Thursday, June 26. 2008Damage to research cultureDr Ruth Barraclough, of the Faculty of Asian Studies China & Korea Centre, writes: Brendan Nelson’s time as Minister for Education had a lasting impact on the university sector, with his most infamous act his veto of funding for research projects that bothered him. Nine projects were vetoed in the face of recommendations for funding based on peer review by the Australian Research Council. This created a culture of paranoia in universities, leaving many researchers wondering if they should stop pursuing the questions they believed were important and instead focus on the question: will the government be bothered by this? [This article was first printed in the opinion columns of the Canberra Times on 21 June 2008] Wednesday, June 25. 2008ANU delegates discuss language change in Jakarta workshop![]() ANU scholars from the College of Asia and the Pacific played a key role in the success of an international workshop on “Language Change in Post New Order Indonesia” at the University of Indonesia, Jakarta, between June 9 – 11, 2008. Among the themes of the workshop were Indonesia’s proposed new law on the regulation of language, the impact of decentralisation on Indonesia’s regional languages, and the renewed role of Chinese as a language of public disourse in Indonesia. Papers were in English and Indonesian, but discussion was conducted wholly in the Indonesian language. Dr Tim Hassall [pictured, right] presented a paper titled “Functions and status of western synonyms in Indonesian", Mr Amrih Widodo’s paper explored “The language of security" and Dr George Quinn discussed “How Javanese distinctness finds a public place in the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia”. Dr Francisca Handoko (Linguistics Department, RSPAS) analysed “The changing role of Mandarin in the Indonesian educational system, past, present and future: A preliminary study of its role in the international and ‘national plus’ schools in Surabaya”. Two recent visiting fellows in the Faculty of Asian Studies also contributed to the workshop. Professor Ben Arps (Leiden University) presented a paper titled “From village dialects to Language: The becoming of basa Osing in Banyuwangi” and Professor Mikihiro Moriyama (Nanzan University) spoke on the “Revival of Sundanese?”. Professor Moriyama was also the principal convenor of the workshop. The proceedings of the workshop are now undergoing revision with a view to publication next year. Friday, June 20. 2008Japan's workforce dwindling![]() Japan is destined to lose 70 percent of its workforce in the next forty years thanks to an aging population and a dwindling birth rate. The ruling party is floating the idea of a drastic increase in the number of migrants... An ABC Radio Australia interview with Stephanie March (presenter) and Sumie Ishii, Executive Director of the Japanese Organisation for International Cooperation in Family Planning, Tokyo, and Kent Anderson, [pictured left] Director of Faculty of Asian Studies, at the Australian National University. Text | Audio Wednesday, June 18. 2008[forthcoming] The Cultural Politics of Disadvantaged Castes in IndiaThe Cultural Politics of Disadvantaged Castes in India A workshop supported by the Australian Research Council (APFRN South Asia Node), the College of Asia & the Pacific, and the College of Arts & Social Sciences, The Australian National University. The aim of this workshop is to bring together scholars studying old and new patterns of social, economic and political domination and empowerment in India. The participants will examine how low caste communities, such as ex-untouchable groups (dalits) and other underprivileged sections of society, encounter and experience caste, class and gender prejudice, the discourse and practice of development; law and order, media and education. The workshop aims to provide a platform for multidisciplinary discussion of the relationship between culture, community, livelihood, the nation- state and the struggles of disadvantaged castes in contemporary Indian society.
Further information: http://occident.anu.edu.au/Cultural_Politics_web.pdf Thursday, June 5. 2008Japan Honours Distinguished Faculty Scholar![]() His Majesty the Emperor of Japan has conferred The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon on Dr Royall Tyler, former Reader and now Visiting Fellow in the Faculty of Asian Studies, acknowledging his exceptional contribution in introducing non Japanese audiences to the Noh theatre through his highly acclaimed translations and publications of numerous Noh plays, culminating in over forty years of research and deep understanding of classical Japanese literature and culture. In 2001 Dr Tyler completed translating the entire Tale of Genji, a task that took approximately eight years. The result is not only a faithful rendering of the original but an outstanding example of modern English, replete with detailed commentary and illustrations that facilitate an understanding of the story. Dr Tyler's translation has made Tale of Genji accessible to a wider audience. In 2001, the translation was awarded the Japan-US Friendship Commission’s Translation Prize. In addition, Dr Tyler's translation of anthology of medieval setsuwa stories Japanese Tales (1987) is highly regarded and has attracted a multitude of readers. 2007 saw Dr Tyler awarded a prestigious Japan Foundation Award for his contribution to the understanding of Japanese literature and culture in foreign countries through his long term research into and teaching Japanese literature. Friday, May 30. 2008ANU students' success in Japanese law competition![]() ANU law students proved that they could hold their own in an international competition, even when the odds are against them. Five undergraduates went to Tokyo in December to compete in the sixth annual Intercollegiate Negotiation and Arbitration Competition. They were representing the nation as part of the Australian Network for Japanese Law (ANJeL) team. This includes students from the universities of Sydney and New South Wales,who competed in the English-speaking side of the competition. The ANU students made up the Japanese-speaking half of Team Australia. Full report: http://occident.anu.edu.au/Japanese.pdf Tuesday, May 27. 2008Faculty member wins important Korean Film Council grant![]() After many months of deliberating proposals from across the world, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has decided to award their annual overseas research grant (± US$ 15,000) to Dr Maliangkay, [right] Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies, in support of his Watching Images in the Dark: Cinematic Experience in Korea during the silent Era project. The project aims to take a holistic view of the first years of Korean cinema history, carefully describing what it was like for Koreans (and a handful of foreigners) to go to the cinema during the early days of the twentieth century. Questions he will focus on include, "what was performed on stage during the intermission or the changing of reels", and "how did the separate seating arrangement of genders affect the experience" and "how did people acquire tickets" etc. For more information on the Council's activities, see: http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/index.jsp Wednesday, May 21. 2008Dr George Quinn profiled in 'Asian Currents'![]() The May 2008 issue of Asian Currents, issued by the Asian Studies Association of Australia, carries a short profile of Dr George Quinn, Head of the Southeast Asia Centre in the Faculty of Asian Studies. The profile begins: "I was born and grew up in New Zealand. In January 1966, aged just 23, I visited Indonesia. The country was in turmoil after an army coup (or in the eyes of some, an attempted communist coup) the previous year. Hundreds of thousands of people had been killed. Inflation was running at around 600% and services were minimal. Government was still nominally in the hands of the incompetent President Soekarno but the country was emerging from the paranoia he had imposed over the previous seven years. For me Indonesia was an exciting world, dramatically different from that of remote, tranquil New Zealand..." The full profile is at: http://iceaps.anu.edu.au/ac/asian-currents-08-05.html Saturday, May 10. 2008Thesis of former student Kevin Rudd in news![]() The Sydney Morning Herald has given front-page attention to the Honours thesis of a former student of the Faculty, the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The subject of Mr Rudd's thesis, submitted in 1980, was Human Rights in China: the Case of Wei Jingsheng. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the dissident Wei Jingsheng, described as 'China's Sakharov', who spent eighteen years in a Chinese prison for advocating human rights, was 'a seminal influence on Rudd'. [full report] Friday, May 9. 2008Gender, Youth and Economic Empowerment in the Pacific workshop![]() On April 16-17, Pacific Studies Convener Dr. Katerina Teaiwa collaborated with Associate Professor Satish Chand of the Crawford School of Economics and Government and Professor Margaret Jolly, Head of the Gender Relations Centre, in a conjoint workshop with Sun-Hee Lee, Sophie Temby and Owen Martin of AusAID. The workshop was Gender, Youth and Economic Empowerment in the Pacific and held at the Rydges Lakeside hotel. [report] Tuesday, May 6. 2008Faculty student wins Chinese art performance prize![]() Patrick Mayoh of Modern Chinese 5 won first prize in Chinese art performance and second prize in overall ranking at the Han Yu Qiao Australian preliminary in Adelaide last Friday. The top two winners,including Patrick Mayoh, will travel to China to compete in the semi-final in June. Han Yu Qiao (Adelaide) is a competition among university students of Chinese from the ACT, South Australia, West Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland sponsored by the Chinese Government. Tuesday, May 6. 2008Oceanic Connections conference success![]() On April 16 and 17, 2008 the Pacific Centre hosted the 2nd conference of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Pacific Studies (AAAPS), Oceanic Connections, at the ANU. Dr Katerina Teaiwa, Pacific Studies Convener, was a co-organizer with Professor Stewart Firth, Head of the Pacific Centre, and Professor Margaret Jolly, Head of Gender Relations. This was a very successful event, attracting one hundred and forty registrants, eighty-five presenters and a vigorous program of cultural activities and dance performances. [full report] Tuesday, May 6. 2008Faculty student wins Oxford scholarship![]() Daniel Pascoe, a student in the Faculty of Asian Studies Southeast Asia Centre, has won one of two Senior Scholarships offered annually to study at Lincoln College, Oxford. Mr Pascoe will begin a Master's degree at Lincoln College in early October. Being given the opportunity to study at Oxford, he says, is "a dream come true," [Pictured: ivy-covered wall, Lincoln College] Wednesday, April 30. 2008The Korean Entertainment Industry in the 1940s & 50s A seminar given by: Dr Roald MaliangkayWhen: 1 May, 1-2 p.m. Where: 1.07 Baldessin Precinct Building For Koreans, the colonial period and the ensuing Korean War were enormous tragedies that caused the disruption of many family-lines, as well as that of Korean traditions, and the oppression of political aspirations. I assume mostly out of respect for the generations who suffered during this time, Korean academics have been reluctant to explore the many untraditional cultural activities between the early 1940s and late 1950s. And yet, from the end of the colonial period, modern pop culture became a major source of inspiration that apart from introducing new performing styles connoted a new way of life that virtually threw out the stylistic concepts of old. It opened an entirely new and exciting world to Koreans eager to connect directly and actively with the fads and ideals of the West. The lack of secondary sources on Korean entertainment during the period poses several problems, however, self- Orientalism being one of them. Considering some of the most successful Korean artists during this time practised a form of self-Orientalism, I wonder how I can do justice to their important entrepreneurship without becoming their academic representative: how does one approach a topic that constitutes new territory and involves many female starlets whose work is exotic in terms of their performing styles and song repertories, without becoming its main spokesman? Or do my concerns in this matter in fact reflect a disguised self-Occidentalism? In my talk I will seek help from the audience in trying to tackle these questions in order to pursue my enquiry in this field as fairly as possible. Tuesday, April 29. 2008Criminal Justice in JapanAnd just recently a court ruled he's going to stay there—even though the only evidence against him was a confession obtained under duress. The trial system is being reformed—juries are about to be introduced and victims given a greater say...but defence lawyers aren't sure this is going to create a more transparent process. Professor Kent Anderson, ANU College of Law, and Director of the Faculty of Asian Studies [right] in a panel discussion on the ABC Law Report [listen] |
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Thursday, June 26 2008 ANU delegates discuss language change in Jakarta workshop Wednesday, June 25 2008 Japan's workforce dwindling Friday, June 20 2008 [forthcoming] The Cultural Politics of Disadvantaged Castes in India Wednesday, June 18 2008 Japan Honours Distinguished Faculty Scholar Thursday, June 5 2008 CategoriesSyndicate This BlogCredits
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