New Books Network: Land of Famished Beings

In this episode of the New Books in Southeast Asian Studies Podcast, Sophie Chao discusses her new book, Land of Famished Beings: West Papuan Theories of Hunger (Duke University Press, 2025). In this book, Dr. Chao examines how Indigenous Marind communities understand and theorize hunger in lowland West Papua, a place where industrial plantation expansion and settler-colonial violence are radically reconfiguring ecologies, socialities, and identities.

This episode was produced by NYSEAN Partner, the New Books Network.