===================================== MONASH ASIA INSTITUTE BULLETIN 1/2006 16 January 2006 ===================================== In this bulletin 1. Seminar by VC of JNU, Delhi: Prof B.B.Bhattacharya 2. ASEAN Economic Integration: MAI PhD Confirmation Seminar 3. Freedom of Speech in China: Double Seminar - Yu Jie and Wang Yi 4. Appointment of Specialist of Indonesian Islam: Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2006 5. EU Award to MAI: Monash Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 6. MAI Fellow appointed editor Indian Foreign Affairs Journal 7. Lecture: the Lives and Voices of a Chinese Home 8. ABARE OUTLOOK 2006 Conference 9. Fifth International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS 5 KL) 10. Publication: Research Management in Agriculture 11. Website of the month: Anniversary of the Asian Tsunami Disaster ________ Item 1. Seminar by VC of JNU, Delhi: Prof B.B.Bhattacharya A seminar jointly sponsored by Monash Asia Institute and the Asian Economics and Business Unit, Monash University Thursday 19 January 2006, 1.00 pm S822, Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton Campus "India as an Emerging Economic Power: Constraints and Imperatives" Speaker Prof B.B.Bhattacharya, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Prof Bhattacharya was recently appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, India’s leading university. He is on an official visit to Australia and is giving the following talk at the Monash Asia Institute on 19 January 2006 at 1pm to 2.30pm. About the seminar It is well known that India has moved to a higher growth path since 1980s. The average annual growth rate of GDP since then is above 6 percent, and in certain phases has accelerated to more than 7 percent. This has raised a vision of an even higher growth rate, and the emergence of India as a major economic power. In his presentation Prof Bhattacharya will address how, why and where India is performing better than China, why certain sectors of the Indian economy are growing at an even higher rate than average, and the constraints on growth – namely democracy and population growth. A light lunch will be served prior to the seminar at about 12.30 pm. More details: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/seminars.html#jnu Enquiries and RSVP (essential for catering purposes): Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm.monash.edu.au ________ Item 2. MAI PhD Confirmation Seminar: David Treisman Please note that this seminar has been shifted from the 20 to the 27 Jan Friday 27 January 2006, 12.00 noon S822, Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton campus “Financial Markets and State Power: The Analysis of ASEAN’s Economic Integration and Its Impact on Australian Foreign Economic Policy” Speaker: Mr David Treisman, PhD Candidate, Monash Asia Institute Abstract This thesis investigates the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) intended economic integration and its impact on Australia’s foreign economic policy through the analysis of the political-economy surrounding ASEAN’s attempts in achieving a common financial market. The feasibility of a single South East Asian financial market, the geo-strategic positioning of China and India within the region and Australia political and economic position toward ASEAN will be explored. This seminar is presented in two parts: State power and financial markets in context of ASEAN; and a literature review on regional economic integration. About the speaker Mr David Treisman is a PhD Candidate at Monash Asia Institute. He holds an MA Degree in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Mr Treisman’s other research has included work on the political economy of derivatives and their markets in South East Asia and labour mobility within the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area. Mr Treisman’s career has also included corporate reporting on political risk and business intelligence issues on the African and Asian continents. See: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/research/pgseminar.html#asean A light lunch will be served following the seminar. Enquiries and RSVP (essential for catering purposes) with subject heading "ASEAN seminar" to Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm.monash.edu.au ________ Item 3. Double Seminar: Yu Jie and Wang Yi Friday 17 February 2006, 10.00 am Room TBA, Monash University Clayton campus "Literature and Memory - The value of non-fictitious writings in Chinese" Speaker: Yu Jie "Regionalism and the Change of Political Form in Mainland China" Speaker: Wang Yi Monash Asia Institute and the Chinese Language and Studies Department at Monash University will host this double seminar presented by Yu Jie and Wang Yi, two dissident writers from China. About the speakers Yu Jie and Wang Yi are best known in China as staunch advocates of the freedom of speech. As a consequence of their outspokenness on numerous issues of social injustice, they have encountered enormous difficulties in getting their writings published in the People's Republic of China. Yu Jie, a writer who is now banned from publishing in China, is the author of numerous works in Chinese. He rose to fame in 1998 with the publication of Fire and Ice, a collection of critical essays which earned him the respect of the Chinese intellectual world. Other writings by Yu such as An Awkward Age and Wings that Wish to Fly, as well as his most recent work, A Son of Tiananmen (published in 2005 in Hong Kong), also convey his commitment to the promotion of free speech in China. He is the Vice-President of the Chinese chapter of PEN. Wang Yi, a lecturer in law and a writer, has published numerous critical essays on the internet. A voluble advocate of human rights and constitutional reform, he is best known for his caustic and eloquent critiques of political and legal issues in China. Wang once described himself as a "post-89 child of the internet" (International Herald Tribune, 16 June 2005). The internet has helped to catapult Wang to a position of prominence in the Chinese intellectual world. Yu Jie and Wang Yi both remain highly active in publishing on the internet. See also: http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20041215_1.htm Enquiries and RSVP with subject heading “Chinese Dissidents Seminar” to: Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm.monash.edu.au _______ Item 4. Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2006 The Centre of Southeast Asian Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2006 has been awarded to Julian Millie, LLB and BA Hons (1st class), MA by research (Monash 1999) and PhD, Centre for Non-Western Studies Research School (CNWS), Leiden University, The Netherlands. Congratulations and welcome, Julian. Julian took up his appointment on Monday 9 January and he will soon have a Monash email on which he can be contacted. Dr Millie’s current research focus is on the evolution of contemporary Islamic observance in Indonesia, as performed by villagers, santri (students) and followers of the mystical orders. For further information on his academic background, qualifications, publications and research interests, please see the detailed announcement in the file attached. The Centre of Southeast Asian Studies of the Monash Asia Institute acknowledges with appreciation the generous support of Prof Homer Le Grand, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, in making this Postdoctoral Research Fellowship possible for 2006. ________ Item 5. 2006 Nomination for European Education in Human Rights Monash University Arts/Law student, Ms Jessie Taylor, has been nominated for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship to complete a Master of Humanitarian Action. The Erasmus Mundus program is an initiative of the European Commission. It encourages European higher education throughout the rest of the world. This is the first year a Monash student will be able to participate in the program. It has been made possible as a result of the Monash Asia Institute joining NOHA - a European Union consortium of universities - as a 'third country' partner institution. Monash is the only Australian university involved in the consortium. The scholarships are funded by the EU and one scholarship will be awarded to a Monash student each year for the next three years. For full details, see: http://www.monash.edu.au/news/newsline/story/738 Calls for a second round of Erasmus Mundus scholarship applications from Monash students will be made in September. ________ Item 6. NEW Indian Foreign Affairs Journal The first issue of the Indian Foreign Affairs Journal is in press and is expected to be available in early February. The inaugural issue will be formally launched by the prime Minister of India Dr. Man Mohan Singh on February 16th, 2006. The journal is a Quarterly of the Association of Indian Diplomats. The editor of the series is Prof S D Muni, a leading scholar of regional security and a fellow of the Monash Asia Institute. An international board has been appointed and Prof A M Vicziany, Director of the MAI, has agreed to serve on it. ________ Item 7. Lecture: the Lives and Voices of a Chinese Home The Asia Society AustralAsia Centre and TAASA presents “Yin Yu Tang, the Lives and Voices of a Chinese Home” This illustrated lecture will be given by Nancy Berliner, curator of Chinese Art at the Peabody Essex Museum and curator of Yin Yu Tang, a 200 year old rural Chinese house Monday 16 January, 6.00 pm The Yarra Room, 2nd Floor, Melbourne Town Hall Swanston Street, Melbourne (Enter through portico entrance) Biography Yin Yu Tang was home to the Huang family for eight generations dating back to the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911). In this illustrated lecture, the curator Nancy Berliner will talk in detail about the restoration and reconstruction of this once abandoned house which today can be found at the Peabody Essex Museum in America. Nancy Berliner received her Bachelor’s, Masters and PhD from Harvard University in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture and did additional studies at the Central Academy of Art in Beijing, China. She lived in China for many years – part of that time in a 17th century courtyard home in Beijing – and has travelled throughout rural China doing research on Chinese art and architecture. She has curated many exhibitions of Chinese art and published widely in magazines and newspapers. She is the author of Chinese Folk Art: The Small Skills of Carving Insects; Friends of the House, Furniture of China’s Towns and Villages; Beyond the Screen, Chinese Furniture of the 16th and 17th Centuries; and Yin Yu Tang, the Daily Life and Architecture of a Chinese House, which was selected as a Notable Book of 2003 by the New York Times Book Review Section. With the support of the City of Melbourne Enquiries: Asia Society AustralAsia Centre,FAX: (03) 9654 6680 TEL: (03) 9650 0998 EMAIL: milas@asiasoc.org.au Cost: $5.00 Asia Society members/TAASA members; $10.00 Non-Members ________ Item 8. ABARE OUTLOOK 2006 Conference 28 Feb 2006 - 1 Mar 2006 National Convention Centre, Canberra, ACT This conference will be hosted by ABARE, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, is located in Canberra, Australia. ABARE is an Australian government economic research agency noted for its professionally independent research and analysis. About the conference ABARE's national OUTLOOK conference is the premier market assessment forum for Australia’s agricultural and natural resource industries. The conference has a strong track record of providing reliable and essential information to the private, public and corporate sectors in Australia. Policy agendas in Australia and around the world are developing rapidly across topics including horticulture, food, native vegetation management, water, climate change and trade reform. OUTLOOK 2006 provides an ideal opportunity to engage in debate on each of these topics, and more. ABARE is one of the leading bodies producing year ahead and five year forecasts for Australia’s major export commodities. During OUTLOOK 2006 ABARE will release projections to 2010-11 covering Australia’s key agricultural and resource commodities. Outlook topics Global Economic prospects and outlook, Farm performance, Trade reform, Natural Resources, Australia's food industry, Fisheries management, Climate change and Horticulture Website: http://www.abareconomics.com/outlook/ Registration and Enquiries: Ms Kathie Mackay, Phone: +61 2 6272 2303, Fax: +61 2 6273 2588, Email: kmackay@abare.gov.au (Early bird offer closes 20 Jan 2006) ________ Item 9. Fifth International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS 5 KL) 2-5 August 2007 Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 'Sharing a Future in Asia' The convention will be hosted by the Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON) and the Institute of The Malay World and Civilization (ATMA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Asia is often proclaimed as the fastest growing region in the world today. This is in spite of the fact that nearly a billion of its population is still living in poverty. It is Asia’s resilience in the face of extreme adversities and its ability to rise above and overcome the challenge of dividedness and differences that has enhanced the global perception that it is a region of hope and prosperity for everyone, both from inside and outside Asia, to participate and share. Thus ICAS 5 Kuala Lumpur provides a timely opportunity to examine and elaborate critically this possibility. More details: http://www.icas5kl.com/ or http://www.icassecretariat.org/ Enquiries: Secretariat ICAS 5 Kuala Lumpur, IKON-ATMA, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM BANGI, MALAYSIA. Phone: 603 8921 5641, Email: info@icas5kl.com ________ Item 10. Publication: Research Management in Agriculture "Research Management in Agriculture: A Manual for the Twenty First Century" by Ian Metcalfe, Bruce Holloway, Jim McWilliam & Neil Inall (editors) Published by the University of New England, 2005 ISBN 1 86389 870 0, xvi + 127 pp., $30.00 This book sets out to provide a comprehensive introduction to all facets of research management in agriculture for research directors, managers, scientists and students involved in all types of agricultural research. For the first time in a single manageable volume, this book draws together and discusses the disparate dimensions of research management. The book stresses collaboration and communication as the key features of efficient agricultural research management. Successful research outcomes are only achieved through inclusive involvement of clients and stakeholders at all stages of the research, beginning with priority setting and planning, then right through to the application of research outputs and outcomes for the end users. The editors and authors are senior agricultural research directors and managers, agricultural consultants and academics with an immense collective wealth of agricultural research, research management and training experience. Funds earned from the sale of this book will be put toward the development of Asian Studies Programme at the UNE Asia Centre. To purchase, see: http://www.une.edu.au/asiacenter/RManBook.html Enquiries: Prof. Ian Metcalfe, Asia Centre – UNE, The University of New England, Armidale NSW 2351, Australia Email: imetcal2@une.edu.au ________ Item 11. Website of the month: Anniversary of the Asian Tsunami Disaster http://www.asiantsunamivideos.com/ December 26, 2005 marks the one year anniversary of the Asian tsunami disaster that took almost 300,000 lives. This website contains recently-released video footage taken of the tsunami by people who witnessed the event. Be warned: this site contains very graphic footage that some people may find disturbing. Be mindful too that viewing the material involves heavy download of visual data on to your computer which can be costly. ===================================================================== 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 =====================================================================