What if we considered Southeast Asia from the perspective of its muddy coasts and inland swamps? Precolonial “Soft coasts” supported a maritime world connecting diverse peoples by trade, kinship, and fealty. European ideas of property and governance brought land reclamation, destroying those wetlands. Reclamation continues in postcolonial guises. What are its social and ecological effects? We tell the story of maritime Southeast Asia through mud—and those who live in it. Mud hides pirates, frustrates urban planners, and becomes raw material for private property. Mud is also a place of more-than-human refuge—and the medium for ethnographically and historically rich storytelling.

Kirsten Keller, Megan Thomas, and Anna Tsing are members of a team including Gillian Bogart, Joe Klein, and Zahirah S, who have co-authored a book together for which this talk is a teaser. They began working collectively in 2019 with the Center for Southeast Asian Coastal Interactions (SEACoast).

 The Center for Cultural Studies hosts a weekly Wednesday colloquium featuring work by faculty and visitors. We gather at 12:00 PM, with presentations beginning at 12:15 PM. Staff assistance is provided by The Humanities Institute.