I am currently supervising three PhD students whose projects range widely across the seas and centuries: one investigates punitive labour and punishment in maritime Southeast Asia; another traces the journeys of sappanwood through the cultural history of colour; and a third examines post-Opium War narratives in relation to nineteenth-century intelligence gathering and the making of imperial knowledge.

 

I warmly welcome proposals on maritime history, late imperial China, and the cultural histories of Asia—whether they touch on trade, religion, mobility, or the ever-shifting meanings of the sea. If you have an idea afloat in your mind, feel free to cast it my way, either through the form on this site or by email at c.y.po@lse.ac.uk