Lorena Gibson and Eli Elinoff ‘Commoning Ethnography’
with hosts Dr. Monica Mottin and Diego Jaimes-Niño

In this episode of the of our podcast, HaP team members Dr. Monica Mottin, research fellow for HaP in the Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies, and Diego Jaimes-Niño, project coordinator, spoke with Dr. Lorena Gibson and Dr. Eli Elinoff about their experiments in their journal, "Commoning Ethnography". They took us through the politics of commoning and how—from a research topic—it emerged as a methodology. Dr. Gibson and Dr. Elinoff share their experiences as the editors of the journal and the challenges of its publication, reflecting more largely about ethnographic practice, particularly in Aotearoa. Can ethnography be a site, source or scene of commoning? What new possibilities emerge when we combine commoning and ethnography? What is the importance of considering hope as a researcher? And why dedicate a journal to such a seemingly paradoxical experiment? We explore these questions through Lorena and Eli's experiences as editors and through their own research.

Dr. Lorena Gibson is a Senior Lecturer in the Cultural Anthropology Programme at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. Her research interests include NGOs, international development, education, critical pedagogy, music, and hope.

Dr. Eli Elinoff is a Senior Lecturer in the Cultural Anthropology Programme at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. His research explores the intersection between politics, urbanization, and environmental transformation in Southeast Asia. Listen to the episode here.

Sabina Tandukar
with host Christiane Brosius

In this episode of the HaP podcast, and within the Commoning strand, conservation architect and urban designer Sabina Tandukar reflected on her work preserving Kathmandu Valley’s living heritage—from ponds to historic streets and phalchaas (traditional rest houses) that serve as community lifelines. Speaking with Dr. Christiane Brosius, Tandukar shared her experiences fighting against neglect and top-down development pressures, emphasizing dialogue, collaboration, and the role of younger generations in reimagining heritage as part of everyday life. Through the case study of a street stretch in Sunaguthi, Tandukar highlightes how this was a moment in people’s solidarity in heritage preservation. She notes how people came together to resist street widening projects and to also make the street vehicle free during festivals. Further in her second case Tandukar highlights how reviving water bodies like Nigu Pukhu and protecting communal spaces not only safeguard history but also foster sustainability, social bonding, and a renewed sense of belonging in rapidly urbanizing Nepal.

Sabina Tandukar is a conservation architect and urban designer based in Kathmandu, Nepal, her projects span between monument conservation and urban conservation where she works with local residents and stakeholders as well as municipal institutions to think about and preserve local heritage for the present context. Listen to the episode here. 

Swosti Rajbhandari-Kayastha
with hosts Diego Jaimes-Niño and Tara Brahme

In this episode of HaP's podcast, as part of the "Commoning" Series, Swosti Rajbhandari-Kayastha, curator, museologist and scholar from Kathmandu, Nepal, spoke with HaP project coordinator Diego Jaimes-Niño and student assistant Tara Brahme, about creating the Itumbaha Museum, a community initiative within a living heritage site in Kathmandu. Swosti discussed how a diversity of stakeholders came together to realise the project of adding a small museum to one of the oldest Newah Buddhist Monasteries in Kathmandu. During the process, balancing museographic exercise with the living heritage practices of the place came as a challenge, leading to processes of (un)learning and collaborative work, which also implied reflections from Swosti on the nature and methods of museographic practice itself. The layered meanings of "community" in the making of the museum are explored through the action of different stakeholders, including young students and stewards of the place, international organisations and self-denominated "activists" who opposed the museum's creation in its start. The project is revealed as the product of negotiations and socialities of those involved in its creation.

Swosti Rajbhandari Kayastha is a scholar of Nepali cultural heritage. She is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar (2024-25) in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, a board member of the Patan Museum and a senate member of Lumbini Buddhist University. Listen to the episode here.