Dr Emiline Smith
- Lecturer (Sociology)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1813-267XBiography
Dr Emiline Smith is a Lecturer in Criminology at the School of Social and Political Sciences. She is a member of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, the Trafficking Culture Research Consortium, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. She is also a Fellow at the Centre for Criminology at the University of Hong Kong, and an advisor for the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign. Prior to becoming a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, Emiline obtained a PhD in Criminology at the University of Glasgow and worked as a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Liverpool in Singapore.
Emiline’s research concerns the trafficking of cultural and natural resources, such as antiquities and wildlife. Her research primarily focuses on Asia; she has done fieldwork in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. She explores how and why participants take part in illicit transnational trades, and how urban settings, especially so-called ‘global cities’, facilitate such trade. She is further interested in plastic waste disposal and its impact on marine environments.
Emiline recently wrote and published a children's book titled 'Pema and the Stolen Statue from Dolpa'. Illustrated by Krisha Tamrakar (Artudio, Kathmandu), this trilingual storybook highlights the unique cultural and natural heritage of one of Nepal's most isolated and remote regions, Dolpa. The book was formally launched at the Taragaon Next in Kathmandu on 3 December 2021, and accompanied by a special museum exhibition about the Dolpa region. The story centres around a young girl named Pema, who learns more about the unique cultural heritage of her region. She sets off to return a stolen statue to its rightful place. To learn about the book, order a copy and donate to support efforts to protect Dolpa's cultural heritage, see: www.stolenstatues.com
Grants
- 2022-23 ESRC Impact Acceleration Account. Project: ‘Inspiring Nepal’s Future Generation to Protect Cultural & Natural Heritage’ (PI);
- 2021-22 SCCJR Development Fund (PI): 'Tracing Informal and Illicit Plastic Waste Disposal in the Maldives' (PI);
- 2021-22 SPS ECR Support Fund. Project: ‘Beheaded Buddhas & Empty Stupas: Looting and Trafficking of Sri Lankan Cultural Objects’ (PI);
- 2020-21 GCRF Small Grants: 'Art, Feathers & Crime: New Approaches to Studying Natural and Cultural Heritage Trafficking in Indonesia' (PI);
- 2020-21 U21 Researcher Resilience Fund (PI): New Research and Teaching Pathways in the Digital Age: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities for Criminologists and Sociologists During Covid-19' (PI);
- 2019-21 GCRF Small Grants (PI): 'Global synchronization and the illicit antiquities trade: understanding community crime prevention in post-earthquake Nepal and Myanmar' (PI).
Supervision
Dr Smith accepts PhD proposals in the areas of art crime, trafficking and repatriation of cultural objects, wildlife trafficking, green criminology, blue criminology, illicit trade and trafficking networks, and global and comparative criminology. Those interested in studying with her are asked to include both their CV and an abridged project proposal in any inquiries.
