Book Review: “Elite Malay polygamy: Wives, wealth and woes in Malaysia” by Miriam Koktvedgaard Zeitzen (2018)

My review of Miriam Zeitzen’s book on elite Malay polygamy has just been published in the latest issue of the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. This book offers perhaps the first detailed account of Malay polygamy in monograph form, and would be of interest to scholars studying marriage, intimacy, and polygyny (a type of polygamy …

New Publication in Journal of Legal Anthropology

I am excited to share that my peer-reviewed article, “Between Intention & Implementation: Recent Legal Reforms on Child Marriage in Contemporary Malaysia”, has just been published in Journal of Legal Anthropology. This article analyzes news reports of a child marriage scandal in 2018 involving a 41-year-old polygynous man who married an 11-year-old girl as his …

“Gender & Logistics in Malay Polygamy”: Upcoming Colloquium at CSEAS

On Thursday the 26th of May, I will be presenting a paper entitled “Gender & Logistics in Malay Polygamy: A Revolution of Rights, Roles & Responsibilities” at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University, Japan. The talk will take place on site, and is open to the public. All are welcome. Date: Thursday, …

New Appointment: JSPS Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University

I am thrilled to announce I have just begun my two-year appointment as a Postdoctoral Fellow for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), hosted by the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University. At CSEAS, I will be collaborating with Professor Yoko Hayami on a research project entitled “The Familial and …

New Publication in Archipel

My most recent peer-reviewed article, “Chasing Fate & Fortune in the Borderland: Cross-Border Marriage and Migration at the Malaysian-Thai Frontier”, has just been published in the Southeast Asian studies journal Archipel. In this article, I demonstrate how female migrants from Southern Thailand migrate to Malaysia in search of fortune in two senses of the word: …

“Holding Marriage Hostage”: Webinar at Harvard Law School (18 February)

On Thursday, 18 February 2021, I will be presenting a Zoom webinar at Harvard Law School’s Program on Law & Society in the Muslim World, entitled “Holding Marriage Hostage: Male Guardianship in Muslim Women’s Marriage Application in Contemporary Malaysia”. The talk will be chaired by Professor Dominik Müller (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany). Date: Thursday, 18 February …

New Publication in Asian Studies Review

My peer-reviewed article, “Nikah Express: Malay Polygyny and Marriage-Making at the Malaysian-Thai Border”, has just been published in Asian Studies Review. In this article, I show how bureaucratic restrictions to marriage in Malaysia compel many couples to elope to Southern Thailand. As a result, the Malaysian and Thai Islamic authorities must collaborate to streamline the …

New Publication in Hawwa: Journal of Women of the Middle East & the Islamic World

My peer-reviewed article, entitled “Intimacy Under Surveillance: Illicit Sexuality, Moral Policing, and the State in Contemporary Malaysia”, has just been published in Hawwa: Journal of Women of the Middle East and the Islamic World. Based on long-term observations in two Syariah Courts in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu), the article discusses the ways in …

New Appointment: Chercheure Postdoctoral at Centre Asie du Sud-Est (CASE), École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)

This fall, I will be relocating to Paris for a one-year appointment at the Centre Asie du Sud-Est (CASE), École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), starting from 1st October 2020. At CASE, I will be working on a research project on Migrations & Intimité (Migrations & Intimacy), which will be an ethnographic exploration …

New Publication: “Polygamy in a Time of Pandemic: Hard Times Ahead”

New publication, “Polygamy in a Time of Pandemic: Hard Times Ahead”, published in Canopy Forum, the digital journal of the Center for the Study of Law & Religion at Emory University. This article is a reflection of how Malay polygamous marriages might experience further economic and emotional strains in this uncertain climate. Read here.