Katia Chaterji is conducting research titled “The Transmission of Islam to Maritime Southeast Asia: Performance and Identity in Sumatra.” This project will contribute to Katia’s PhD dissertation in History which explores Islam in maritime Southeast Asia, and how this Islamic heritage influences the expression of cultural, religious, and national identities today through Malay literary and performing arts. Katia will work with faculty and arts practitioners at the Institute of Arts Indonesia (ISI) Padangpanjang in West Sumatra.

Katia is a PhD student in Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean History at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her educational and professional experiences have been in South Asian archaeology and cultural heritage preservation and management.