Materiality Matters in the Mekong Region Talk

Dr. Kevin Woods specializes in the politics of land use change, resource extraction and environmental conservation with a focus on Burma/Myanmar and mainland Southeast Asia. In particular, he examines “forms of violence and techniques of rule in the making of commodified natures, state territories and governed indigenous populations in resource-rich environments afflicted by war. My research is situated at the China-Myanmar border, where Chinese investment in resources and infrastructure in northern Myanmar are guided by the Cold War theatre, and on the Thai-Myanmar border, where Karen committees fight against industrialization of agriculture, land grabs and state-led conservation” (kevinwoods.org/research). Dr. Woods received his PhD from the University of California-Berkeley in Environmental Science, Policy and Management. More information can be found at kevinwoods.org

Dr. Ming Li Yong specializes in community-based natural resource management and transboundary water governance and environmental governance in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia. In regards to her research, she says, “At its core, my research is concerned with how vulnerable communities are impacted by environmental degradation associated with development projects, and the ways in which their concerns can be elevated and incorporated into decision-making processes” (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mingliyong/). Dr. Yong received her PhD in Human Geography from the University of Sydney.

Dr. Micah Fisher specializes in climate vulnerability and adaptation and community-based resource management and disaster risk reduction in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. His research is focused on “the human-dimensions of environmental change such as deforestation, land degradation, and urbanization in the Asia-Pacific” (https://www.eastwestcenter.org/about-ewc/directory/micah.fisher). Dr. Fisher received his PhD in Geography and the Environment from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.