Huiying Ng - K. Sivaramakrishnan Reflection

Huiying Ng
University of Oulu

I spent January to May 2023 in New Haven, as a visiting doctoral student at the Agrarian Studies Centre. That time period was hard - I found the gated campus difficult to live near, and the realities of New Haven a stark challenge. I also dived into the libraries, and came to meet friends, colleagues and mentors I hold dear.

All these things are true, still. And - as I learnt in my time at the Agrarian Studies Centre - this longterm transformation of the town is experienced as keenly by fellow scholars as what happens far elsewhere, and as difficult to change as things elsewhere are.

Shivi's mentorship to me, in my brief stint there, has shown me the value of the long, slightly detached but attentive work of observing change over time, and encouraging younger scholars to keep writing, thinking, and acting on this with conviction and courage. I have utmost gratitude. I hope retirement brings much space and time for more writing, walking, reflection, fieldwork, good conversations, and reading to Shivi - with the knowledge that his teaching has and is still bearing fruit :)

Huiying Ng