Visiting cultural anthropologist impressed with Curtin Malaysia and Borneo

Miri – 24 May 2018 – Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently hosted cultural anthropologist Dr. Sandya Hewamanne from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom under the Erasmus Programme, a European Union (EU) exchange programme that provides foreign exchange options for university students and faculty from within the EU at partner institutions across the world.

Dr. Hewamanne specialises in gender and sexuality studies, economic anthropology, and anthropology of globalisation and development, and is attached to the Department of Sociology at the University of Essex.

Her week-long visit to Curtin Malaysia involved experiencing and learning about the university and the local community, sharing her knowledge, and making connections with faculty members and students, as well as villagers at a longhouse in Sibuti near here.

Dr. Hewamanne related how, when there was an open call of faculty of the University of Essex to apply for Erasmus Programme funding to go on exchange to a country and institution of their choosing, she jumped at the opportunity, especially when she saw that Curtin Malaysia was among the options.

“I wanted to come to a country in East Asia because I am already very familiar with South Asia, being a native of Sri Lanka. I chose Malaysia specifically because I saw similarities in Malaysia’s ethnic and political history with Sri Lanka’s, and as an anthropologist, I have learned a lot about Borneo and its indigenous people through books and movies.

“As soon as I saw that Curtin Malaysia is in Borneo, I decided I just had to come,” Dr. Hewamanne commented when calling on Curtin Malaysia’s Pro Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Jim Mienczakowski and Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Beena Giridharan.

Dr. Hewamanne thanked Professor Giridharan for facilitating a very eventful and enriching exchange experience here. She also remarked that she was fortunate to be in Malaysia during its 14th General Election and witness what she described as a very historical moment.

“Even though my stay is for only a week, I have managed to do quite a lot. The connections and networks I have established, and the opportunity to do research and other scholarly activities with faculty members here were invaluable. The highlights were, of course, the opportunity to attend classes and visit a longhouse near here,” she said.

She described how classes she attended at the Faculty of Humanities on business ethics and leadership, and humans rights, were very enlightening as they allowed her to experience how teaching is conducted at Curtin Malaysia, to share her knowledge, and join and moderate student discussions.

“The discussions were very engaging and the fact that there were not only Malaysian students but also students from Zambia, Indonesia, Dubai and other countries was very enlightening. I was also very impressed by how the lecturers led their classes,” Dr. Hewamanne commented.

On the standard of teaching at Curtin Malaysia, Dr. Hewamanne said she was very impressed with the teaching culture at the university.

“The teaching is very innovative and very much on par with the new understanding of pedagogical strategies where lecturers don’t just teach but encourage active student engagement, guide students and moderate discussions. Students are taught to learn by doing rather than just sitting down and listening. I think Curtin is really into futuristic learning,” she said.

Dr. Hewamanne said her visit to an Iban longhouse with lecturers from the Faculty of Humanities was also very memorable.

“It was a very good experience and I learned a lot. I was very intrigued by the structure of the longhouse with interconnected dwellings which facilitates a high level of community participation and sense of community. The longhouse also had a very comfortable, calming environment, and the people were exceptionally warm and welcoming,” she said.

Dr. Hewamanne is the author of ‘Stitching Identities in a Free Trade Zone: Gender and Politics in Sri Lanka’ (University of Pennsylvania Press: 2008). She has also published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Ethnology, Ethnography, Social Text, Identities, Feminist Studies, Cultural Dynamics and Anthropology of Work Review. Her work had been praised for ground-breaking ethnographic research and has earned her fellowships and research grants from Wenner Gren, Social Science Research Council, National Humanities Center, Fulbright, Ford Foundation and American Institute for Sri Lanka Studies.

Dr. Hewamanne’s research interests include globalisation, international development, identity, cultural politics and feminist and post-colonial theory. Her activist work spans the fields of human rights, labour rights, and women’s rights in South Asia as well as among immigrant communities in the United States. She was previously a visiting scholar at Cornell University and taught at University of Colombo, The University of Texas at Austin, and at Wake Forest University.

For more information on Curtin Malaysia, visit its website (www.curtin.edu.my), its Facebook page (CurtinMalaysia), Twitter profile (curtinmalaysia), Google+ page (Curtin Malaysia), Instagram (curtinmalaysia) or YouTube channel (Curtin Malaysia).