Maya Chew
Academic and research departments
Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences.About
My research project
Understanding the Life Course of Older Trans Women in MalaysiaMaya's work explores the ageing experiences of older transgender women in the Global South, with Malaysia as the focal region.
The LGBTQ+ community in Malaysia is highly marginalised given the political exertion for conformity to cisheteronormativity, i.e. subscription to traditional gender norms where sex, sexuality, and gender identities are perceived to be immutable. Consequently, persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly trans women, is widespread and often sensationalised in the media. Trans women, being highly visible, endure significant stigmatization, and those lacking the means to integrate into society experience significant societal discrimination.
This research draws from intersectionality and decolonial epistemologies in understanding trans identity and inequalities experienced in a cultural divergent space from the Global North. Set against the backdrop of a complex and challenging Malaysian sociopolitical climate, the research delves into the questions of how we define normativity and how these definitions influence the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, specifically trans women in the Global South, through the case of Malaysia. Maya's body of work utilises novel creative qualitative research methodology.
Maya is a Fellow of the Centre of Excellence on Ageing, a partner of the UN-affiliated Global Initiative on Ageing Foundation (GIA), and the recipient of the 2024/25 ESRC IAA Commercialisation Fellowship, supporting Professor Amelia Hadfield in developing the Centre for Britain and Europe (CBE).
Supervisors
Maya's work explores the ageing experiences of older transgender women in the Global South, with Malaysia as the focal region.
The LGBTQ+ community in Malaysia is highly marginalised given the political exertion for conformity to cisheteronormativity, i.e. subscription to traditional gender norms where sex, sexuality, and gender identities are perceived to be immutable. Consequently, persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly trans women, is widespread and often sensationalised in the media. Trans women, being highly visible, endure significant stigmatization, and those lacking the means to integrate into society experience significant societal discrimination.
This research draws from intersectionality and decolonial epistemologies in understanding trans identity and inequalities experienced in a cultural divergent space from the Global North. Set against the backdrop of a complex and challenging Malaysian sociopolitical climate, the research delves into the questions of how we define normativity and how these definitions influence the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, specifically trans women in the Global South, through the case of Malaysia. Maya's body of work utilises novel creative qualitative research methodology.
Maya is a Fellow of the Centre of Excellence on Ageing, a partner of the UN-affiliated Global Initiative on Ageing Foundation (GIA), and the recipient of the 2024/25 ESRC IAA Commercialisation Fellowship, supporting Professor Amelia Hadfield in developing the Centre for Britain and Europe (CBE).
University roles and responsibilities
- Business Director, Centre for Britain and Europe
My qualifications
Affiliations and memberships
ResearchResearch interests
- Gender
- Queer Studies
- Cultural Gerontology
- Postcolonialism
- Politics
- Social Policy
Research projects
'Unseen Surrey: An Exploratory Overview of the NEETs Crisis’ is a cutting-edge report, commissioned by Peter Cluff, the brand-new High Sheriff of Surrey, to explore the critical challenges that lead young people (specifically between the ages of 16-18) to become ‘not in education, employment or training’, the risk factors that lead to these NEET outcomes.
The project was commissioned by the Surrey County Council with the aim to drive economic development of the county through cross-sector collaboration.
A review of the Surrey Food Supply Chain and relevant stakeholders, i.e. farmers, sellers, and local government policy. Collaborative project with MHA Bakertilly for the Rural Policy Group (RPG).
Research interests
- Gender
- Queer Studies
- Cultural Gerontology
- Postcolonialism
- Politics
- Social Policy
Research projects
'Unseen Surrey: An Exploratory Overview of the NEETs Crisis’ is a cutting-edge report, commissioned by Peter Cluff, the brand-new High Sheriff of Surrey, to explore the critical challenges that lead young people (specifically between the ages of 16-18) to become ‘not in education, employment or training’, the risk factors that lead to these NEET outcomes.
The project was commissioned by the Surrey County Council with the aim to drive economic development of the county through cross-sector collaboration.
A review of the Surrey Food Supply Chain and relevant stakeholders, i.e. farmers, sellers, and local government policy. Collaborative project with MHA Bakertilly for the Rural Policy Group (RPG).
Sustainable development goals
My research interests are related to the following:
Publications
Additional publications
- Chew, M. and King, A. (2025 - forthcoming) Queering Cultural Gerontology, in Twigg, J., & Martin, W. (Eds.) Routledge Handbook of Cultural Gerontology (2nd ed.). Routledge.
- Chew, M. (2025) 'Reconceptualising Gender Expressions of Older Trans Women in Malaysia', at the Evidence-based Care for Aging Trans and Non-binary People Workshop, 31 March-3 April 2025, Lorentz Center at Universiteit Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Chew, M. (2024) 'Life course of Ageing Trans women: Sociohistorical Influence in later Life', at the Health and Social Needs of the Gender Diverse Conference, 9-10 November 2024, Penang, Malaysia.
- Chew, M. (2024) Trans Ageing in Malaysia: Navigating Challenges in Later Life, 1st International Forum on LGBTQI+ Ageing in Southern Europe, 30 Sep-1 Oct, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.
- Chew, M. (2024) 'Disparities of Ageing Trans Women in the Global South: The Malaysian Context', at the symposium panel on Not Just for the Queers: The Salience of Research on LGBTQ+ Ageing for Generalist Gerontology and Geriatrics, and Transforming the World, 27th Nordic Congress of Gerontology, 14-17 June, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.
- Chew, M. (2023) Ageing Trans Identities: Understanding the Life Course of Older Malaysian Trans Women. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7986276
- Coffman, J., Chew, M., Tweedie, R., Hadlock, A. (2016) Balik Kampung: Memories of Fulbright ETAs in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: MACEE.