===================================== MONASH ASIA INSTITUTE BULLETIN 12/2006 1 December 2006 ===================================== In this bulletin 1. Seasons Greetings from the Director, MAI 2. Monash College launched in Sri Lanka 3. International Conference on Humid Tropical Ecosystems in Kandy, Sri Lanka 4. Position available: Comparative Islamic Feminism(s) 5. Conference on Lao studies 6. Website of the month ________ Item 1. Seasons Greetings from Director, MAI The Director, staff, students and Executive Committee of the Monash Asia Institute take this opportunity to wish you a happy and safe break over the coming New Year holidays. We also thank you all for your interest and support in our activities during what has again proved to be an exciting and productive year. Monash Asia Institute, as with Monash University, is closed from 20 December 2006 until 1 January. The university will reopen on 2 January 2007. ________ Item 2. Monash College launched in Sri Lanka Monash College recently launched a new operation in Sri Lanka in partnership with the Ceylinco Group's Australian National College (ANC). The college will take students from Sri Lanka and from South India, the Maldives, the Middle East and wider South Asian region. For more details, http://www.monash.edu.au/news/nov06-monashcollege.html ________ Item 3. International Conference on Humid Tropical Ecosystems: Changes, Challenges and Opportunities 4–9 December 2006 Earl's Regency, Thennekumbura, Kandy, Sri Lanka Organized by Sri Lanka’s National MAB Committee and the National Science Foundation, in collaboration with the International MAB Secretariat, Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, UNESCO. The International Conference on Humid Tropical Ecosystems will explore themes on ecotourism, mass tourism, humid tropics and poverty alleviation and the climate change crisis in the humid tropics. For more details, http://www.mablanka.lk/hte/ To download a brochure, http://www.mablanka.lk/hte/down/flyer.pdf ________ Item 4. Position available: Comparative Islamic Feminism(s) The Department of Women’s Studies at the University of California, Riverside is conducting an open rank search for a full-time, tenured or tenure-track position beginning July 1, 2007. The department seeks innovative scholarship which broadly engages the issues of women, gender, and sexualities within comparative Islamic feminism(s). We are particularly interested in scholars with primary research strength in one or more of the following areas: (1) gender justice and equality debates in historical and contemporary Islamic practices; (2) comparative perspectives on gender, sex, and sexuality in Islam; (3) Islamic feminist readings of both textual and non-textual practices; (4) comparative feminist interpretations of Islam; (5) histories of state violence against Muslim women: (6) gender and modernity in Islam; (7) Muslim women in the diaspora; and (8) representations of women in Islam (in literature, visual arts, media and other artistic expressions). The successful candidate will teach core and elective courses in women, gender, and/or sexuality studies within a transnational focus. Ph.D. required. Please send Curriculum Vitae, letter of application, and other supporting materials to: Marguerite Waller, Chair of Search Committee, Department of Women’s Studies, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521. Review of completed applications will begin on January 15, 2007, and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants for the Assistant Professor level should submit three letters of recommendation; applicants for Associate or Full professor should include the names and addresses of at least three referees. All applicants must submit a writing sample and evidence of teaching ability. Salary commensurate with education and experience. The University of California, Riverside, is an EEO/AA employer. Website: http://WomensStudies.ucr.edu. ________ Item 5. Second International Conference on Lao studies May 3–6, 2007 Arizona State University, Temple, Arizona, USA Deadline for panel proposal: 15 December 2006 Deadline for abstracts: 5 January 2007 The Faculty of Southeast Asian Studies at Arizona State University, and the Center for Lao Studies, San Francisco are pleased to announce the Second International Conference on Lao Studies (ICLS) to be held on Thursday-Sunday, May 3–6, 2007 in Tempe, Arizona, USA. The main objective of this conference is to promote Lao studies by providing an international forum for scholars to present and discuss various aspects of Lao studies. The 2007 conference will feature presentations on any topic concerning Lao Studies. For more information, http://www.laostudies.org/ ________ Item 6. Website of the month http://vedda.org/ The Veddas are the aboriginal inhabitants of Sri Lanka. Traditionally, their material culture and subsistence patterns were very simple. They lived in caves and rock shelters, wore bark-cloth clothing, hunted game with bow and arrow, and gathered wild plants and honey. Only a few Veddas still manage to preserve their cultural identity and traditional lifestyle despite relentless pressure from the surrounding dominant communities. Most have been absorbed into mainstream Sinhala society or Tamil society. This website offers information and resources about this group of people - unique in the world's heritage. It is one of a number of related websites that aim to celebrate Sri Lanka's living heritage. =========================================================== The Monash Asia Institute Newsletter incorporates news items from the six research centres of the Monash Asia Institute, partner organisations and other groups working to promote Asian Studies in Australia. For further information about the Monash Asia Institute and this newsletter: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/ To unsubscribe, please send an email to: monash.asia.institute@adm.monash.edu.au ===========================================================