PEMSEA

Dr. John Terrell: History, Heritage, and Expedient Myths
2022-02-14 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver)
History, Heritage, and Expedient Myths
Dr. John Terrell, Regenstein Curator of Pacific Anthropology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois
Anyone who has forgotten where they put something knows in a downhome way that history matters. But how far beyond this simple truth does history really matter? Many of the claims being made nowadays by those doing research in human genetics—specifically archaeological genetics (“the new science of the human past”)—arguably trivialize history and naively compromise the heritage knowledge of those whose ancestry these modern-day technological wizards insist they are reclaiming from the dim mists of antiquity. Although most of this laboratory work is currently dedicated to unraveling European prehistory, enduring racial myths long accepted as credible by Europeans and those of European ancestry about deep time in the Pacific are also being given new life—notably, the notion that once upon a time there was an ancient Asian or Taiwanese migration to the farthest reaches of Polynesia (and also, oddly enough, Madagascar off the African coast) thousands of years ago. What can be done to expose this European myth for what it is, and thereby advance the decolonization of deep time in the Pacific?

Discussant
Dr. Peter Sheppard, Emeritus Professor, University of Auckland, New Zealand

February 14, 2022 | 10am – 12pm (PST)
Registration Link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9lFWCPAVT1aMiBME3rhceg

Panel 8: Decolonizing SE Asian Archaeology
2021-09-27 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Archaeological practice in Southeast Asia has recently shifted to active engagement with local stakeholders. This is due to the realization that involving communities results in meaningful research outcomes. A growing number of investigations are actively seeking the involvement of communities as both contributors and as active and involved research participants. These undertakings humanize our community partners and counter the exclusivity often associated with scholarly authority. An increasing number of scholars approach research as inter-disciplinary, breaking state and ethnic boundaries and engaging communities, emphasizing that we no longer work alone. This panel provides examples of this trend. It is predicated on the concepts of practice and agency and their impacts on cultural heritage and archaeological practice in Southeast Asia. Panel members have worked intensively with descendant communities and will illustrate how archaeological and heritage scholars can empower indigenous and descendant communities through heritage conservation.
September 27, 8pm (PDT) | September 28, 11am (Philippines)
Register for Zoom link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_v9hOl0zOQVWHH5pWhxo-bg

Panelists
Piphal Heng | University of Hawaii-Manoa
Udomluck Hoontrakul | Thammasat University
Panggah Ardiyansyah | SOAS, University of London
Michael Armand Canilao | Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines

Moderator
Rasmi Shoocondej | Silpakorn University

Panel 7: Women in Philippine Archaeology
2021-09-20 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The establishment of archaeology as a professional discipline in the Philippines was heavily male dominated. This issue is so pervasive that even when female representation increased, especially the accessibility of graduate degree in archaeology and related fields, male archaeologist still overshadows the works of women archaeologists. This panel highlights the contribution of female archaeologists in the Philippines, discussing issues of bias, accessibility, and opportunities. The panel will also talk about how gendered perspectives make archaeological practice more meaningful.

September 20, 8pm (PDT) | September 21, 11am (Philippines)
Register for Zoom link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7F3JHjQpSaqOpo6Cv40BMg

Panelists
Marian Reyes | National Museum of the Philippines
Mylene Quinto Lising | Ateneo de Manila University
Sherrenne De Amboy | Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Michelle Eusebio | University of the Philippines
Madeleine Yakal | UCLA

Moderator
Grace Barretto-Tesoro | University of the Philippines

Panel 6: The Future of Southeast Asian Archaeology in the US
2021-09-13 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Southeast Asian archaeology programs are underrepresented in the US higher education system. Although SE Asian groups now comprise one of the largest immigrant groups in the country, only five institutions have a distinctly Southeast Asian archaeology program. In this panel, we bring together early- and mid-career US-based archaeologists to discuss ways to strengthen SE Asian archaeology and to help address issues of access, gender disparity, and representation. The panelists will also talk about how their respective research in SE Asia facilitate the inclusion of SE Asian archaeological observations to archaeological theory and method.

September 13, 7pm (PDT) | September 14, 10am (Philippines)
Register for Zoom link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sGTXKAuBQquRqUbsVolNvA

Panelists
Alison Carter | University of Oregon
Nam C. Kim | University of Wisconsin, Madison
Ben Marwick | University Washington
Mitch Hendrickson | University of Illinois-Chicago
Stephen Acabado | UCLA
Piphal Heng | University of Hawaii-Manoa

Moderator
Peter Lape | University of Washington
Miriam Stark | University of Hawaii

Panel 5: Environmental and Economic History
2021-09-06 20:00 - 22:00 UTC
Barbara and Leonard Andaya (2015) outlined the major characteristics of Early Modern Southeast Asia, emphasizing how the periodization provided a venue for local realities to enter historiography. The adoption of the concept has shifted the focus of historical investigations away from the colonial lens, prioritizing the responses of local Southeast Asian groups to culture contact. As mentioned in their work, the EMP saw the intensification of global interconnectedness because of the growth of long-distance trade. In this panel, we discuss the dynamics of these contacts, not only with the arrival of the Europeans, but also of regional environmental change that was caused by increased martiime trade during the period. For instance, the demand for deerskin in Shogunate Japan is argued to have contributed to large-scale ecological disintegration in Cambodia. Similarly, the urbanization that occurred soon after European conquest would have placed a huge toll on environments because of resource extraction. As such, this panel will discuss potential sources of information that would provide nuanced understanding of how SEAsian, particularly, Philippine groups responded to various stimuli accorded by cultural entanglements. Particular emphasis will be placed on documentary sources that have the potential to link state responses with environmental signatures.

September 6, 8pm (PDT) | September 7, 11am (Philippines)
Register for Zoom link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nv7-peHDQbS1j8Lxp3Zj-A

Panelists
Patrick Henry Manguera | Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Ruel Pagunsan | University of the Philippines-Diliman
Lou Angeli Ocampo | University of the Philippines-Diliman
Kerby Alvarez | University of the Philippines-Diliman
David Biggs | UC Riverside

Moderator
Barbara Andaya | University of Hawaii-Manoa

Panel 4: Environmental Change and Urbanization in the Early Modern Period
2021-08-24 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
If environmental and historical studies into the EMP in Southeast Asia are few and far between, such work is even scarcer in archaeology, even if a significant number of SE Asian archaeologists are actively investigating the rise and fall of classic empires (and or emergence of states) in the region. Archaeology, as a discipline, is in a position to provide a link between paleoenvironmental studies and historiography, as archaeologists frequently borrow ideas from the two disciplines. The discipline, however, focuses on long-term patterns of change based on fine-grained, site-specific datasets that complement paleoenvironmental and historical studies. In this panel, we highlight the role of archaeology in understanding human responses to environmental unpredictability. For instance, archaeologists have documented solutions employed by humans to address the unpredictability of environmental problems as well as problems that cannot be fixed.

August 24, 8pm (PDT) | August 25, 11am (Philippines)
Register for Zoom link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nRrns4NgSZOsol5V9R4pIA

Panelists
Jade d’Alpoim Guedes | University of California, San Diego
Patrick Roberts | Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Grace Barretto-Tesoro | Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines
Roland Fletcher | University of Sydney

Moderator
Peter Lape | University of Washington

Panel 3: PSU Research Highlights: Bicol Communities and Ecologies
2021-08-16 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The diverse ecologies of the Partido district make it an excellent case study to highlight the links between biodiversity and landscape knowledge. This panel will discuss ongoing Partido State University research projects that have the potential to bridge environmental and local knowledge systems. Panelist will provide descriptions of the diverse ecologies of the Partido District, highlighting the need for an integrative and multidisciplinary approach in understanding human-environment relationships. The panel also discusses what is known about Isarog’s biodiversity index, develop research strategies, and apply the strategies in the field.

August 16, 8pm (PDT) | August 17, 11am (Philippines)
Register for Zoom link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pWxN3KBBR96YEnbaj1fxeQ

Panelists
Ricky Laureta | Partido State University, Philippines
Maria Christina Gumba | Partido State University, Philippines
Marjorie Atole | Partido State University, Philippines

Moderator
Da-wei Kuan | National Chengchi University, Taiwan

Panel 2: Southeast Asia Climate in the last Millennium
2021-08-09 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
It has been established that there were major climatic fluctuations between 1400 and 1820 CE, particularly the Little Ice Age and the preceding Medieval Warm Period. In other parts of the world, studies on the LIA and its effect on human behavior have been robust, but mostly top-down, emphasizing the role of climate in the patterns of cultural change observed in the archaeological record. Similarly, in Southeast Asia, not only is there a very limited investigation of the relationship between climate change and shifts in cultural patterns, almost all studies favor emphasis on environmental pressures over the suite of human responses. In this panel, we hope to survey what is currently known in terms of climatic fluctuations in the region during the EMP and the last 1,000 years. The panel also discusses how we study paleoclimates and explains the idea of proxies (dendrochronology, pollen, speleothems, and others (e.g. marine sediments). Panel members will also provide an overview of what we already know as well as things that we do not know and want to know.

August 9, 7pm (PDT) | August 8, 10am (Philippines)
Register for Zoom link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_icCCzVDoTNKnWDhXTSz9yA

Panelists
Carlos Primo David | National Institutes of Geological Science, University of the Philippines
Mick Griffiths | William Paterson University, New Jersey
Riovie Ramos | William Paterson University, New Jersey

Moderator
Kathleen Johnson | University of California-Irvine

August 9, 7pm (PDT)/August 10, 10am (Philippines)

Panel 1: Research, Training, and Partnerships: Breaking Disciplinary Boundaries
2021-08-02 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Denver)
Economic and social transformations that accompanied the Early Modern period in 14th-19th century Southeast Asia took place in a dynamic natural environment that reflected and shaped its inhabitants. Most scholarship on Early Modern (EM) Southeast Asia attributes European expansion as a catalyst, and the limited environmental research undertaken offers coarse-grained sequences for the region during a substantial climatic upheaval. The PSU-PEMSEA (Program for Early Modern Southeast Asia) research program complements such earlier work through its bottom-up approach to studying local responses to ecological change before, during and after European contact. This research program promises to bring Partido to global discussions on environmental change during the Early Modern Period, particularly on reconstructing past environments and studying human-environment dynamics. This panel outlines the direction of PSU-PEMSEA collaborations and introduces the panels constituting the webinar series.

August 2, 8pm (PDT) | August 3, 11am (Philippines)
Register for Zoom link: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1LNXNzc8RCCEDmbVchZ9KQ

Panelists
Raul Bradecina | Partido State University, Philippines
Miriam Stark | University of Hawaii-Manoa
Stephen Acabado | UCLA and Partido State University
Raul Sebastian | Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Da-wei Kuan | National Chengchi University, Taiwan

Moderator
Clement Camposano | University of the Philippines-Visayas
