Dr David Ocón is an interdisciplinary cultural historian and anthropologist who works on Asian cultural heritage’s intersections with preservation, tourism, digitalisation, nature, gastronomy, and sustainability. He also analyses cultural diplomacy and cooperation in the Asian region, particularly between China, Japan, South Korea and the ASEAN countries.
David has twenty years of experience in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors. As a practitioner, he led departments at organisations such as the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF, Singapore), ENCATC (Belgium), and Cervantes Institute (Beijing, China), where he was the head of culture.
David is currently an Assistant Professor at Singapore Management University’s School of Social Sciences, where he teaches and researches Culture and Heritage Management, Cultural Diplomacy in Asia, Urban Cultural Anthropology, Arts Marketing, and Art, Culture and Society. He is also a visiting faculty at University of Barcelona’s International Cultural Cooperation and Management Postgraduate Programme and has previously worked
David regularly provides strategic advice and support for Kong and James Cook University. cultural organisations worldwide.
YOUNG Wei Ping is an independent researcher and archaeologist with research interests in environmental archaeology, food histories, sustainability, and how natural and cultural systems intersect.
She is currently a Research Assistant for the Singapore Management University, investigating sustainable conservation approaches to death spaces in Asia. As a cultural heritage practitioner, she has supported historical and archaeological work in Singapore through the ISEAS -Yusof Ishak Institute and the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), and has participated in fieldwork in the Southeast Asian region and abroad.
