About
Born in Sarawak, Malaysia to a large third-generation Chinese Malaysian family, I largely grew up in southern California and New York City, the occupied land of the Lenape people, which is where home is. My research is focused in Borneo, Malaysia, where I hang out with the shamanistic and animistic ("bobohizan"/"bobolian") apprentices of largely Catholic indigenous peoples (Kadazandusun, specifically) in Sabah. I am following the current revival of interest in traditional, animistic rituals, particularly to reconnect with the environment in the face of increasing climate disruption.
Theoretically, I'm interested in posthumanist/new materialism discourse as well as queer/trans theory as they converge on the physical body of the 'ritual specialist' who negotiates with spirits of nature and of ancestry (and, in the process, sometimes gender-switches). Historically, I'm curious about the impact of Christian conversion on a people's relationship to the environment, specifically the interactions between indigenous, animistic practices and Charismatic Christianity revivals in the 70s and 80s.
Before academia, I worked as a freelance writer and journalist for a decade. Always down to talk about weird religious stuff, queer stuff, and Southeast Asian stuff... and play sports!
