The Dried Fish Matters (DFM) team is delighted to celebrate the successful PhD defence of Colleen Cranmer from the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa, whose research offers an important contribution to understanding gender, labour and transformation within small-scale fisheries and dried fish economies in Cambodia. Colleen’s dissertation, Dried Fish Livelihoods: Women’s Work and the Transformation of Processing at the Tonlé Sap, was completed under the supervision Dr Melissa Marschke.
Reflecting on her research, Colleen notes: “My research explores how ecological decline, aquaculture expansion, and market-driven development are reshaping dried fish economies at Cambodia’s Tonlé Sap Lake. Focusing on women working in micro-scale fish processing, it examines how the shifting socio-economic and environmental landscape intersects within everyday labour, gender norms, and local food systems. The research highlights how women’s work remains central to fisheries economies while often being overlooked in development policy and governance.”
Her work strongly resonates with DFM’s broader focus on gender, social economy, livelihoods and justice within dried fish value chains across South and Southeast Asia. By centering women’s experiences and labour, the dissertation contributes important insights into the transformations taking place within fisheries-based food systems amidst wider ecological and economic changes.
Colleen also shared her gratitude to those who supported her throughout her PhD journey: “A special thank you to the guidance and support of my supervisor Melissa Marschke and to the entire Dried Fish Matters team, whose encouragement and collaboration made my PhD a deeply rewarding experience.”
The DFM team warmly congratulates Colleen on this significant achievement and looks forward to seeing the continued impact of her research within fisheries studies, gender and development scholarship, and policy discussions surrounding small-scale fisheries and food systems.
Her dissertation is available through the University of Ottawa Research repository.
Congratulations once again to Dr Colleen Cranmer on this remarkable milestone.