anthropologist, storyteller, ethnographer & educator
exploring the intersections of language, race, identity, desire, and the environment between Providence, Michigan, and Singapore
My given name is Joshua, but you can call me Josh. I have a PhD in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology from the University of Chicago. I’m currently working on a book about how and why people desire impossible forms of cultural, linguistic, and national distinctiveness across the modern world.
The book focuses on Singapore, but it’s also a story about the enduring legacies of colonialism for how we think about language, race, and identity—especially national identity. You can read more about me here.
RESEARCH
I research language, race, and belonging in Singapore; a buried ghost town called Singapore in Michigan, U.S.; global “Mother Tongue” politics; genres of local democracy in the U.S.; and the politics of Singaporean craft cocktail/spirits culture, among other things.
TEACHING
In my university teaching, I strive to create inclusive, antiracist, human-centered pedagogical spaces. I also have experience as a trainer, mentor, and designer/facilitator for student career education.
2019 mentors and mentees in the U.S. Embassy Alumni Mentoring Program, after our closing session at Google Singapore
WRITING + EDITING
I’ve written about my research and scholarship, both on my own and collaboratively with others. I’ve edited others’ work too.
Footpaths (often called “desire lines”) outside the Aljunied MRT Station in Geylang, Singapore
PROJECTS
I actively create and produce public-facing, collaborative, and design-driven storytelling work. Some of it is academic, but my goal is always to make my work accessible to the widest audience possible.
Attendees at a rooftop talk, “Singapore, City of the Future,” hosted by soft/WALL/studs artist collective, Singapore, in 2019