Biography
I recently completed my PhD (Archaeology) at Cambridge on The Last Elephant Catchers: (In)Visible Indigenous Heritage in Thailand. My research examined the concept of the Authorised Heritage Discourse and the impact of authority at various scales on Indigenous heritage in Thailand, working with a community known as the 'Kui'. The Kui traditionally caught elephants from the wild - a practice that came to an end in the 1960s. I examined the various factors contributing to the end of this tradition, as well as the run-on effects this loss has had in terms of the endangerment of other aspects of the Kui community's elephant heritage.
While working on my monograph, I am also currently involved in several research projects including one examining the impact of climate on coastal communities in Thailand, and Cambridge Heritage Research Centre's project on developing a Heritage Ecosystem Impact Assessment. In addition to this, I am involved in organising the Indo-Pacific programme run by the Centre for Geopolitics at Cambridge and also work with Uncomfortable Cambridge, a social enterprise generating tours and discussions surrounding the city's 'uncomfortable' histories.
I received my BA (Hons) in Human, Social and Political Science at the University of Cambridge in 2016, where I looked at conflicts between mineral and heritage rights in South Africa as part of my undergraduate dissertation. I then went on to do my MPhil in Archaeological Heritage and Museums. Before returning to Cambridge to complete my PhD, I worked with the United Nations Development Programme in Thailand as part of their Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development team.
Research
- Heritage and the Anthropocene
- Indigenous Environmental Heritage
- Intangible Heritage in Southeast Asia (Thailand)
Key Publications
Santikarn, A., Doğan, E., Antczak, O., Ruf, K.E., Pinto Leitão Pereira, M. 2022. Rethinking the Archaeology–Heritage Divide. The Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 37(1): 1–11. Cambridge: Victoire Press.
Santikarn, A. (Forthcoming). Rights to Heritage and the Environment in Thailand: A Case Study of Kaeng Krachan National Park in Kim, J. and Zoh, M. (eds). Asia’s Heritage Trend: Examining Asia’s Present through its Past. London: Routledge.
Santikarn, A. (Forthcoming). The Politics of Indigenous Heritage in Thailand in Smith, L. Campbell, G., Whitehead, C., Bozoğlu, G. (eds). Routledge Handbook of Politics and Heritage. London: Routledge.
Santikarn, A. 2022. Archaeology and Photography: Time, Objectivity and Archive (Review). The Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 37(2). Cambridge: Victoire Press.
Teaching and Supervisions
Lecturer for G24 (Heritage in the Age of the Anthropocene)
Supervisors: Dr Dacia Viejo Rose
Advisors: Dr Mark Elliott