Centre of Austronesian Studies

With a total population of c. 400 million speakers, the principle connection is in their intuitive recognition. As an ethnolinguistic group of peoples in Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and East Africa, the study of indigenous peoples is inseparably connected to the study of the Asia Pacific region. COAST plays an important role in maximising research impact on indigenous peoples by bridging academic disciplines and regions.

COAST is nestled under the Institute for the Study of the Asia Pacific (ISAP) which serves as the umbrella institute for Asia Pacific Studies at the University of Central Lancashire.

COAST Art Prize

Past Prizes

COAST Art Prize 2020

The 2020 COAST Art Prize period was announced in October 2020 as part of the Communities Fiji Britain Festival celebrating Fiji’s 50 Year Anniversary of its Independence.

Our 2020 prize focused on the loss of language and culture in Fijian Migrants in the UK. Inviting Fijian peoples and community members to consider how their everyday life in the UK may differ from their or their families lives in Fiji.

COAST Art Prize 2019 – More than Land: Sustainability in Asia Pacific Islands

Our 2019 prize focused on sustainability, and invited 6th form, college and University students across from across the UK to enter under the theme ‘More than land’. The aim of the competition was to begin the progression of insight and understanding of the Asia Pacific Islands resulting in artworks informed by issues of sustainability in Asia Pacific Indigenous Communities.

Associate Research Fellows

Dr Rik De Busser

Associate Professor

Rik De Busser is an Associate Professor and the current Chair of the Graduate Institute of Linguistics at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan. He has a PhD from the Research Centre for Linguistic Typology, La Trobe University, Australia. A descriptive linguist working in a functional-typological tradition, he specializes in the Austronesian languages of Taiwan and has conducted research on the Bunun language for more than 15 year.

He is interested in the grammatical description of the Indigenous languages of Taiwan, the documentation of the Bunun language, the interaction between the structure of languages and the environments in which they are spoken, and the influence of bias and beliefs on our perception of language. In recent years, he has conducted research on the influence that the introduction of Christianity has had on the Indigenous languages of Taiwan.

Jasmine Corbett

Associate Research Fellow

Jas is currently the Project Manager for Manta Trust in Laamu Atoll, Maldives. During her degree in Marine and Natural History Photography, she documented the effects of and solutions to overfishing of marine environments, and felt the desire to pursue a career in marine conservation.

After interning with marine research NGOs and taking postgraduate studies in marine science, she moved to the Philippines – at first working as an underwater photographer, and then moving on to work as a science officer for a marine conservation NGO. Here she worked closely with local communities to survey coastal areas to be established as marine protected areas. She then moved to the Maldives to work at a marine research centre, with projects such as sea turtle rehabilitation, coral propagation and aquaria.

She was based in Baa atoll, which boasts the largest aggregation of reef manta rays in the world, and here her obsession with manta rays began. She is hugely interested in utilising the knowledge of fisher communities to discover vital information about mobulid species in remote locations, to determine their status, habitat use and provide crucial data that will in turn improve their protection.

Professor Chi-Ping Huang

Associate Research Fellow

Professor Huang, Director for the Center for Aboriginal Studies, NCCU, specialises in the studies of ethnography, folklore, intangible cultural assets, Yi nationality and indigenous peoples.

Meret Jucker

Associate Research Fellow

Meret is currently completing postgraduate studies at the ETH Zürich, Switzerland. She is a marine ecologist interested in understanding the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on ecological community composition. For this, she is looking at the use of eDNA (environmental DNA) for species detection and biodiversity monitoring in vulnerable ecosystems.

She is fascinated by remote areas, such as the Arctic or Pacific Islands, as they are often less disturbed yet show how far anthropogenic impacts reach. Her research projects have taken her all over the world's oceans: from interning as a research assistant at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, looking at seabird breeding success in a warming climate, to co-organising a research expedition to Svalbard looking at marine debris in Arctic waters.

Last summer, she was responsible for microplastics and eDNA sampling for several research institutions and universities on board the TOPtoTOP Global Climate Expedition to map the risks microplastics pose to marine Arctic fauna. To continue this work, she successfully acquired a grant from the Swiss Polar Institute. Combining sailing and research has made her a competent sailor and has further allowed her to conduct research in remote areas challenging to access by other means.

Dean Karalekas

Associate Research Fellow

Dean Karalekas has been a journalist, educator, and ethnographic filmmaker working in Asia since moving there from his native Canada in the mid-1990s. He obtained his Bachelor of Education (BEd) from Canada’s McGill University, and both his MA and PhD degrees at National Chengchi University in Taipei.

His Master’s thesis analysed the efforts of Taiwan’s indigenous groups to negotiate self-government agreements based on the example of Canada’s First Nations peoples.

He is the author of Civil-Military Relations in Taiwan: Identity and Transformation (ISBN: 9781787564824), as well as producer and director of the short film Rendezvous With the Moon, which won the Bobwundaye Wild At Heart Award for efforts in documenting indigenous histories, at the 2005 Urban Nomad Film Festival.

Tobie Openshaw

Associate Research Fellow

Tobie Openshaw is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Taiwan for 20 years. His work has been seen on channels such as National Geographic, Discovery, and the BBC.

He has been invited to speak at institutions such as SOAS London, UCLan, Academia Sinica Taipei, and others, to share his experiences and insights on the Taiwan cultural landscape and social movements.

Tobie’s current passion lies with the marginalised indigenous people of Taiwan, with whom he has forged deep connections. His primary subjects of interest are the post-colonial transitional justice process, the impact of environmental and climate change on indigenous people, and the Austronesian connection across the Pacific.

Professor Futuru C. L Tsai

Associate Research Fellow

Futuru C.L. Tsai is an Associate Professor at National Taitung University and the 6th board member of Directors for Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation (PTS).

Futuru is also an ethnographic filmmaker and writer, who has produced several ethnographic films such as Amis Hip Hop (45 min, 2005), From New Guinea to Taipei (83 min, 2009), and The New Flood (51 min, 2010), Wings for Takasago Giyutai (65 min, 2017), and the books: The Anthropologist Germinating from the Rock Piles (Shiduei zhong faya de renleixuei jia) (Taipei: Yushanshe, 2009), From Dulan to New Guinea (Cung Dulan Dao Xinqineya) (Yushanse, 2011).

Dr Robert Walley

Associate Research Fellow

Bob has a been a Lecturer in Community Leadership and Positive Environments Project Coordinator at UCLan on fixed contracts since 2004. During this time, he has also managed local, national and international community and student engagement research projects involving climate change communication and resilience or supporting vulnerable people, working a lot with refugees and asylum seekers.

When not engaged with projects at UCLan, he has conducted climate change research in various parts of Asia, particularly focusing on levels of empowerment or resistance. Currently, he is researching the effects of climate change and ocean level rise on communities throughout Polynesia and the Pacific.

With a background in creative and visual arts, Bob has been raising awareness of the challenges and situations of people all over the world through film, art exhibitions, stories, workshops and events for audiences using innovative technologies and creative communication methods. Bob is also an early years researcher with various published materials.

He is currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Climate Change Education with UCLan researching the use of innovative technologies, namely virtual reality, evaluating its use as a communication tool and to what extent this can positively engage participants.

Margaret Yun-Pu Tu

Nikal Kabala’an (Margaret Yun-Pu Tu), is from the Taiwan indigenous communities of the Pangcah and Sakizaya peoples.

She is currently pursuing her Ph.D.in Law at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle, USA. She is affiliated with the UW Taiwan Studies Program. Her research interests are Taiwan Studies, Indigenous Education, and Curriculum Design. Nikal has two daughters and she learns the Pangcah cultures and languages with them. She is the Young Scholar of the North America Taiwanese Professors' Association.

Dr Simon Green

Association Research Fellow

Simon Green worked in many editorial roles for over 20 years before combining his interests in history, and the Spanish and Mandarin languages, and began studying the Spanish settlements on Taiwan during the 1600s. He obtained his PhD with the University of Central Lancashire in 2023.

During and after writing his thesis he focussed on the Spanish settlements from the point of view of the indigenous peoples, in particular working out how to create histories from documents created by would-be colonisers. His research interests include the earliest voyages by the Spanish across the Pacific and the resulting first meetings between the Spanish and indigenous peoples of the Pacific. His focus until now has been on the 16^th and 17^th century, with relation to Taiwan and also the Philippines.

Honorary professors

Professor David Blundell (PhD UCLA Anthropology) in 2002 was invited as a founding anthropologist for the International Master’s Program in Taiwan Studies at National Chengchi University, Taipei. This academic curriculum later became the International Master’s and Doctoral Program in Asia-Pacific Studies, currently facilitating advanced education for students representing about forty countries at National Chengchi University.

Prior to this appointment, in 1997 Dr. Blundell organized the first Taiwan indigenous studies conference at the University of California, Berkeley. The resulting publication Austronesian Taiwan: Linguistics, History, Ethnology, Prehistory (2000) ushered in a foundation of academic Asia-Pacific historical studies.

Professor Blundell is the founder and Director of the Asia-Pacific SpatioTemporal Institute (ApSTi), Top University Project in Digital Humanities, Research and Innovation-Incubation Center, National Chengchi University, Taipei.

He conducts research with the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI), University of California, Berkeley, as Anthropology and Language Editor (ecai.org). His current ECAI project is based on geographic information systems (GIS) of historical maritime Buddhism and Austronesian voyaging across Monsoon Asia mapping trade and religious networks.

As a filmmaker, Dr. Blundell received the United Nations Day of Vesak 2014 Award for Best Documentary, Arising Light: Dr. B R Ambedkar and the Birth of a New Era in India.

His publications concern the anthropology of religion, Buddhism, visual anthropology, aesthetic anthropology, Austronesian languages, geographic information systems (GIS), Taiwan and Asia-Pacific as a cultural area.

Professor Bien Chiang is the Deputy Director at the Institute of Ethnology Academica Sinica, Taiwan and the Director at the Center of Austronesian Culture at the National Taitung University. He graduated from Penn with a PhD in Anthropology in 1993. His dissertation titled "House and Social Hierarchy of the Paiwan," was an ethnographic study of an Austronesian group of approximately 55,000 people inhabiting the southern part of the island of Taiwan. He became an Honorary Professor at the University of Central Lancashire on May 2019. Further recent publications include:

Chinese Capital and Chinese Cultural Capital: A Case Study of Singkawang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, in Yos Santasombat ed. The Sociology of Chinese Capitalism in Southeast Asia: Challenges and Prospects, Palgrave Macmillan.
Ethnic Chinese Enterprises in Indonesia: A Case Study of West Kalimantan, in Yos Santasombat ed. Chinese Capitalism in Southeast Asia: Cultures and Practices, Singapore, Palgrave Macmillan.
Changing Ethnoscape and Changing Landscape in Lao PDR: Social Impacts of PRC's Participation in the Greater Mekong Subregion Development Project, in Yos Santasombat ed. Impact of China’s Rise on the Mekong Region, New York Palgrave Macmillan.
Market Price, Labour Input and Relation of Production in Sarawak’s Edible Birds’ Nest Trade, in Eric Taglizcozzo and Chang Wen-chin eds. Chinese Circulations: Capital, Commodities and Networks in Southeast Asia, Duke University Press, Durham”

PhD students

Related courses

Events

The International Roundtable on Climate Change in the Pacific

The International Roundtable on Climate Change in the Pacific, organised in partnership with Communities Fiji Britain, took place on 28th October 2020. The talk welcomed experts across multiple fields including: Professor at University of Central Lancashire, Prof Niki J.P. Alsford, Youth for Climate Hope Founder and Climate Activist, Ms Krishna Ariola, Lecturer in Asia Pacific Studies, Dr Ti-Han Chang, “There Once was an Island” Producer and Co-Director, Dr Lyn Collie, Lecturer at Kiel University, Dr Silja Klepp, Lecturer at University of Hawaii at Manoa, Dr Lesley Iaukea, “Anotes Ark” Director, Matthieu Rytz, and Tuvalu Climate Action Network Member, Dr Maina Talia.

Call for Papers: Climate Change in the Pacific: Exploring Indigenous Voices on Climate Change

Climate change is unequivocally having a detrimental impact on the lives of many Pacific island peoples. This has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put enormous strains on already fragile systems. The lack of media attention on climate change in the wake of the pandemic has shifted global attention from the plight of a number of Pacific islands. As such, COAST launched its 2021 Call for papers in conjunction with the International Roundtable on Climate Change in the Pacific to promote continued research into the social effects of Climate Change on Pacific communities.

Asia Pacific Film Festival 2020

The Asia Pacific Film Festival took place in February 2020, bringing together films from across the Asia Pacific for screenings and Q&A sessions with the Directors. Films screened included: The Road, Anotes Ark, The Rice Bomber, Let It Be, Plastic China, Sanggye-Dong Olympic, Garden, Zoological, Whispering Star, and No Mans Zone. There were also talks from Sabrina Qiong Yu, Irena Hayter, Director Zanbo Zhang, and Director Toshi Fujiwara.

Woven Austronesia Woven Austronesia exhibition

Between 14–22 December 2019, we hosted the ‘Woven Austronesia’ exhibition at our PR1 Galley, Preston.

The exhibition brought together collections from the British Museum, the Research Center for Digital Humanities and Gawthorpe Hall to explore the similarities and origins of textiles and crafts throughout the Austronesian ethnographic Location.

Fijian chant and choir performance

On 14 December, the Bicester Fijian Community Choir gave an amazing performance at the Harris Museum, Preston, celebrating and sharing Fijian culture with residents of the Preston community, though a welcoming tea drinking ceremony, traditional Fijian chants and choir songs.

Watch the Fijian Performance

Learning about Taiwan: From Theory to Practice

In June 2019, a group of our students shared their experiences of travelling in Taiwan as part of the Taiwan in the Asia Pacific module. The week in Taiwan included trips to three universities where the students attended lectures and met with local students. There were also many other activities including cultural and historical trips and tours, which they talked about as part of this lively travel seminar.

Taiwan Festival

We held our first Taiwan Festival on 25–26 March 2019. As part of the event, Professor David Blundell from the University of California, Berkeley gave a fascinating talk on ‘Mapping Austronesia: Linguistics and Archaeology’. Meanwhile, Director Futuru Tsai from the National Taitung University gave a talk on ‘My Ethnographic Filmmaking and Amis Community’.

Their talks can be viewed on the University Media Library.

Chinese History Seminar at SOAS

On 21 February 2019, PhD candidate Simon Green introduced a topic relating to his PhD research at SOAS in London. The talk was part of SOAS's Chinese History Seminar series. The theme of Simon Green's seminar was 'Formosan Aborigines: Friends and Enemies'. During his talk, Simon Green introduced his research into the Spanish colony in Taiwan during the 1600s. He explained the complex web of friendships and enmities that the Spanish created in their attempts to establish a new settlement, particularly with Taiwan's diverse aborigine groups. In untangling that web, the talk asked whether it was possible to gain insight into aborigine lives on Taiwan at the time, particularly when using Spanish source documents.

Indigenous Poster Design Competition

Between 29 October and 2 November 2018, we hosted the Indigenous Poster Design Competition, showcasing award-winning art from 51 different schools around Taiwan.

The exhibition also included a talk from Fu-Ning Hsu, winner of the Competition’s Gold Award, in which she discussed her work and the role it has in bringing continuous efforts towards understanding of local cultural diversities and Taiwanese Indigenous Culture. Tobie Openshaw, a photographer for the national geographic in Taiwan also discussed his experiences and documentation of modern Taiwan Culture.

2020/21 APS Scholarship Discussion

Ever wanted to study abroad? Our discussion on the 17th February 2021 gave a chance for students to find out what opportunities are available to them to study in the Asia Pacific. These discussions included a chance to talk about work placements, scholarships and study abroad opportunities with representatives of the Education Division at the Taipei Representative Office (TRO), Secretary General of the European Association of Taiwan Studies, Ms Isabelle Cheng, work placement and internship organisation, Pagoda Projects, Course Leader of MA North Korean Studies, Dr Sojin Lim, Lecturer in Japanese, Dr Mareike Hamann and Senior Lecturer in Japanese, Dr Robert Kasza.

Fighting Against Climate Change?: Contemplating Taiwan’s Contradictory Narratives on Climate Change and its Pacific Ally Tuvalu

“Taiwan can develop international soft power is portraying or narrating itself as supportive of global efforts toward environmental protection and mitigating the effects of climate change. Yet, close analysis of recent popular discourse in Taiwan reveals that discussion of Taiwan’s Pacific ally Tuvalu—one of the most vulnerable nations to the effects of climate change in the world—ridicules rather than empathizes with Tuvalu’s environmental struggles.”

Dr Jess Marinaccio and Mr Niuone Eliuta, joined COAST on the 27th October 2021 for a Guest Seminar on the narratives behind Taiwan's promotion of itself as a paragon of environmental protection while simultaneously ridiculing the climate struggles of Tuvalu.

2021/22 APS Scholarship Discussion

Our Scholarship discussion was back in person on the 8th December 2021. In this year’s UCLan APS Scholarship Discussion students heard from funders and previous recipients of scholarships, study abroad opportunities and work placements available to students of UCLan.

News

Our Chair, Professor Niki Alsford’s interview with the Rock FM was broadcasted on 21 June 2021. He talked about his Fellowship of the Explorers Club, along with his on-going research on climate change and the Pacific.
Professor Niki Alsford, Chair of the COAST, has been confirmed as a Fellow of the Explorers Club in recognition of his ongoing work on climate sustainability in the Pacific in June 2021. You can find more details in the news article.
We are pleased to announce on the 15th October 2021, our Centre of Austronesian Studies (COAST) at the University of Central Lancashire signed a MoU with the Centre for Aboriginal Studies (ALCD), at the National Chengchi University (NCCU). We look forward to working with the Centre for Aboriginal Studies and National Chengchi University going forwards.
Our Chair for the Centre of Austronesian Studies, Prof Niki Alsford, spoke at the SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies' Book Launch of 'Taiwan's Contemporary Indigenous Peoples' on the 12th November 2021. Find out more and join the talk here.
On the 30th November, Taipei Times published an article on the book launch of 'Taiwan’s Contemporary Indigenous Peoples' by our Chair of the Centre of Austronesian Studies, Prof Niki Alsford, Director of SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies, Dr Dafydd Fell, Deputy Director of the Centre of Taiwan Studies at SOAS, Dr Chang Bi-yu, Professor in the Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures at National Dong Hwa University, Prof Kerim Friedman, and Professor at the University of Ottawa, Prof Scott Simon. Read the article here.

Partners

Communities Fiji Britain
National Taitung University

Contact

For more information, please email Chair of COAST, Professor Niki J.P. Alsford or our Deputy Chair of COAST, Dr Ti-han Chang

Article
Cultural artefacts as cultural ambassadors: working with Taiwanese indigenous groups and museums to share, preserve and enhance cultural identity

Your saved courses

Centre of Austronesian Studies

COAST Art Prize

Past Prizes

Associate Research Fellows

Honorary professors

PhD students

Related courses

Chinese Studies, BA (Hons)

Japanese Studies, BA (Hons)

Korean Studies, BA (Hons)

Events

2020

The International Roundtable on Climate Change in the Pacific

Call for Papers: Climate Change in the Pacific: Exploring Indigenous Voices on Climate Change

Asia Pacific Film Festival 2020

2019

Woven Austronesia Woven Austronesia exhibition

Fijian chant and choir performance

Learning about Taiwan: From Theory to Practice

Taiwan Festival

Chinese History Seminar at SOAS

2018

Indigenous Poster Design Competition

2021

News

Partners

Contact

Related articles

Cultural artefacts as cultural ambassadors: working with Taiwanese indigenous groups and museums to share, preserve and enhance cultural identity

Centre of Austronesian Studies

COAST Art Prize

Associate Research Fellows

Honorary professors

Professor David Blundell

Professor Bien Chiang

PhD students

Kate Martin

Anna Kolendo

Related courses

Chinese Studies, BA (Hons)

Japanese Studies, BA (Hons)

Korean Studies, BA (Hons)

Events

2020

2019

2018

2021

News

2021

Partners

Contact

Related articles

Cultural artefacts as cultural ambassadors: working with Taiwanese indigenous groups and museums to share, preserve and enhance cultural identity

Related links