Speaker: Nathan Badenoch, Kyoto University

Global environmental discourse has gained massive momentum, but the story of socio-cultural change is less well known.  Dr. Badenoch will introduce two villages in Laos (on the border with China) to highlight the changes experienced by local people as their natural environments and livelihoods are transformed.

Nathan Badenoch has lived in Asia for most of his adult life, studying and working in Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. He has worked in international organizations, local government agencies, private consulting firms and academia. The large framework for his research is concerned with the interlinkages between environment, development and culture. Currently, he focuses on language and linguistic practices in the mountainous areas of mainland Southeast Asia. He is the Director of Kyoto University’s North American Center, and Editor-in-Chief of Southeast Asian Studies published by Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies.