This project explored how objects serve as carriers of cultural memory, identity, and heritage activism within the Shan diaspora community. Working in collaboration with Shan community members in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the project used participatory object storytelling to investigate how material culture sustains belonging, representation, and identity across displacement and migration. The work connects Dr Tan’s research on curating and museology in Southeast Asia with community-led approaches to heritage, drawing on Shan temples, manuscripts, and ritual objects as focal points for intergenerational knowledge exchange.

Applicant: Dr Heidi Tan, Lecturer in Curating and Museology, School of Arts, SOAS University of London

Grant Type: IAA Strategic Grant

Partner: Shan community members, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand / SOAS, London

Timeframe: 2025