Bio

Caroline Stevenson obtained her PhD at the Australian Centre on China in the World in 2018. Her research was on Anglo-Chinese relations during the ‘Canton Trade’ period and is working on the Amherst Embassy to the Jiaqing Emperor in 1816. After graduating in 1967 she taught in the Humanities Department at RMIT before accompanying her husband on diplomatic postings. These included Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. Travelling widely throughout Malaysia and Thailand, Caroline developed an interest in the early Chinese export trade in ceramics to South East Asia. She attended courses on the archaeology of the Malay Peninsular at the University of Malaya and presented papers on Chinese export wares to study groups affiliated with the National Museum in Bangkok. On return to Australia Caroline commenced a Masters Degree (Anthropology) at ANU on Malay royal ritual in the early colonial period but this was suspended due to a posting to Washington DC.