===================================== MONASH ASIA INSTITUTE BULLETIN 4/2004 3 May 2004 ===================================== In this bulletin 1. CSEAS Seminars 2. Singapore Workshop 3. MAI Postgraduate Seminar 4. Workshop: Hindu Fundamentalism/Militancy in India 5. 11th Workshop on SEA Women 6. Second Herb Feith Memorial Lecture 7. Annual Indonesia Lecture Series 2004 8. Book off the press: Regional Security in the Asia Pacific 9. Seminar: "Cultural Hybridity" and Indonesian Performing Arts 10. World Musicological Spotlight on Melbourne 11. Seminar: Politics of Television in Egypt 12. Kartini Seminars 13. ASAA Presidents' Prize for Outstanding Thesis on Asia 14. Buddhist Studies in India Exchange Program 15. Conference: Culture and Religions in South and Southeast Asia 16. Website of the month: Southasianmedia Net ---------------------------------------------------- Item 1. CSEAS Seminars Seminars are held on Thursdays 11.00 am (ALL WELCOME) Room SG02 Manton Rooms, Monash University Clayton Campus 6 May 2004 "The Indonesian Economy: Much Unrealised Potential" Dr Robert Rice, Senior Lecturer in Economics (Robert.Rice@BusEco.monash.edu.au) --- 13 May 2004 "Tradition and Change in Sasando - Accompanied Song in Roti, with video and sound clips" Christopher Basile, PhD candidate in Music, Monash University (cbasile@labyrinth.net.au) --- 20 May 2004 "The Use of Torbangan Leaves as Lactagogue in Simalungun, North Sumatra" Rizal Damanik (Rizal.Damanik@med.monash.edu.au) --- 27 May 2004 " 'Boy Thai' - Border Crossings in Thai Music and an Example of Modern Thai Identity" Vicki-Ann Ware, PhD candidate in Music, Monash University (v_ware@ozemail.com.au) ALL WELCOME Enquiries for all CSEAS Seminars: Prof Margaret Kartomi Website: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/cseas/cseasseminar04.html ---------------------------------------------------- Item 2. Workshop on Singapore 10 May 2004, 11.00 am onwards with sandwiches. The Monash Asia Institute and the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies are calling together local Melbourne based scholars who are undertaking research on Singapore. We are encouraging postgraduates, in particular, to participate in this. The MAI has a new PhD postgraduate scholarship candidate working on Singapore - James Gomez. Mr Gomez has extensive links throughout southeast Asia and has identified scholars, senior and junior, working on Singapore both in Australia and abroad. Some of these have indicated an interest in contributing chapters to a proposed series of refereed journal articles in various kinds of special issues to be followed, perhaps, by a monograph on 'Politics and Civil Society in Contemporary Singapore'. The purpose of the workshop on the 10th May is to share ideas, bring together senior and junior scholars, discuss the way forward to the next stage, and consider some of the paper abstracts that have started to come in. Copies of these abstracts will be distributed to interested persons shortly. Our model for this Singapore workshop and further initiatives is the Harvard Law School that has a vigorous postgraduate research program that also encourages doctoral students to publish whilst completing their theses. Indeed, the Harvard Law School produces two leading refereed journals - the Harvard Law Review and the Harvard Asia Quarterly. This important initiative is part of the MAI's postgraduate research program and seeks to create joint writing projects between senior and junior scholars. As a scholar on southeast Asia you are most welcome to join us on the 10th May. RSVPs essential. Kindly write to Prof Marika Vicziany, Director of the Monash Asia Institute at: , by 7 May 2004. ---------------------------------------------------- Item 3. MAI Postgraduate Seminar Friday 28 May 2004 10.00 am to 12.30 pm Room S822, Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11) Monash Asia Institute, Monash University Clayton Campus "New Media and Political Parties in Asia" James Gomez, PhD Candidate, Monash Asia Institute This discussion presents an overview of the ongoing research in the area of new media and political parties. It will show that developments in information technology are giving political parties a new lease of life, contrary to the belief that political parties are on the decline. In what ways does information technology such as the Internet empower political parties, especially those in Asia? What are some of the negative outcomes? This presentation provides some insights into the situations in South Korea, Japan, India and Singapore. Enquiries: James Gomez ---------------------------------------------------- Item 4. Half Day Workshop by the Monash Asia Institute Friday 11 June 2004, 12.30 pm - 5.00 pm Room S822, Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton Campus "Hindu Fundamentalism and Militancy in India Today' Keynote address: Prof Sujata Patel, Department of Sociology, University of Pune, India will lead the discussion. A light luncheon will be served. RSVPs are essential. Scholars and postgraduates are invited to join us and compare research work in this field. In particular attention will be paid to the nature of Hindu fundamentalism and militancy, and its social and political impact. Given the current Indian elections, this workshop promises to be especially interesting. Election results will be available by mid May, so that by early June analysis of those results will be quite advanced. We will, therefore, have a chance to assess the impact of communalism on the Indian elections in addition to discussing other issues such as the current international campaign against international funding support to communal parties in India. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Professor Sujata Patel is the former Head of the Department of Sociology, University of Pune, Pune, India. She is a historical sociologist who has examined the ways in which state-society relationships have evolved in India during the last hundred years. Presently her research interests are focussed in the area of urban studies with specific reference to the growth of mega cities in India. A selection of her publications include three principal publications: "Thinking Social Science in India", co-edited with J. Bagchi and K. Raj, New Delhi, Sage, 2002; "Bombay: Metaphor for Modern India" and "Bombay: Mosaic of Modern Culture" co-edited with A. Thorner, Bombay and Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1995/1996/2000, vol. 1-2; "Making of Industrial Relations: Capital and Labour in Ahmdebadad Textile Industry, Delhi", Oxford University Press, 1987. Professor Patel is a contributory Editor for the International Journal of Urban and Regional Studies, Blackwell Publishers, Cambridge and member of the Editorial Board for Current Sociology, Sage Publications, London. Since 1990s she has been a member of Universities of Pune, Bombay, SNDT Women's, Goa, bodies that frame curriculum. In her University, she chairs the committee on semester and credit system for Social Sciences and Humanities. She is the representative of President of India in the selection committee for social sciences at Indira Gandhi National Open University. She served in a number of representative bodies, including the ISA Executive Committee, the program Committee for the World Congress in Brisbane, Research Committees 21 Regional and Urban Sociology, RC32 Women in Society, and the Governing Board, Global Development Network (representing ISA). Professor Sujata Patel's visit to Monash University from 8-15 June 2004, is co-sponsored by the Department of Management, Monash University and the Monash Asia Institute. Enquiries: Prof Marika Vicziany, Director, Monash Asia Institute ---------------------------------------------------- Item 5. 11th Workshop on SEA Women Monash Asia Institute Centre of Southeast Asian Studies Eleventh Annual Workshop on Southeast Asian Women Monash University, Clayton, Victoria Friday 25 June 2004 The aim of the Workshop is to bring together researchers and others interested in the study of matters relating to Southeast Asian women, in any field, such as politics, geography, literature, the arts, history or health. CALL FOR PAPERS - deadline of offers is 1 June 2004 Please send brief offers of papers to: Dr Susan Blackburn, School of Political and Social Inquiry, PO Box 11A Monash University, Victoria,3800. Email address: sue.blackburn@arts.monash.edu.au Telephone (03) 9905 2384 Website - http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/cseas/seawomen04.html ---------------------------------------------------- Item 6. Second Herb Feith Memorial Lecture Monday 28 June 2004 - Refreshments at 6.15 pm, Lecture starts at 7.30 sharp Speaker: Prof Wang Gungwu Venue: Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank Centre, corner Sturt Street and Southbank Boulevard, Southbank, Melbourne. This event will also be the launch of the Herb Feith Foundation. More details will be posted as they become available. Enquiries: Dr Penny Graham, Director, Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash Asia Institute penny.graham@arts.monash.edu.au RSVP (essential): guibin.zhang@adm.monash.edu.au (Please use "Herb Feith Memorial Lecture 2004" as subject heading of your email). ---------------------------------------------------- Item 7. Annual Indonesia Lecture Series Tuesday, 20 July 2004 from 6.00 pm Federation Hall, Victorian College of the Arts 234 St Kilda Road, Melbourne 3000 The 2004 ANNUAL INDONESIA LECTURE SERIES (AILS) hosted by the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash Asia Institute and the Australian Indonesian Association "Reformasi and the Arts: The political use of artists in the Indonesian elections" Speakers (to be confirmed): Dr Jennifer Lindsay, Research Scholar at the University of Singapore Bp Jaya Suprana, pianist-composer, comedian and TV Personality in Jakarta Ms Andika Hendro of Jakarta and Monash University Dr David Wright-Neville, Lecturer in Politics, Monash University Films, videoclips and a short piano performance related to the 2004 Indonesian Election Campaigns are planned to be shown. Indonesian food will be provided by the Australian Indonesian Association. RSVP essential. Convenor: Professor Margaret Kartomi AM, FAHA, School of Music - Conservatorium Enquiries and RSVP: guibin.zhang@adm.monash.edu.au (Please use "AILS2004" as subject heading of your email). ---------------------------------------------------- Item 8. Book off the press: Regional Security in the Asia Pacific "Regional Security in the Asia Pacific: 9/11 and after" Edited by Marika Vicziany, David Wright-Neville and Pete Lentini Edward Elgar, 2004, ISBN 1-84376-825-9. The September 2001 terrorist attacks shocked the world. But what did they change? In this book, Asia specialists from academe and policy think tanks assess the impact of 9/11 on the Asia Pacific. Drawing on unique fieldwork, access to a wide range of documents and inside expertise, the authors consider how old geo-strategic and cultural fault lines have been overlaid with new security threats from state and non-state actors. With chapters on specific countries and regions, defence policies, terrorism, and current and potential conflict zones, this collection critically examines the Asia Pacific region's post 9/11, as well as post-Iraq, security architecture. The 14 contributors to this volume consider regional and global security in ways that go beyond the narrow focus on nation-states. They examine the 'hardware' of security (WMD, missiles etc) without excluding more fundamental issues of governance, identity, religion, economic collaboration, and the destabilising impact of poverty and disease. The depth and breath of research provides a wide perspective on security problems in the Asia Pacific. A timely and comprehensive examination of the effects and the consequences of September 11 and the war in Iraq, "Regional Security in the Asia Pacific" is a critical book for political scientists, scholars and policymakers engaged in security and terrorism debates, as well as those interested in the changing landscape of global relations. About the editors of this book: Professor Marika Vicziany is the Director or Monash Asia Institute, Dr David Wright-Neville and Dr Pete Lentini are Senior Lecturers in the Department of Politics and Co-Convenors of the Global Terrorism Research Unit in the School of Political and Social Enquiry at Monash University. Enquiries about purchase of the book: Anthony Mays =============================================================== Monash University events =============================================================== Item 9. Seminar: Indonesian Performing Arts Thursday 24 June 2004, Refreshments at 7pm for 7.30pm Music Auditorium, Performing Arts Centre Building (Building 68) The School of Music - Conservatorium and Faculty of Arts proudly present a public lecture: "Cultural Hybridity" and the Indonesian Performing Arts - the Perspective of an Indonesian Ethnomusicologist by Professor Dr Sumarsam of the Department of Music, Wesleyan University 2004 Visiting Fellow of the Faculty of Arts Professor Sumarsam is Indonesia's best-known and most published ethnomusicologist, a fine Javanese gamelan musician, and author of the well-received book, "Gamelan; Cultural Interaction and Musical Development in Central Java". The lecture will be presented in the presence of the Indonesian Consul-General Mr Wahid Supriadi, with a welcome by Professor Homer Le Grand. Chair: Professor Carla Lipsig-Mumme Convenor: Professor Margaret Kartomi ALL WELCOME ---------------------------------------------------- Item 10. World Musicological Spotlight on Melbourne in July SIMS2004 - The Symposium of the International Musicological Society will be held at: Monash University from Sunday July 11 2004 and the Victorian College of the Arts from 12-16 July 2004 During the week of 11-16 July, hundreds of music scholars and musicians from around the world, including several Asian countries (Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Thailand, Taiwan) will converge on Melbourne for the Symposium of the International Musicological Society (SIMS2004), the first day of which will be held at Monash University and the other days at the Victorian College of the Arts, 234 St Kilda Rd., Melbourne. The three main themes are Music Commemoration, including ritual, ceremony, and centenaries; Music Commodification, including copyright, indigenous law, music as a global trade commodity and world music; and Music Communication, including analysis, narrative theory, border crossings, diasporas and crossover music. Among the Asia-related highlights will be the plenary lecture by Monash University alumna Professor Tan Sooi Beng of the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang; sessions of papers on the music-cultures of Sumatra by Bp Noerdin Daood and Marzuki Hasan of the Jakarta Institute of Arts and Monash alumnus Dr Mauly Purba of the University of North Sumatra; and on Javanese music by Professor Sumarsam of Wesleyan University. Convenor, SIMS2004: Professor Margaret Kartomi AM, FAHA Website: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/music/sims2004/index.html =============================================================== Other items of interest =============================================================== Item 11. Politics of Television in Egypt Tuesday 4 May 2004, 5.00 - 7.00 pm Western Lecture Theatre La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus Public lecture: "Dramas of Nationhood: the Politics of Television in Egypt" Lila Abu-Lughod Professor of Anthropology and Women's and Gender Studies, Columbia University Drawing from her forthcoming book, Dramas of Nationhood: The Politics of Television in Egypt (2005), Lila Abu-Lughod will speak on the role of media, particularly television dramas, in cultural debates about national, religious, and social identity as well as in ordinary people's lives. About the speaker Distinguished feminist anthropologist and one of the most respected scholars of Middle East Studies, Lila Abu-Lughod has published extensively on class, gender and modernity in the Middle East for over twenty years. Her books include the highly acclaimed anthropological text, Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society (1986), Writing Women's Worlds: Bedouin Stories (1993), and an edited collection, Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East (1998), a ground-breaking text on gender issues in several Islamic societies. Enquiries: Dr Alberto Gomes, Sociology and Anthropology Discipline and Gender, Sexuality and Diversity Studies, School of Social Sciences, La Trobe University Email: A.Gomes@latrobe.edu.au Tel: (03) 9479 1224 -------------------------------- Item 12. Kartini Seminars Seminar Sehari / A day of seminars on "R.A. Kartini - Between Aims and Reality" You are invited to attend these seminars on Kartini Day, Saturday 8 May between 10.00 am and 15.30 pm, at the Indonesian Consulate-General, Ruang Bhinneka Graha, KJRI, 72 Queens Rd, Melbourne 3004. Places are limited so please RSVP to Sdr Setyo Biudi at (03) 9687 7191, or Ibu Mur Wahid Supriyadi on (03) 9592 6892. Papers will be presented by Dr Sue Blackburn, Leila Ch Budiman, Endang Soesilowati Sarthy Yusran, Rosa Kristianty and Dr Sari Andajani-Sutjahjo on Domestic Violence, Youth Sexuality and Women in Politics on Indonesia. Presented by Radio Kita 3ZZZ, IKAWIRIA and Dharma Wanita Persatuan -------------------------------- Item 13. ASAA Presidents' Prize for Outstanding Thesis on Asia The Asian Studies Association of Australia is now inviting nominations for the annual prize for the outstanding thesis submitted to an Australian University on a topic wholly concerned with Asia or with Australia's relations with Asia. The prize brings a cheque for $1,000, a certificate and priority consideration for publication in one of the ASAA monographs. The nominated thesis must be in the humanities or social science disciplines and the doctoral degree of the thesis should have been conferred in 2003. Closing date for the nomination is Friday 18 June 2004. For more details, please contact: Professor Robin Jeffrey, President, ASAA Email: r.jeffrey@latrobe.edu.au or Tel: (03) 9479 2692 -------------------------------- Item 14. Buddhist Studies in India Exchange Program The University of Tasmania Buddhist Studies in India Exchange Program will be running a Summer School unit to be held in India from late December 2004 - late January 2005. Applications are invited for an intensive one-month course in Buddhist Philosophy, Tibetan History and Culture, Buddhist Hermeneutics. The program is taught by Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath (Varanasi), India (CIHTS) staff and includes auxiliary lectures in related topics (including Tibetan Medicine, Art and Politic), tours of related Buddhist historical sites, and Indian and Tibetan cultural programs. Applications close Friday 28 May 2004 For more information about fees and application process, contact: Sandra Kellett, School of Philosophy University of Tasmania, Private Bag 41, Hobart, Tas 7001 Email: kellett@utas.edu.au Telephone (03) 6226 2255 -------------------------------- Item 15. International Conference on Culture and Religions in South and Southeast Asia "Mosaic of South and Southeast Asia: Conflict and Consensus through the Ages" 27 - 30 January 2005, New Delhi Hosted by the South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Religion (SSEASR) in association with the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR). For more details, see http://www.icvsolutions.com/iahr/ Enquiries: Conference Secretariat 95, Vidya Vihar, Outer Ring Road, Pitampura Delhi 110034 India Telefax: (91-11)27028399 Email: secretariat@sseasr.org ---------------------------------------------------- Item 16. Website of the month: Southasianmedia Net Southasianmedia Net (http://www.southasianmedia.net) is an initiative of SAFMA (South Asian Free Media Association), a media organisation formed through the cooperation of leading media persons of 5 major South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh). SAFMA also publishes a quarterly journal, the South Asian Journal, parts of which are available for online viewing. Published in collaboration with experts, analysts and editors of the region, this analytical quarterly journal focuses on major areas of concern to the people of South Asia. For more details, see: http://www.southasianmedia.net/Magazine/Journal/index.htm ======================================================================== 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/ email: monash.asia.institute@adm.monash.edu.au ========================================================================