Dr Richard Rigby
Faculty of Asian Studies, The Australian National University
Executive Director, ANU China Institute |
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The ANU China Institute was established in March 2007. It engages the research and teaching talents of the university's academics to bring greater focus to our collective activities and to highlight the work of the largest collective of China specialists in Australia. The abiding attention given to the Chinese world (the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora), be it in terms of trade, diplomacy, climate change or academic and cultural exchange in Australia and internationally provides us with new opportunities to enhance the work of ANU China scholars, and to showcase our achievements in publications (including through our leading journals), research, education and outreach activities.
Richard Rigby graduated with First Class Honours in History at the ANU in 1970, and went on to do his Ph.D - subsequently reworked and published by the ANU Press as The May 30th Movement - under Professor Wang Gungwu in the then Department of Far Eastern History (now East Asian History). He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1975, where he worked until the end of 2001: postings included Tokyo, Beijing (twice), Shanghai (Consul-General 1994-1998), London, and Israel (Ambassador, 2000-2001). He then joined the Office of National Assessments as Assistant Director-General, responsible for North and South Asia, where he worked until taking up the China Institute position in April 2008.
While engaged in government work, Richard continued to pursue his academic interests with a series of translations, book reviews and articles on China-related matters. His personal interests in this regard are largely literary and historical, but his profession has ensured a pretty thorough immersion in all aspects of contemporary China and other major Asian cultures.