research

Key dates of research and fieldwork

In amongst visits to exhibitions of environmental bamboo sculpture exhibitions and temples and rubbish dumps, we get some work done too. This post is to keep my supervisors and friends informed of my movements, and also for other research students interested in this particular research process.

5 January 2006. I moved to Thailand to live and study in Bangkok (Thammasat University), Chonburi (Burapha University), Chiang Mai city and rural Chiang Mai province.

Early 2006. My friends Bangkok Pundit and Nicholas Farrelly of New Mandala start blogging about Thai politics and mainland Southeast Asia respectively.

September 2006. I became interested in disaster response after hearing a keynote speech on information management in disasters at a conference in Bangkok. Thai military coup d’état on 19 September 2006.

November 2006. SEAGA 2006 in Singapore. I discussed research opportunities in disaster management with Otterman and researchers from NUS. To my infinite gratitude, Otterman gets me blogging. Thanks Otterman.

December 2006. I visited Dave Hodgkin in Jogyakarta, 6 months after the Richter 6 earthquake. Widespread housing devastation still evident.

August 2007. After my studies in Thailand ended, I visited Dave in Jogyakarta for a month, and talked to disaster workers and academics to scope for research opportunities.

Late 2007. I returned to Australia, organised Honours supervision and sought approval for researching disaster response and for carrying out fieldwork overseas.

February - June 2008.
I started the Honours year in February, based in the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, Canberra. I spent the next few months reading and researching disaster response. Resources included ANU libraries, online resources, supervisors Steve Dovers and Geraldine Li, ANU academics, the Human Ecology Forum community and fellow students. I gave two presentations to a very encouraging Human Ecology Forum (feedback much appreciated, thank you).

First post on research in Canberra: presentations to Human Ecology Forum, correspondance with Peter Walker, and development of ideas.

10 April 2008. Launch of Handbook of Disaster and Emergency Policies and Institutions by John Handmer and Stephen Dovers.

Early June 2008. Human Ecology Forum website up and running. My small contribution to this wonderful research community.

16 June 2008. Ethics approval granted.

16 June 2008. I arrived in Indonesia. After a week in the beautifully crowded human maze of Jakarta, I moved to Tembi, a beautiful Javanese village 10kms south of Jogyakarta city. First blog post here.

26 June. Jogyakarta Consultative Forum for the Humanitarian Bamboo Project. Discussions with people representing IFRC, Oxfam, bamboo organisations, IOM, Caritas, RedR India and research institutes.

27 June. Dave’s interview with Mikael Adri Budi Sulistyo, head of IFRC shelter program.

30 June-6 July 2008. Fieldtrip to Ubud, Bali. Visit to EBF, John Hardy Foundation and IDEP.

15 July. Visa run to Thailand. 2 overnight stopovers in KL, 50 hours on Thai intercity trains and a Buddhist public holiday later, my visa is ready.

23-30 July. Fieldtrip to Ubud, Bali.

1-4 August. Raghu Rao visits Tembi from Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan.

7 August - 7 September. Leng / Lung exhibition celebrating Eko Prawoto’s 50 years.

10 August. Finished blog set-up.

13 August. Visit to New Ngelepen (“Tellytubby village”), Prambanan sub-district, Imigiri district (east of Jogyakarta).

17 August. Interview with Ben Brown of MAP on bamboo resource management.

5 September. Post about my fieldwork and research addressing the ANU’s Human Ecology Forum for a discussion at a HEF gathering.

9 September. Interview with Eko Prawoto at Duta Wacana university.

10 September. Interview with Henry Feriadi, Director of the Indonesian NGO affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, and Dean of Architecture at Duta Wacana university.

12 September. I leave Jogyakarta and return to Canberra.

20 October. Thesis is due.

© Kim Williamson 2008