ETHNOMAD is an independent ethnographic platform dedicated to documenting and sharing the living knowledge of cultures in transition. Our work focuses on traditional societies, heritage, and human creativity, from mountain villages and desert communities, the coastal and remote Islands, to artisans, storytellers, and custodians of ancestral craft.
Founded by Dr Tom Corcoran, ETHNOMAD combines ethnography, film, photography, and research to document how people preserve identity and meaning in a rapidly changing world. We create books, films, educational resources, and exhibitions that bring field knowledge into public understanding.
Fading Cultures is our flagship project, a continuing series of stories, research, and visual works that explore how traditional and tribal communities adapt under pressure from conflict, modernisation, and climate change. Through Fading Cultures Magazine, we connect readers with authentic field narratives drawn from decades of on-the-ground experience.
ETHNOMAD stands for authentic storytelling, cultural respect, and the belief that documenting human diversity is essential to understanding who we are and what we stand to lose.
Tom Corcoran
PhD, MSc, BSc, MM, ACP
Dr Tom Corcoran is a Conservation Ethnographer, filmmaker, and humanitarian whose fieldwork spans more than forty years across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. He has lived and worked in the high mountain villages of Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the coastal settlements of Karachi, across the nomadic trails of Syria and Jordan, and in the forests and deserts of Madagascar, Indonesia, Tanzania, Algeria, and beyond. His work is rooted in long listening and in the belief that culture survives not through monuments, but through the people who carry memory forward.
A National Geographic Society Global Explorer, Dr. Corcoran is a recipient of both the European Outdoor Conservation Award and the FORD Award for Conservation Films, recognising his commitment to documenting Indigenous knowledge, community resilience, and the fragile link between environment and identity.
His long-term project, From the Cave to the Canvas, follows the early movement of oil painting across the Afghanistan–Pakistan frontier, tracing its origins along ancient trade routes from Bamiyan to Peshawar and into the Indian subcontinent. He has presented this work internationally, including in Heritage for Peace and Progress and The Heritage of Buddhist Pakistan, contributing to the wider understanding of cultural transmission and artistic evolution across Central and South Asia.
Dr. Corcoran has served as a senior advisor to the United Nations, international NGOs, and national governments, working on cultural heritage, Indigenous knowledge, and humanitarian response. He coordinated part of the UN response to the Beirut Port Blast in Lebanon, and spent several years in Afghanistan, including during the Taliban’s return to power. His assignments have taken him from supporting pastoralists in East Africa to advising on heritage-sensitive earthquake reconstruction in South Asia, and from tribal homelands in Bhutan to communities navigating the pressures of forced migration.
He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Fading Cultures Magazine and CEO of ETHNOMAD, a global cultural storytelling platform dedicated to documenting endangered traditions and the people who keep them alive. Across his career, Dr. Corcoran has worked beside tribal elders, artisans, and custodians of oral history, producing films, heritage reports, and field studies that reveal how communities hold on to meaning in a world that often pushes them aside.
His work stands at the meeting point of ethnography, humanitarian practice, and cultural memory, shaped by a lifetime of travel, respect for tradition, and a clear-eyed commitment to preserving the voices that modernity risks forgetting.
Jasmine San Jose - Aniukova
Jasmine is a seasoned global explorer with a background in Business Administration and Tourism and is the driving force behind the promotions and marketing strategy at ETHNOMAD and the Fading Cultures Magazine. Born in the Philippines, she embarked on her journey of discovery at a young age, leaving her homeland to pursue a career that would span continents and oceans. Over the past decade, Jasmine has navigated the world aboard cruisers and sailboats, immersing herself in the vibrant diversity of cultures, landscapes, and traditions.
From the bustling markets of Southeast Asia to the tranquil shores of the Mediterranean, Jasmine has cultivated a unique understanding of the intricate threads that weave humanity together. Her global perspective is deeply personal—her own family’s story reflects a beautiful diversity, with roots in the Philippines and connections across three continents, scattered between Eastern Europe and the United States.
Jasmine’s experiences have instilled in her a profound appreciation for the world’s cultural richness, making her a vital advocate for the ETHNOMAD mission to document, preserve, and celebrate traditions at risk of fading away. Her work draws inspiration from her love of storytelling and her belief that every culture, no matter how small or remote, has lessons to teach about resilience, identity, and humanity’s shared journey.
Farhana Akter
Farhana Akter is a communications and project coordination professional with a background in Communication and Journalism. Her work in Bangladesh has involved youth programmes, community engagement, and collaboration with Indigenous and climate-affected communities. Through these experiences, she has developed a clear understanding of how culture, identity, and lived experience shape the stories people carry.
Farhana believes that storytelling grounded in empathy and cultural awareness can strengthen community voice and preserve heritage in times of rapid change. She has supported local organisations in documenting untold narratives, building outreach strategies, and connecting younger generations with cultural knowledge.
At ETHNOMAD and the Fading Cultures Project, Farhana contributes to communications, social media, and field coordination, helping bring authentic stories and visual narratives to a wider global audience. She is committed to supporting work that honours cultural diversity and the resilience of communities on the margins of modern development.
"Bringing Stories to Life Through the People Who Live Them
