Women and older adults in the Global South bear a disproportionate share of climate impacts, yet they possess resilience knowledge that can inform adaptation planning. 

This talk highlights how women and older adults in Eastern Indonesia are not only responding to climate shocks but actively sustaining community resilience. Drawing on interviews and community observations, the research demonstrates the central role of traditional ecological knowledge, intergenerational transfer, and livelihood diversification from heritage-based agriculture and fisheries to dietary adaptation and collective mobilisation. Centring on agency, the research advances a transformative resilience framework that integrates social, cultural, and political dimensions.

The talk will also highlight the interdisciplinary, international team’s collaboration across academia, government, and industry, and the challenges and opportunities of sustaining such a dynamic partnership.

Speaker

Sharyn Davies is Associate Professor of Indonesian Studies and Director of the Herb Feith Indonesian Engagement Centre at Monash University, specialising in gender, sexuality, climate change, and social justice. Her research informs policy, asylum decisions, and public debate, and she is widely recognised for strengthening Australia–Indonesia collaboration through engaged scholarship and leadership. 

Moderator

Kathryn Wellen is a historian of Southeast Asia specialized in South Sulawesi. Her innovative methodology for interrogating indigenous sources resulted in the development of a new paradigm for early Bugis history which reconciles the historical, archaeological and mythological records. 

Format, date, time & venue

This seminar is a hybrid event and will be held in the conference room of KITLV, Herta Mohr building, room 1.30, Witte Singel 27 A, Leiden and online via Zoom, on Tuesday 27 January from 15.30–17.00 PM (CET).  More information will follow.

Image

The research team in Kupang learning about sustainable farming.  Photo credit: Sharyn Davies. 

Flyer