oil palm and timber plantations as part of the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate. This has led not only to food and water insecurity but also fundamental shifts in the food and eating habits of the Marind people. Why is this happening? Joining Talking Indonesia for a second time is Dr Sophie Chao, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of History, University of Sydney. Dr Annisa Beta chats to Chao about her extensive work with the Marind people and the intersections of race, food, and development in Papua. Chao has recently published articles on gastrocolonialism and on the political symbolism of the monkey from the perspective of West Papuan indigenous communities. Chao's first book, In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua, was awarded the inaugural Duke University Press Scholars of Color First Book Award in June 2021 and is forthcoming with Duke University Press in June 2022. In her first appearance on the podcast in 2019, Chao spoke with Talking Indonesia co-host Dr Jemma Purdey about the violence, displacement, and dispossession experienced by the Marind people. Chao previously worked for the international human rights organisation Forest Peoples Programme in the United Kingdom and Indonesia and has undertaken consultancies for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. For more information about Sophie, please visit morethanhumanworlds.com.

This week we bring you a very very special episode! Last year we partnered with the Australian Network of Student Anthropologists, or ANSA for short and recorded their roundtable at the AAS held at the Australian National University! The roundtable discussion featured the likes of Dr Marcus Barber, Dr Sophie Chao, Dr Jayne Curnow, Dr Derek Elias, Dr Bronwyn Hall and Leslie Pyne and was hosted by ANSA president Dr Hanna Jagtenberg. All of whom have a wide array of experiences as anthropologists and in their professional careers. Throughout the roundtable, Hanna asks the guests how they got to their respective positions, some of their learnings over their careers and what sort of skills have they transferred over from their anthropological work. The audio quality might be a bit different from what you are used to because we recorded at a conference venue and not at our usual studio! Head over to ANSA's Twitter and Facebook page and let them know you liked this collaboration! And head to our website for a full list of links and citations! This anthropology podcast is supported by the Australian Anthropological Society, the ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific and College of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Australian Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and is produced in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association. Music by Pete Dabro: dabro1.bandcamp.com Shownotes by Matthew Phung Podcast edited by Alessandra Prunotto and Matthew Phung

This week we bring you another zoom panel! Featuring Mike Dunford who is a Phd candidate in anthropology at the Australian National University and Sophie Chao who you might remember from our last panel and her interview on her work with the Marind People. To kick us off Alex [1:39] reflects on how we have to be performative in some ways to achieve what we want. Alex is in the process of applying for academic jobs and apparently “running a microbrewery that makes beer and liqueurs” and “running a bakery in Bali” aren't acceptable answers to “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Alex asks the strangers, why aren't those answers acceptable? How do we make them acceptable? What do you think? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Next Sophie [6:47], ponders interdisciplinarity and asks how to best work and collaborate with researchers who work in the “hard” sciences. Sophie was inspired by her recent presentations at Sydney University's"Interdisciplinarity in a More-Than-Human World”. With the current global pandemic, maybe we do need to be more collaborative? What do you think? How have you used other methods/collaborations with other disciplines in your work? Next Michael [13:07] discusses how our new online existence has affected his fieldwork. He has been feeling “extractive” and almost “forcing” interactions with his interlocutors. He asks us to consider what the different “levels” of e-communication mean and what the norms surrounding them are. Is a Zoom call more formal than a phone call? What do you think? Finally, Dee[18:09] asks about how reciprocity appeared throughout the strangers fieldwork and field experiences. She was inspired by one of our earlier blog posts which you can read here. She asks the strangers what some of their experiences with reciprocity in the field were? What sort of situations they ended up in because of the sense of “doing right” by someone who had helped them? What is the strangest situation you've been in during fieldwork because of reciprocity? Head to our website for a full list of links and citations! Don't forget to head over to our Facebook group The Familiar Strange Chats. Let's keep talking strange, together! If you like what we do and are in a position to do so, you can help us to keep making content by supporting us through Patreon. Our Patreon can be found at https://www.patreon.com/thefamiliarstrange This anthropology podcast is supported by the Australian Anthropological Society, the ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific and College of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Australian Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and is produced in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association. Music by Pete Dabro: dabro1.bandcamp.com Shownotes by Matthew Phung Podcast edited by Deanna Catto and Matthew Phung

Welcome back to a new season! With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, we bring you another Zoom panel! For this reason, the audio quality will be a little different to our usual studio sound. This week, we are joined by Sophie Chao, who we interviewed previously about her use of multispecies ethnography during her time with the Marind People and our very own Deanna Catto! Firstly, our guest this week Sophie Chao [01:49] starts us off by thinking about what we do as anthropologists in relation to the global pandemic. Sophie has had to alter her ethnographic practices because of how things have become “suspended” in the face of Covid-19. She asks us to consider how we as ethnographers and anthropologists need to adapt our methods and our ethics to suit this strange new world. How have you had to adapt your ethnographic methods? Simon [06:49] then reflects on human difference through exploration of the Yezidi creation stories. The Yezidi people are an ethnic and religious minority in Northern Iraq who have two different creation stories which result in two different “peoples”. Simon poses questions of how we, as anthropologists, are able to work with people who have varying world views about themselves and their relationship to others. How do we navigate working with people that have different world views that might be contrary to our own? Deanna [11:36] reflects on how Covid-19 has affected shared spaces, such as her dojo where she practises Karate and how her practise has been forced online. She mentions Durkheim's Collective Effervescence and how she has been able to train online with Karate masters who ordinarily are invited to large yearly gatherings. The group reflects on how Dee's virtual dojo has created an “e-effervescent” landscape. Have you had to do the awkward goodbye at the end of a zoom call? Finally, Alex [16:45] discusses the problems with field notes. He notes that as time progresses, the memories, the sights and the sounds attached to his field notes start to fade. Alex also discusses how easy it is to plant false memories. Dee mentions that even the memories of our interlocutors can be flawed and that we need to be aware of how we as anthropologists are seeing the world. Head over to our website to check out the links and citations from this episode! Don't forget to head over to our Facebook group The Familiar Strange Chats. Let's keep talking strange, together! If you like what we do and are in a position to do so, you can help us to keep making content by supporting us through Patreon. This anthropology podcast is supported by the Australian Anthropological Society, the ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific and College of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Australian Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and is produced in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association. Music by Pete Dabro: dabro1.bandcamp.com Shownotes by Matthew Phung Podcast edited by Alex D'Aloia and Matthew Phung

Just like that, we have already made it through half of what can only be described as a crazy year. To bring this season to a close, we recorded a short message from our homes (hence the differing audio quality ... we are KEEN to get back to the podcast studio soon) as we are still in the midst of corona virus restrictions. But despite the challenging times that 2020 has brought, we've loved bringing you content this season. This season we welcomed many guests onto our panels, including Kirsty Wissing, Sophie Pezzutto and Saidalavi P.C., and Yasmine Musharbash, and released interviews with Amita Baviskar, Robert Borofsky, Baptiste Brossard and Sophie Chao. We've talked about many topics on the podcast, from the meaning behind Maggi 2-minute noodles to imagined communities during a pandemic, from walking the line between 'friend' and 'researcher' or 'anthropologist' and 'activist' to the social dimensions of Alzheimer's Disease. And that's just on the podcast! We also released many incredibly, thought-provoking blogs about Shaligrams, emojis, cross-cultural perspectives on Covid-19, studying religion as an 'outsider' and racism reproduced through conversations about ice cream. If you haven't checked them out yet head over to https://thefamiliarstrange.com/blogs/ We also wanted to say a fond farewell to Jodie, as she is stepping down from her roles at TFS. During her time at TFS, Jodie has had a variety of roles, including Managing Editor, Social Media Manager, The Familiar Strange Chats Facebook Group Host and Moderator. We can't imagine TFS being as it is today without Jodie. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. TFS will be back with more content on July 27, until then make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and if you're interested in writing for us head over to www.thefamiliarstrange.com/writeforus to see our style guidelines. We can't wait to keep talking strange with you soon. This anthropology podcast is supported by the Australian Anthropological Society, the ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific and College of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Australian Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and is produced in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association. Music by Pete Dabro: dabro1.bandcamp.com Shownotes by Deanna Catto Podcast edited by Matthew Phung

“Because for a few hours, maybe sometimes a few days, you can shed your human skin and you can take on the body of a creature that will allow you to fly, to swim through the rivers, to glide across the canopy” This week we bring you an interview with Dr Sophie Chao, who won the 2019 Australian Anthropological Society's PhD Thesis Prize with her thesis titled "In the Shadow of the Palms: Plant-Human Relations Among Marind-Anim, West Papua”. Dr Chao is a multispecies ethnographer who utilises the ontological turn in her work. Broadly, The Ontological Turn"is a movement whereby we don't just consider if people have a different perspective on the world, but live in a different world. If that sounds confusing, don't worry, because Dr Chao does an excellent job in describing how ontology is used in her work. Dr Chao has published multiple writings about her time spent in Western PNG such as In the Shadow of the Palm: Dispersed Ontologies Among Marind, West Papua and The Plastic Cassowary: Problematic ‘Pets' in West Papua among many others. Dr Chao's research interests include dreams, medical anthropology and environmental anthropology. Dr Chao sat down with Familiar Stranger Alex D'Aloia in Sydney University's podcast studio to discuss her experiences with the Marind-Anim people and their relationship to the growing palm oil industry. Dr Chao details the conflict between the native Sago palms and the introduced oil palms. She discusses how the introduction of these oil palms is damaging the community in more ways than imagined. Dr Chao makes constant reference to ontology and how it has informed her experience of “walking the forests” with the Marind-Anim people. Quotes “Practically everyone I knew had at some point or another been eaten by oil palm” “This idea of taking seriously a dream for instance, the idea of taking seriously the possibility of someone being eaten by a plant really really mattered for ethical as much as political reasons” “The idea of ontological anthropology is not that I necessarily have to believe what these communities are telling me is their reality, but I should at least allow myself the possibility of believing that it may be true” “It is less me going into the field as an ontologist, than me trying to understand Marind themselves as ontologists of their own changing worlds” “I suppose my stance as an anthropologist, first and foremost my commitment is to the people I work with. And it's their perspectives their making, their fashioning of reality that for me takes precedence” If you want a full list of links and citations, head to our website! Don't forget to head over to our Facebook group The Familiar Strange Chats. Let's keep talking strange, together! If you like what we do and are in a position to do so, you can help us to keep making content by supporting us through Patreon. Our Patreon can be found at https://www.patreon.com/thefamiliarstrange This anthropology podcast is supported by the Australian Anthropological Society, the ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific and College of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Australian Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and is produced in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association. Music by Pete Dabro: dabro1.bandcamp.com Shownotes by Matthew Phung Podcast edited by Alex D'Aloia and Matthew Phung

Dr Yeow-Tong Chia chats with Dr Natali Pearson to explore the role of education in the formation of the Singapore developmental state and how it provided a source of inspiration for China's early modernisation strategies. About Yeow-Tong: Dr Yeow-Tong Chia is a Senior Lecturer in History Curriculum Education at the University of Sydney, where he teaches History Curriculum units in the combined degree and the Master of Teaching programs. He is also the Country Coordinator for Singapore with the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. You can follow Dr Sophie Chao on Twitter @YeowTong. View the transcript here: https://bit.ly/3aYwXGy

Dr Sophie Chao spoke to Dr Natali Pearson about her anthropological research in West Papua, reflecting on the challenges of conducting anthropological research, her transition from activist to academic, and the palm oil industry's impact on the Marind communities of West Papua, Indonesia. About Sophie Chao: Sophie joined the University of Sydney as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in History in 2019. Her research interests include human-plant relations, multispecies ethnography, race and human difference, ontological anthropology, biocapitalism, colonial and postcolonial studies, post-humanism, phenomenology, and the senses. Sophie previously worked for international indigenous rights organization Forest Peoples Programme in the United Kingdom and Indonesia and has published over thirty works on human rights and the palm oil sector in Southeast Asia. She has also undertaken consultancies for United Nations bodies including the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the United Nations Working Group on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises. Sophie's postdoctoral project will weave together social science methods (including history), science and technology studies, and biomedicine to examine the nutritional and health impacts of agribusiness on humans and their environments in Indonesia. Sophie is also interested in research development more generally and looks forward to engaging in inter-disciplinary collaboration on food, culture, and nutrition with members of the Department of History, the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, other departments in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences more generally, and the Charles Perkins Centre. You can follow Dr Sophie Chao on Twitter @Sophie_MH_Chao

Over the last decade, indigenous Marind communities in the rural district of Merauke, West Papua, have seen vast swaths of their forests and savannas razed to make way for monocrop oil palm plantations. These developments are promoted by the Indonesian government as part of efforts to achieve national self-sufficiency in basic commodities, including palm oil, sugar, and rice. On the ground, however, agribusiness expansion is undermining the local food and water security of Marind communities, who have traditionally relied on the forest for their subsistence. Dr Sophie Chao spoke to Dr Natali Pearson about the interconnections between processed food, hunger and Indigenous sovereignty in West Papua. About Sophie Chao: Sophie joined the University of Sydney as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in History in 2019. Her research interests include human-plant relations, multispecies ethnography, race and human difference, ontological anthropology, biocapitalism, colonial and postcolonial studies, post-humanism, phenomenology, and the senses. Sophie previously worked for international indigenous rights organization Forest Peoples Programme in the United Kingdom and Indonesia and has published over thirty works on human rights and the palm oil sector in Southeast Asia. She has also undertaken consultancies for United Nations bodies including the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the United Nations Working Group on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises. Sophie's postdoctoral project will weave together social science methods (including history), science and technology studies, and biomedicine to examine the nutritional and health impacts of agribusiness on humans and their environments in Indonesia. Sophie is also interested in research development more generally and looks forward to engaging in inter-disciplinary collaboration on food, culture, and nutrition with members of the Department of History, the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, other departments in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences more generally, and the Charles Perkins Centre. You can follow Dr Sophie Chao on Twitter @Sophie_MH_Chao View the transcript here: https://bit.ly/3b8Ha37