People / Postdocs, Visiting Scholars & Researchers

Sofie Mortensen

Sofie Mortensen is a human and feminist geographer, focusing on the material and emotional experiences of agrarian change and migration. Her current research project centers around the resilient maize seed value chain in Thailand, to understand the position, benefits and challenges for Thai farmers and Myanmar migrants. She is particularly interested in understanding labor exploitation of migrants in the agro-industry, processes of illegalization, social reproduction and wellbeing. In her research, Mortensen also looks into young migrants’ relations to land and dreams for the future. She draws on ethnographic, qualitative, participatory and visual methods.

Publications / Blog Posts:

Rightless rurality: the illegalization of Myanmar migrant laborers in Thailand’s agro-industry

Extending the ethnographic toolbox: photovoice and everyday experiences of marginalised groups

Labour Abroad as a Struggle for Land: Young Migrants’ Dream of a Rural Return to Myanmar

Displaced by climate and disaster-induced relocations: experiences of cascading displacement in Fiji and the Philippines

Intersectionality and energy transitions: A review of gender, social equity and low-carbon energy

When even dreaming is impossible: how COVID-19 hit Myanmar women working in Thailand’s agricultural sector

Stranded dreams: Myanmar migrant experiences in Thailand’s tourism sector during COVID-19 and the military coup

Awards:

Carlsberg Internationalisation Fellowship

Research Groups:

Chung Lab

Contacts:

smo@berkeley.edu

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