Dr Deirdre McKay

Title: Senior Lecturer in Social Geography and Environmental Politics
Phone: (+44) 01782 7 33601
Email:
Location: William Smith Building : WS 1.28
Role: Examinations Officer : Geography
Contacting me:
Mckay_Deidrie

I joined Keele in January 2008. Previously I held appointments as Postdoctoral Fellow and then Research Fellow in the School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. My first degree, BA (1st Hons) Biology, was granted by Dalhousie University (Canada) in 1989. I obtained a Master's in Environmental Studies (1993), also from Dalhousie, and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of British Columbia (1999). My graduate studies involved work with Canada's international development agencies - CIDA and the International Development Research Centre - as both field researcher and intern. My position in Australia involved a research collaboration with the Australian Agency for International Development.

Festival scene ‌My research draws on both social/cultural geography and social anthropology to explore people's place-based experiences of globalisation and development.

I do fieldwork in the global South and also with migrant communities from developing areas who have moved into the world's global cities. Much of my work has been conducted with people who originate in indigenous villages in the northern Philippines.

Empirically, I am interested in the long-distance relations that connect outmigrants to their sending communities, changes in local livelihoods and the possibilities for locally sustainable, alternative economic development, and environmental degradation linked to migration as well as the kinds of social networks and relationships they build through migration.

To explore these empirical themes, I engage theories of personhood, subjectivity, and cultural economic approaches to understanding economic development.

Empirically, I am interested in the long-distance relations that connect outmigrants to their sending communities, changes in local livelihoods and the possibilities for locally sustainable, alternative economic development, and environmental degradation linked to migration.

To explore these empirical themes, I engage theories of personhood, subjectivity, and cultural economic approaches to understanding economic development.

Current projects:

  • 2011 - 2014 Indiana University Press/Mellon Foundation (€11,287)
    Fellow, Framing the Global Publication Project for monograph, Archipelago of Care
    See: http://www.indiana.edu/~global/framing/fellows.php
  • 2012 - 2013 ASEASUK/British Academy (€2,979)
    The Traffic in Things: How Indigenous Filipinos Appropriate Material Remittances
  • 2011- 2013 with Dawson, Lau, and Knight, Higher Education Academy UK (€26,581)
    Reading the World: Innovative Strategies for Building Textual Skills in the Curriculum
  • 2011- 2013 with Perez, P., as RA British Academy (€8,866)
    Everyday Objects: the Making and Un-making of Filipino Crafts as Art

Past Projects

  • 2007 - 2010 Werbner, P. and Johnson, M. with D. McKay as named Senior Research Fellow
    Diasporas, Migration, and Identities Programme, AHRC, UK (€821,087)
    In the Footsteps of Jesus and the Prophet: Sociality, Caring, and the Religious Imagination in the Filipino Diaspora
  • 2003 - 2008 Gibson, K., McKay, D., McWilliam, A. and Robinson, K.
    Australian Research Council with AusAID (€610,123)
    Negotiating Alternative Strategies for Regional Development, Indonesia and the Philippines

Current PhD students

(Keele’s Research Institute of Social Sciences)

S. Hettiarachchi (2012 - )

K. Mawomo (2011 - )

J. Hallaire (2010 - )

Global Filipinos cover

Global Filipinos; Migrants' Lives in the Virtual Village

Order here

"A unique and important study that adds a refreshing and necessary reminder that, on the most fundamental level, a village is part of the global world."

(Nicole Constable, author of Maid to Order in Hong Kong: Stories of Migrant Workers)

"A luminous, elegant, and well-argued multi-sited ethnographic study."

(Martin F. Manalansan IV, author of Global Divas: Filipino Gay Men in the Diaspora)

"The problems of overseas Filipino workers with loneliness; long absences from spouses, children, and other relatives; abuse by employers and governments; and efforts to use their time and talent to further individual opportunities are understood easily in McKay's monograph. The photos of her Filipino informants... add a human touch to the topic of overseas workers.... Recommended." —Choice

 

Edited Collections

  • JOHNSON, M. and MCKAY, D. eds. (2011) Mediated Identities, Diasporic Lives:  Situating Filipinos & Philippine Studies within a Translocal Space. Special Issue of Southeast Asian Research, 19(2).  (in press)
  • CONRADSON, D. and MCKAY, D. eds. (2007) Translocal Subjectivities: Mobility, Connection and Emotion, Special Issue of Mobilities, 2(2).
  • MCKAY, D. ed, (2006) Place in Motion: New Ethnographies of Locality in the Asia-Pacific, Special Issue of The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 7(3).

Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals

  • MCKAY, D. (2011) On the Face of Facebook: Historical Images and Personhood in Filipino Social Networking. History and Anthropology (in press.)
  • MCKAY, D. (2010) A Transnational Pig: Reconstituting Kinship Among Filipinos in Hong Kong. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology 11, 3-4, 329 – 343.
  • GIBSON, K., CAHILL, A., and MCKAY, D. (2010) Rethinking the Dynamics of Rural Transformation: Performing Different Development Pathways in a Philippine Municipality. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 35(20, 237 – 255.
  • MCKAY, D. (2009) Performing Economy Differently:  Exploring Economic Personhood and Local Economic Diversity. The Australian Journal of Anthropology 20, 330 – 346.
  • MCKAY, D. (2008) Ghosts of Futures Present: Photographs in the Filipino Migrant Archive. Visual Anthropology 21(4), 381 – 392.
  • CONRADSON, D. and MCKAY, D. (2007) Translocal Subjectivities: Mobility, Connection and Emotion. Mobilities 2(2), 167 – 174. (50%)
  • MCKAY. D. (2007) Sending Dollars Shows Feeling: Emotions and Economies in Filipino Migration. Mobilities 2(2), 175 – 194.
  • MCKAY, D. (2006) Place in Motion: New Ethnographies of Locality in the Asia-Pacific. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology 7(3), 197-202.
  • MCKAY, D. (2006) Translocal Circulation: Place and Subjectivity in an Extended Filipino Community. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology 7(3), 265-278.
  • MCKAY, D. (2005) Reading Remittance Landscapes: Female Migration and Agricultural Transition in the Philippines. Danish Journal of Geography 105(1) 89-99
  • MCKAY, D. and BRADY, C. (2005) Practices of Place-making:  Globalisation and Locality in the Philippines. Asia Pacific Viewpoint 46(2), 89-103.
  • MCKAY, D. (2003) Cultivating New Local Futures:  Remittance Economies and Land-use Patterns in Ifugao, Philippines. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 34(2), 285-306.
  • GIBSON, K., LAW, L. and MCKAY, D. (2001) Beyond Heroes and Victims: Filipina Contract Migrants, Economic Activism, and Class transformations. International Feminist Journal of Politics 3(3), 365 – 386. (33.3%)

Chapters in Edited Books

  • JOHNSON, M., LIEBELT, C., MCKAY, D., PINGOL, A. and WERBNER, P. (2010) Sacred Journeys, Diasporic Lives: Sociality and the Religious Imagination Among Filipinos in the Middle East. In KNOTT, K. and MCLOUGHLIN, S. (ed.) Diasporas: Concepts, Identities, Intersections. (London: Zed Books) pp. 217 – 222.
  • GIBSON, K. and (MCKAY as part of) the Community Economies Collective (2009) Building Community-based Social Enterprises in the Philippines: Diverse Development Pathways’ in AMIN, A. (ed) The Social Economy: International Perspectives on Economic Solidarity, (London: Zed Books), pp.116-138.
  • MCKAY, D. and PEREZ, P. (2008) ‘Just Act Natural’: The Making of Apocalypse Now, in: ZAFRA, J. (ed.) The Flip Reader (Manila, Philippines: Anvil) pp. 46 – 62. (50%)
  • MCKAY, D. (2007) Identities in a Culture of Circulation: Performing Selves in Filipina Migration, in: ROBINSON, K. (Ed) Self and Subject in Motion: Southeast Asian and Pacific Cosmopolitans (London: Palgrave) pp. 190 – 208.

Selected Publications

  • McKay D. 2012. Global Filipinos. Indiana University Press.
  • Johnson M and McKay D. 2011. MEDIATED DIASPORAS: MATERIAL TRANSLATIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD Introduction. SOUTH EAST ASIA RESEARCH, vol. 19(2), 181-196. link> doi>
  • McKay D. 2011. Intimate Encounters: Filipina Women and the Remaking of Rural Japan. SIGNS, vol. 37(1), 233-239. link>
  • McKay D. 2011. Marketing Dreams, Manufacturing Heroes: The Transnational Labor Brokering of Filipino Workers. SIGNS, vol. 37(1), 233-239. link>
  • McKay D. 2011. Migrants for Export: How the Philippine State Brokers Labor to the World. SIGNS, vol. 37(1), 233-239. link>

Full Publications List show

Books

  • McKay D. 2012. Global Filipinos. Indiana University Press.

Journal Articles

  • Johnson M and McKay D. 2011. MEDIATED DIASPORAS: MATERIAL TRANSLATIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD Introduction. SOUTH EAST ASIA RESEARCH, vol. 19(2), 181-196. link> doi>
  • McKay D. 2011. Intimate Encounters: Filipina Women and the Remaking of Rural Japan. SIGNS, vol. 37(1), 233-239. link>
  • McKay D. 2011. Marketing Dreams, Manufacturing Heroes: The Transnational Labor Brokering of Filipino Workers. SIGNS, vol. 37(1), 233-239. link>
  • McKay D. 2011. Migrants for Export: How the Philippine State Brokers Labor to the World. SIGNS, vol. 37(1), 233-239. link>
  • McKay D. 2011. Things Fall Away: Philippine Historical Experience and the Makings of Globalization. SIGNS, vol. 37(1), 233-239. link>
  • Gibson K, Cahill A, McKay D. 2010. Rethinking the dynamics of rural transformation: performing different development pathways in a Philippine municipality. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 35(2), 237-255. link> doi>
  • McKay D. 2010. A Transnational Pig: Reconstituting Kinship Among Filipinos in Hong Kong. ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGY, vol. 11(3-4), 330-344. link> doi>
  • MCKAY D. 2010. A Transnational Pig: Reconstituting Kinship Among Filipinos in Hong Kong. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol. 11(3-4), 329-343.
  • MCKAY DCC. 2010. On the Face of Facebook: Historical Images and Personhood in Filipino Social Networking. History and Anthropology, vol. 21(4), 479-498. doi>
  • McKay D. 2009. Performing economy differently: Exploring economic personhood and local economic diversity. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, vol. 20(3), 330-346. link> doi>
  • McKay D. 2008. Ghosts of Futures Present: Photographs in the Filipino Migrant Archive. Visual Anthropology, vol. 21(4), 381-392. doi>
  • MCKAY DCC. 2007. 'Sending Dollars Shows Feeling' - Emotions and Economies in Filipino Migration. Mobilities, vol. Volume 2 issue 2(2), 175-194. doi>
  • Conradson D and McKay D. 2007. Translocal Subjectivities: Mobility, Connection, Emotion. Mobilities, vol. 2(2), 167-174. doi>
  • MCKAY D, Cahill A, Gibson K. 2007. Strengthening Community Economies: Strategies for Decreasing Dependence and Stimulating Local Development. Development Bulletin, vol. 72, 60-65.
  • McKay D. 2006. Translocal Circulation: Place and Subjectivity in an Extended Filipino Community. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol. 7(3), 265-278. doi>
  • McKay D. 2006. Introduction: Finding ‘the Field’: the Problem of Locality in a Mobile World. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol. 7(3), 197-202. doi>
  • McKay D. 2006. Place in Motion: New Ethnographies of Locality in the Asia-Pacific. Special Issue of The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol. 7(3), 197-202.
  • McKay D. 2006. Rethinking Indigenous Place: Igorot Identity and Locality in the Philippines. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, vol. 17(3), 291-306. doi>
  • McKay D and Brady C. 2005. Practices of place-making: Globalisation and locality in the Philippines. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, vol. 46(2), 89-103. doi>
  • McKay D. 2005. Migration and the Sensuous Geographies of Re-emplacement in the Philippines. Journal of Intercultural Studies, vol. 26(1-2), 75-91. doi>
  • McKay D. 2005. Reading remittance landscapes: Female migration and agricultural transition in the Philippines. Danish Journal of Geography, vol. 105(1), 89-99.
  • McKay D. 2005. Rethinking Locality in Ifugao: Tribes, Domains and Colonial Histories. Philippine Studies, vol. 53(4), 459-490.
  • Robinson K, Gibson K, McKay D. 2004. Negotiating Alternative Economic Strategies for Regional Development. Development Bulletin, vol. 65, 46-50.
  • McKay D. 2003. Cultivating New Local Futures: Remittance Economies and Land-use Patterns in Ifugao, Philippines. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 34(2), 285-306.
  • MCKAY DCC, Gibson K, Law L. 2001. Beyond Heroes and Victims: Filipina Contract Migrants, Economic Activism and Class Transformations. International Feminist Journal of Politics,, vol. 3(3), 365-386. doi>
  • McKay D. 2001. Migration and Masquerade: Gender and Habitus in the Philippines. Geography Research Forum, vol. 21, 44-56.

Chapters

  • MCKAY D, Johnson M, Liebelt C, Pingol A, Werbner P. 2010. Sacred Journeys, Diasporic Lives: Sociality and the Religious Imagination Among Filipinos in the Middle East. In Diasporas. Knott K and McLoughlin S (Eds.). Zed Books.
  • Gibson K and Community Economics Collective (D McKay listed in Collective authorship, 10%. 2009. Building Community-based Social Enterprises in the Philippines: Diverse Development Pathways. In Building Community-based Social Enterprises in the Philippines: Diverse Development Pathways. Amin A (Ed.). Zed Books.
  • McKay D and Perez P. 2008. Just Act Natural: The Making of Apocalypse Now. In The Flip Reader. Zafra J (Ed.). Anvil Publishing.
  • McKay D. 2007. Identities in a Culture of Circulation: Performing Selves in Filipina Migration. In Asian and Pacific cosmopolitans: Self and Subject in Motion. Robinson KM (Ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
  • McKay D. 2007. Locality, Place and Globalization on the Cordillera: Building on the Work of June Prill-Brett. In Cordillera in June. Diliman, Quezon City : University of the Philippines Press.
  • McKay D. 2005. Success Stories?: Filipina Migrant domestic Workers in Canada. In Asian women as transnational domestic workers. Huang S, Yeoh BSA, Rahman NA (Eds.). Times Academic Press,Singapore.
  • McKay D. 2002. Filipinas in Canada: Deskilling as a Push Toward Marriage. In Women in Motion: Asian Marriage and Migration. Piper N and Roces M (Eds.). New York: Rowman and Littlefield.
  • McKay D. 2002. Negotiating Positionings. Exchanging Life Stories in Research Interviews. In Feminist geography in practice: research and methods. Moss P (Ed.). Wiley Blackwell.
  • McKay D. 1999. Philippine Postcards: Representations of Ethnicity on the Philippine Cordillera Central. In Identités, Territoire et Environnement en Asie du Sud-Est. Dery S, Matthews B, Nagata J, De Koninck R (Eds.). Québec: Group d’Études et de Recherches sur l'Asie Contemporaine, Université Laval.
  • McKay D. 1997. Representing the Filipina: Comments on the Contemplacion Case. In L’Asie du Sud-Est Face a la Mondialisation. De Koninck R and Veilleux C (Eds.). Québec: Group d’Études et de Recherches sur l'Asie Contemporaine, Université Laval.
  • McKay D. 1995. Invisible Women, Swidden Farmers: Gender Ideology and Agricultural Transition. In Managing Change in Southeast Asia. Dibernardi J, Forth G, Niessen S (Eds.). Montreal: Canadian Council for Southeast Asian Studies.

Other

  • Conradson D and McKay D. 2007. Edited Collection: Translocal Subjectivities: Mobility, Connection, Emotion. doi>
  • McKay D. 2006. Edited Collection: Place in Motion: New Ethnographies of Locality in the Asia-Pacific.
  • McKay D and Smith BR. 2005. Global Experience in Tribal Land Issues: Customary Land Rights and Indigenous Peoples in Australia and the Philippines.
  • McKay D. 2004. Asia’s domestics: Risks and Opportunities. link>
  • McKay D. 2004. Everyday Places: Philippine Place-Making and the Translocal Quotidian. Everyday Transformations: the Twenty-First Century Quotidian: Proceedings of the Cultural Studies Association of Australasia (CSAA) Perth: Cultural Studies Association of Australia and Curtin University. (electronic publication).
  • McKay D. 2004. Filipinas in Canada: Deskilling as a Push towards Marriage. link>
  • McKay D. 2004. Performing Identities, Creating Cultures of Circulation: Filipina Migrants between Home and Abroad. In R. Cribb (Ed.). Asia Examined: Proceedings of the 15th Biennial Conference of the ASAA. Canberra: Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) & Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS), the Australian National University (electronic publication).
  • McKay D. 2003. Reading Remittance Landscapes: Female Migration and Agricultural Transition in the Philippines. In R. Wadley, O. Mertz & AE. Christensen (Eds.). Proceedings of the International Conference, Danish University Consortium on Environment and Development – Sustainable Land Use and Natural Resource Management (DUCED-SLUSE) and the Institute of Geography, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (vol. 2, pp. 321-340). Local land Use Strategies in a Globalizing World: Shaping Sustainable Social and Natural Environments.
  • McKay D. 2002. Filipina Identities: Geographies of Social Integration/Exclusion in the Canadian Metropolis (with the Philippine Women Centre, Vancouver.).
  • McKay D, Cahill A, Gibson K. 2007. Strengthening Community Economies: Strategies for Decreasing Dependence and Stimulating Local Development.

Year 1

  • ESC-10041 People and the Environment (module leader)
  • GEG -10013 Human Geographies
  • GEG -10012 Practising Human Geography
  • GEG -10011 Geography and Geographers

Year 2

  • ESC-20049/50 Nature and Society (section leader)
  • GEG - 20009 Singapore Fieldtrip

Year 3

  • GEG-30016 Economic Development and Environmental Transformation (module leader)