On 6th October 2021, Dr Shanthi Thambiah, SEAC Visiting Senior Fellow and Associate Professor in the Gender Studies Program at the University of Malaya, spoke about the emo-scapes of Indonesia and Malaysia, discussing how national emo-scapes influence the cultural and political interpretation of the issues faced by migrant domestic workers. This event was chaired by Prof. Catherine Allerton, SEAC Associate and Professor in the Department of Anthropology.
Talk Abstract
Emotional connectivity between Indonesia and Malaysia on the issue of migrant domestic workers is familiar to people of both countries. The emotional archive of Indonesia and Malaysia influence governance of migrant domestic workers. The national emo-scapes informs the media-scapes and ideo-scapes of both countries. However, the counter-narratives of domestic workers caught in between these colliding scapes show gender and migration intersect to create shifting subjectivities where lived experiences of Indonesian migrant domestic workers depart from the Indonesian and Malaysian state discourses on their governance. By drawing from media sources and narratives of migrant domestic workers I provide an entry point into the emotional, multi-faceted and contradictory relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia on the governance of migrant domestic workers. In understanding Indonesian-Malaysian state responses to the issues of domestic workers I show how national emo-scapes influence the cultural and political interpretation of the issues faced by migrant domestic workers.
A video recording of this event can be found here.
Speaker and Chair Biographies
Dr. Shanthi Thambiah is Associate Professor in the Gender Studies Program, at the University of Malaya, and SEAC Visiting Senior Fellow. Read more about Dr. Thambiah's current research project and interests in our 'Spotlight on...' section here.
Prof. Catherine Allerton is Professor in the department of Anthropology, LSE and SEAC Associate. She is a specialist in the anthropology of island Southeast Asia, with research interests in children and childhoods, migration, kinship, place and landscape.
Author Meets ECR
Following the SEAC Seminar, Dr Shanthi Thambiah hosted a 45 minute informal session from 2.00-2.45pm (UK BST), specifically for current PhD students. This was a small group discussion around methods, career path, and other topics early career researchers wanted to discuss.