Gillian Tan

Gillian Tan is Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at Deakin University's School of Humanities and Social Sciences, where she serves as Anthropology Discipline Convener. She holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and has held research positions at the Collège de France and University of Melbourne.

Her research examines human-nonhuman relationships among Tibetan nomadic pastoralists and theoretical intersections between ecology and religiosity. Fieldwork focuses on social-environmental changes on the Tibetan plateau and postcolonial relations.

Tan's publications analyze ritual practices (tshe thar), perceptions of environmental change, and theoretical frameworks for understanding ecology-religion intersections. Her work contributes to environmental anthropology and postcolonial studies through ethnographic studies of Tibetan communities.

Research Projects:

• Troubled Waters: Tibet's Rivers and Climate Change (ARC Discovery Project)
• Women Remember the War: Papua New Guinean Women's WWII Experiences (DFAT-funded)

She teaches anthropology courses including Being Human (with the Nonhuman), Myth and Ritual, and Crime and Violence.