MAI Seminars, Conferences, Visitors and Events 2006
MAI 'Reports from Asia' seminarWednesday 29 November 2006, 1.00 pm
Room S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
" Doing fieldwork in Lahoul "
Speaker: Ms Diana Cousens, PhD Candidate, Monash Asia Institute
Diana will describe some of the practical circumstances of doing field work in the remote Western Himalayan province of Lahoul. Armed with laptop, camera, and exercise books, Diana has just returned from her study of the remote village of Triloknath, famous for its white marble statue which is revered by both Buddhist and Hindu communities. Enduring bucket baths of melted glacier water, a strictly limited diet where vegetables were a luxury, she has documented beliefs, legends, rituals and ideas.
RSVP with "Lahoul seminar" in subject heading of email to Dr Tony Donaldson ( tony.donaldson@ adm. monash.edu.au ).
Roundtable dialogue with Professor M.V. Pylee, expert on the Indian Constitution
A Monash Asia Institute - Asian Business and Economics Research Unit (ABERU) Joint Event
Friday 24 November
2006, 10.00 am
(We
apologise for the re-scheduling of the seminar to this new date and
time)
Venue: Room S822, Level 8 South, Building
11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
Professor to M.V. Pylee is a National Research Professor of the Indian Ministry of Human Resources Development. He has been appointed in this prestigious position in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements and contributions in the development and innovations in the field of political jurisprudence.
In 2006, Professor Pylee was a recipient of a Padma Bhushan award, an Indian civilian decoration, in recognition of his distinguished service in Literature and Education.
Professor Pylee was a former Vice-Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology, and was the Founder Director of the School of Management of the Cochin University. A selection of Prof Pylee's extensive publications include "Emerging Trends in Indian Polity" (Regency Publications, 2002),"Constitutional Amendments in India" (Universal Law Publishing Co Ltd, 2004);"Crisis, conscience, and the constitution" (Apt Books, 1982).
RSVP (essential) to Dr Tony Donaldson ( tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au ) with "Constitution dialogue" in the subject heading of your email.
MAI 'Reports from Asia' seminar
Wednesday 22 November
2006, 1.00 pm
Room S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies),
Monash University Clayton campus
"
Daily life in Xinjiang: Pastoralists, Education, Modern pressures
and HIV/AIDS
"
Speaker: Yenhu Tsui Professor
of Anthropology, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, People's
Republic of China
Professor Yenhu Tsui is currently working on an international research project of the Monash Asia Institute on Kashgar (see http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/research/kashgar.html ).
Prof Tsui will speak on observations from his research in Xinjiang. Prof Tsui's visit to Australia is sponsored by the Monash Asia Institute.
RSVP to Dr Tony Donaldson ( tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au ) with "Xinjiang seminar" in the subject heading of your email.
co-sponsored by the Chinese Studies Program (Monash University), Asian Business and Economics Research Unit (ABERU), and Monash Asia Institute
Monday 20 November 2006, 12.00 noon
- 2.00 pm
Room S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies),
Monash University Clayton campus
"Democracy
in private enterprise, Zhejiang Province, China"
Speaker: Prof Yuhua Xie, College of Business Management, Hunan
University, China
RSVP with "Private enterprise seminar" in the subject heading of the email to Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm.monash.edu.au
MAI 'Reports from Asia' seminar
Wednesday
15 November 2006, 1.00 pm
Room S822, Level 8 South, Building
11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
" Speaking about Palestine, did you know…?
"
Speaker: Mr Damien Cheong,
PhD
Candidate, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University
Mr Cheong's current research examines the impact of the armed struggle on the Palestinian political system. He has recently returned to Melbourne after spending three months in the Middle East, particularly in the West Bank ( Palestine) and Israel. His presentation will focus on suicide attacks in the context of the Palestinian armed struggle, the impact of Israel's Security Barrier (aka the Wall) on ordinary Palestinians, and the HAMAS Government and the current crisis in the Palestinian Authority.
Enquiries and RSVP with "Middle East Seminar" in the subject heading of the email to Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au
Seminar hosted by Monash Asia Institute
Tuesday 24 October 2006, 11.00 am
Room S822,
Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11)
Monash University
Clayton campus
"Domestic violence and its impact on human rights in Fiji"
Shamima Ali is Coordinator of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre and is also Chair for the Pacific Women's Network Against Violence Against Women. In these two roles, she is involved with training on gender issues with a particular focus on violence against women and children in Fiji and other Pacific countries. She is also currently a Fiji Human Rights Commissioner.
Ms Ali studied at the University of the South Pacific, the Institute of Women's Studies at St. Scholastica's College in the Philippines and at the Women's Human Rights Institute at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Her earlier work experience was in education and the media. She is a committed feminist.
RSVP (essential) with "Fiji Seminar" in the subject heading of the email to Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au
Public lecture co-sponsored by:
School of Music - Conservatorium, Monash University and Monash Asia Institute
Monday 23 October 2006,
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Burchill Rooms, Performing Arts Centre,
Building 68, Monash University Clayton campus
"Rebranding Korea: Creating a New Old Music"
Dr
Keith Howard
School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London
Over the last two decades, a corollary to the penchant for preserving tradition has emerged in the increasingly vibrant South Korean musical scene, in which the boundaries between East and West have broken down. Many are asking is it possible fuse elements of Korean tradition with instruments and structures derived from Western classical and pop musics? Can the new generate new audiences for the old?
Keith Howard is Reader in Music at SOAS, University of London, and Director, AHRB Research Centre for Cross-Cultural Music and Dance Performance. He is the author and editor of 13 books and more than 100 articles on Korean culture, Korean music and ethnomusicology. He is a frequent broadcaster and commentator on Korean affairs.
For further information, contact Graeme.Smith@arts.monash.edu.au , Tel: 9905 3233
MAI 'Reports from Asia' seminar
Wednesday
18 October 2006, 1.00 pm
S822, Level 8 South, Building
11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
"Cultural
revitalisation: the case of shadow puppetry in Cambodia"
Speaker: Ms Jai (Jane) Hartnell, Australian Youth Ambassador
and Hon Research Associate, Monash Asia Institute
Ms Jai (Jane) Hartnell will begin with a brief introduction about herself, the project and involvement by the Monash Asia Institute. She will then outline the major outcomes of her year in Cambodia, touching on the current cultural situation and the work being done in the area of cultural revitalisation (this will include a slide show). She will then present the documentary produced in collaboration with Studio CLA, an 8 minute piece which explores cultural revitalisation through the example of sbaek thom (large shadow puppets).
The seminar would conclude with an open discussion regarding the difficulties, successes and merits of cultural revitalisation.
For more information about the speaker, see: http://www.monash.edu.au/news/newsline/story/576
RSVP with "Cambodian puppetry seminar" in the subject line of the email to Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au
MAI 'Reports from Asia' seminar
Wednesday
11 October 2006, 1.00 pm
S822, Level 8 South, Building
11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
"
Thailand Update: A Democratic Coup?
"
Ms Virginie Andre, Phd candidate and Researcher,
Global Terrorism Research Unit, School of Politics and Social Inquiry,
Monash University.
While the 19 September bloodless
military coup was highly criticized by the international community,
the Thai people welcomed the new pathiwat (or revolution). According
to an opinion poll conducted in the aftermath of the coup by the
Suan Dusit Rajahbat University, 84% of Thai society supported the
putsch and 75% believed it would improve politics. As a student of
Chulalongkorn University's said, "it may have been an authoritarian,
unconstitutional and undemocratic move, but Thailand will emerge
stronger out of this and its democratic institutions will strengthen
in the long run" (Inter Press Service News Agency, Sep.20, 2006).
The coup followed a year long political crisis involving
former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his opponents led by
the People's Alliance for Democracy, and occurred less than a
month before elections were scheduled to be held later this month.
The putsch has brought Thai democracy back 15 years to when the last
military coup was overthrown in a bloody street confrontation in
May 1992. The country has returned to a vicious cycle of constitution-election-government-corruption-coup,
where military coup has been the traditional mean of political change
for almost sixty years. The repoliticization of the military raises
important questions about the democratic and political future of
Thailand, as well as the implications for the conflict resolution
in the three Southern border provinces of the country.
Ms Virginie Andre will give an overview of the factors that have
led to the overthrown of the Thaksin government by the Thai military
as well as provide key notions to better understand the new political
dynamic of the country.
RSVP with "Thailand seminar"
in the subject heading of the email to Dr Tony Donaldson,
tony.donaldson@adm.
monash.edu.au
MAI 'Reports from Asia' seminar
Seminar co-sponsored by Monash Asia Institute and the Department of Management, Monash University
Wednesday
4 October 2006, 11.30 am
S822, Level 8 South, Building
11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
"Tensions
and Synergies in Karnataka, India: A Study in e-Government and Development
"
Speaker: Ms Shefali Virkar, D.Phil Candidate,
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
This talk will seek to engage with issues related to the use of Information and Communication Technologies in the process of government, exploring the impact of, and barriers to, the increased use of e-government applications by local government bodies in India. It will focus on a unique collaboration between the government of the Indian state of Karnataka and the eGovernments Foundation, a non-profit private sector organisation, aimed at establishing a system of online property tax collection. In contrast to earlier e-government case studies, this paper will not deal with 'conventional' virtues of e-government such as citizen empowerment or increased foreign investment. Whilst recognising that benefits such as these are likely consequences, the discussion will highlight the way in which the project under study aims to add stability and infuse a sense of order into the governing processes of local authorities in India, and that, in a developing country context, e-government applications do more than simply a represent technological breakthrough in the delivery of public services - they have the potential to become effective tools for solving development problems and meeting other policy objectives.
Shefali Virkar is D.Phil. student at the University of Oxford, jointly supervised at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) and the Department of Politics and International Relations. Her doctoral research seeks to explore political and social influences associated with the application of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in the developing world, with a specific interest in the role and impact of e-government projects in India. As a precursor to her research, Shefali worked as an intern for the eGovernments Foundation in Bangalore (India), a non-profit trust that develops free Internet-based software packages for local government bodies across the country with the aim of promoting good governance.
In keeping with her research interests (and in addition to her doctoral work) Shefali is currently involved with two projects based at the OII,"The World Wide Web of Science Project: Reconfiguring Access to Information" and "The Breaking Barriers to e-Government: Overcoming Obstacles to Improving European Public Services". For more information about The Oxford Internet Institute, please see: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/
RSVP for the seminar with "e-Government Seminar" in the subject heading of the email to Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au
MAI 'Reports from Asia' seminar
Seminar co-sponsored by the Chinese Studies Program, Monash University and Monash Asia Institute
Wednesday 4 October 2006, 1.00 pm
S822, Level
8 South, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
"Social Justice: Emerging Focus of Ideology and Policy in China"
Speaker: Dr David Kelly, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
David Kelly holds a senior research position in the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore and is on the editorial boards of China : An Interdisciplinary Journal and Contemporary Chinese Thought. Dr Kelly lived and worked professionally in Beijing from 2000 to 2004, where he undertook consultancies in the private and not-for-profit sectors. His principal field of interest is Chinese politics, with expertise in the subfields of political and economic reform; governmentality, legal development and civil society; citizen movements, public intellectuals and identity politics; and development studies.
His forthcoming and recent publications include: India and China: The Lessons of Globalisation, (ed. with Ramkishen Rajan),Singapore and New York: World Scientific Publishing Co. (forthcoming, 2006); 'Social Justice: Emerging focus of ideology and policy in China,' Contemporary Chinese Thought, vol. 37, no 4 (Summer 2006), special issue ed. and trans. David Kelly; 'The Mystery of the Chinese Economy: Selected Writings of Qin Hui,' The Chinese Economy, vol. 38, nos. 4, 5 and 6 (September, October and November 2005), three special issues ed. and trans. David Kelly.
RSVP with "China seminar" in the subject heading of the email to Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au
Workshop
- Islamic Culture(s), Nation-building and the Media: Contemporary
Issues
Hosted by the Centre
of Southeast Asia and Monash Asia Institute
Friday and
Saturday, 22-23 September 2006, 9.00 am - 5.00 pm
The
Windsor Hotel, 103 Spring St, Melbourne
Workshop website:
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/islam/
This two-day workshop will focus on the processes of
nation-building and the role of Islamic culture(s) within these processes.
In the Islamic world, the understandings given to nation-building
involve reflection on models, traditions and authoritative pasts
that are in some ways 'Islamic'. This workshop will bring
together established and early career scholars to discuss the cultural
influence of Islam on nation-building in the Asia-Pacific region.
The workshop will embrace APFRN 2006 Signature Theme, 'Building
Effective Communication in the Asia Pacific', in its final session.
Journalists will present views on the obstacles to effective dialogue
between the media and academia, and the specific ways in which the
'media frame contests over nation in Islamic countries'.
The keynote speakers:
"Contests
of Islamic nationhood in contemporary Indonesian society"
Prof Dr Abdul Munir Mulkhan
Faculty of Sunan Kalijaga,
National Islamic University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
For
many years, Prof Dr Abdul Munir Mulkhan has been an active member
of the governing board of Muhammadiyah, the world's second largest
Muslim organisation with an estimated 30 million members. Although
he is an insider of this organisation, a major preoccupation of his
writings has been a critique of its implementation of the vision
of its founder, Ahmad Dahlan.
"Islam
and the divine nature of man"
Prof
Hossein Elahi Ghomshei
Professor of Philosophy &
Literature, formerly Tehran University
Prof Hossein Elahi
Ghomshei's expertise is in Persian Literature, Islamic Mysticism,
and English Literature with a special interest in Shakespeare. Some
of his published works include "Selection from the Discourses
of Rumi (Fihe-ma-Fih)", "The Seven Stations of Love",
and "Shakespeare and His Theatre".
Full details of workshop, see: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/islam/
Seminar
Hosted by Monash Asia Institute
Thursday 21 September 2006, 2.00 pm
Room S822, Level
8 South, Menzies Building (11), Monash University Clayton campus
" Australian-Indian collaboration
in information and communication technology "
Speaker: Assoc Prof Amita Singh, Centre for the Study
of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University and is currently
a visiting academic at Curtin University, on an Australia-India Fellowship
Assoc Prof Amita Singh's research area is the applications
of new information technologies and how these impact on democracy
and welfare in the context of development programmes. She is currently
investigating Australian-Indian collaboration in information and
communication technology.
RSVP with "Australian-Indian
collaboration" in the subject heading of the email to Dr Tony
Donaldson,
tony.donaldson@adm.
monash.edu.au
MAI
'Reports from Asia' seminar
Wednesday 30 August 2006, 1.00 pm
S822, Level 8 South,
Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
"Framing
Terrorism in Southern Thailand"
Ms
Virginie Andre, Phd candidate and Researcher, Global Terrorism Research
Unit, School of Politics and Social Inquiry, Monash University.
Since 9/11, a new security outlook has changed the way we understand
violence on the international arena. A new war on terrorism framework
was rapidly adopted to reinterpret and understand conflicts and violence
around the globe. Concurrently, Thailand is not a stranger to terrorism.
Since the beginning of 2004, a resurgence of violence has been observed
in the Southern Provinces of Thailand. In fact, the region, popularly
called chaidaen paak tai, has long a history
of political unrest. However, the root causes of violence in Southern
Thailand are not to be sought in terrorism. There is a danger in
prematurely ascribing larger agendas to what are essentially local
problems.
Ms Virginie Andre will present briefly her
initial research on the political unrest in Southern Thailand. She
will also report on her visit in Bangkok of last June where she met
with key actors in the shaping and understanding of the resurgence
of violence in the South.
More information
"THAILAND:
More violence in restive south" (Interview on
Radio National "Asia Pacific" Programme, 28 August 2006)
Listen to audio file at: http://www.abc.net.au/ra/asiapac/programs/s1726372.htm
Download transcript
of interview.
Virginie Andre speaks about 9/11 and its effect on the interpretation of events in Southern Thailand in
"ASIA: 911's impact on Southeast Asia "(Interview on Radio National "Connect Asia " Programme, 11 September 2006)
The impact of 9-11 has
been felt around the world, as America and its allies, chiefly Britain
and Australia, target jihadists and their supporters.
Presenter
- Sen Lam, Speaker - Abdul Razak Baginda,
executive director, Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, Kuala Lumpur;
Virginie Andre, Global Terrorism Research Unit, Monash University,
Melbourne
Listen to audio file of the ABC interview at: http://www.abc.net.au/ra/connectasia/
Public Lecture
Hosted by the Monash Asia Institute
and Asian Business and Economics Research Unit (ABERU), Faculty of
Business and Economics.
Friday 25 August 2006, 9.30
am
Room E365, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University
Clayton campus
" The U.S economic
engagement in Asia and the implications for Australia.
"
Speaker: Professor Nicholas Lardy
About the speaker
Professor Nicholas Lardy
is a world authority on the Chinese economy. He is a senior fellow
at the Institute for International Economics in Washington (IIE),
DC. Prof Lardy came to IIE in March 2003 from the Brookings Institution,
where he was a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program
from 1995 until 2003 and served as Interim Director of Foreign Policy
Studies in 2001. Prior to his work at Brookings, he served at the
University of Washington, where he was the director of the Henry
M. Jackson School of International Studies from 1991-95. From 1997
through the spring of 2000, he was also the Frederick Frank Adjunct
Professor of International Trade and Finance at the Yale University
School of Management. His special expertise is on the Chinese economy.
Monash gratefully acknowledges the support of the
US Consulate,
Melbourne, for this seminar.
RSVP (essential) with
"Chinese economy seminar" in subject heading to Dr Tony
Donaldson,
tony.donaldson@ adm.
monash.edu.au
MAI
'Reports from Asia' seminar
Wednesday
9 August 2006, 1.00 pm
S822, Level 8 South, Building
11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
" The Ongoing Incarceration of Australian
Citizen David Hicks "
Ms Ana Kailis, PhD candidate, Schools of Historical
Studies and Political and Social Enquiry, Monash University.
Abstract
Australian citizen David Hicks
has been incarcerated at the US
detention facility in Guantanamo Bay for more than 4 years.
This presentation will look at recent developments
in his case, including the recent US
Supreme Court decision to apply the Geneva Convention to Guantanamo
detainees and efforts in Australia to see him released.
Enquiries and RSVP (essential): Dr Tony Donaldson,
tony.donaldson@ adm.
monash.edu.au
MAI
'Reports from Asia' seminar
Wednesday 2 August 2006, 1.00 pm
S822, Level 8
South, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
" East Timor - Local Problems as Theoretical
Challenges: Observations from a Facilitation Process
"
Speaker: Kjell-Ake Nordquist, Associate Professor
in Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University (Sweden) and
Visiting Academic at the Monash Asia Institute
About
the speaker
Kjell-Ake Nordquist is Associate Professor
in Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden,
and specializing in conflict theory and conflict resolution. He has
worked as a facilitator in East Timor from 1998 to 2002, and is since
2004 engaged by the Swedish embassy in Bogota, Colombia, in its support
for demilitarisation and reconciliation processes in Colombia.
Kjell-Ake Nordquist is responsible for the Uppsala University's
contribution in a Masters program in international humanitarian action,
NOHA, given within the European Union, a program which presently
has a group of students at Monash Asia Institute.
For a CV of Dr Nordquist, see the webpage of the Department of Peace
and Conflict Research, Uppsala university, http://www.peace.uu.se
, where a paper on the East Timor facilitation work
can also be found.
ALL WELCOME
Enquiries:
Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@
adm. monash.edu.au
MAI 'Reports from Asia' seminar
Wednesday
26 July 2006, 1.00 pm
S822, Level 8 South, Building 11
(Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
Report
on Singapore Visiting Research Fellowship
Dr Leon Comber, Monash Asia Institute
Dr Leon Comber was a visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore ("his second home") for two months, from May - June this year. He has wide multi-disciplinary interest in Asian Studies, ranging from History, Security Intelligence, Asian Languages and Literature and Publishing. His doctoral thesis, "Malaya's Secret Police, 1945-60. The Role of the Special Branch in the Malayan Emergency" is now being published by ISEAS-MAI Press, and a selection of his earlier small books on Chinese life and customs in Singapore in the 1950s/60s are being brought together and re-published as one volume by the Singapore Heritage Society.
In this seminar, Dr Comber will speak about his recent visit to Singapore.
Enquiries: Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au
'Reports from Asia'
seminar
Wednesday 19 July 2006, 1.00
pm
S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash
University Clayton campus
" Kaesong
Industrial Park, Korea "
Speaker:
Ms Geetha Govindasamy, PhD Candidate, Monash Asia Institute
Ms Govindasamy will speak on her recent visit to Kaesong Industrial Park, 6 kms north of the DMZ (dem ilitarized zone) in North Korea. The capital is being provided by South Korean firms and the labour by North Korea. More than 1000 South Korean firms are rethinking planned shifts of production from China and Southeast Asia to Kaesong.
Enquiries: Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au
Centre for Studies
in Religion and Theology ( Monash University)
Monash
Asia Institute ( Monash University)
Asia Institute (
University of Melbourne)
'Islam
and Democracy' with Anwar Ibrahim
Friday 21 July 2006, 6.00 pm - 8.00pm
Carrillo Gantner
Theatre
Sidney Myer Asia Centre, Melbourne University
Cnr Swanston St & Monash Rd, Melbourne
In this special seminar, Anwar Ibrahim will present a 30-40 minute lecture which will then be followed by a panel of commentators reflecting on his presentation. Panelists include Dr David Wright-Neville, Politics Department ( Monash University) and Prof Michael Leigh, Asia Institute ( Melbourne University).
Mr Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Malaysia , has been described as the moderate voice of Islam in Southeast Asia, an economic rationalist and an effective politician.
Read more about lecture by leading voice on reform in Malaysia
Download
Brochure about seminar
Getting
to the Carrillo Gantner Theatre
To get to the Carrillo Gantner Theatre at Sidney Myer Asia Centre, Melbourne University (Cnr Swanston St & Monash Rd, Melbourne), take any Tram (1,3,5,6,8, 16,64, 67,72) at the corner of Flinders and Swanston St, or Melbourne Central; get off at the SuperStop (after Grattan St) outside the main Melbourne University Gate.
Parking is available along Royal Parade, Grattan St and nearby side streets.
Map of Parkville campus,
Melbourne Uni: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/campuses/maps.html
Website for the Carrillo Gantner Theatre:
http://www.asiacentre.unimelb.edu.au/contact.php
RSVP with subject heading "Islam and democracy
seminar" to Dr Tony Donaldson,
tony.donaldson@adm.
monash.edu.au
(Places are confirmed for those
who have booked. We will advise if places are no longer available)
Monash Asia Institute
Tuesday 11 July
2006, 11.00 am
S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies),
Monash University Clayton campus
"Women dispatched workers after the economic crisis in Thailand: Social exclusion and erosion of workers' rights"
Associate Professor Kyoko Kusakabe, Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology
Abstract
After the 1997 economic crisis in Thailand, many women workers were retrenched. The gendered effect of the crisis has been interpreted differently by different researchers. This paper takes the position that the crisis has had negative effect on women more than on men, not only immediately after the crisis, but also in the long term labour market condition. The recovery of the economy from around year 2000-2002 has not benefited women workers. On the contrary, women workers are increasingly becoming casualized workers inside factories. This move has been encouraged by the labour protection act of the government. This paper describes the process of social exclusion experienced by women workers in the workplace as well as in their family lives.
About the speaker
Kyoko Kusakabe is an Associate Professor of Gender and Development Studies at School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology. She has just completed her research on post-economic crisis and women's employment in Asia. This is part of a cross-country comparison study involving Japan, Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and Bangladesh. Her recent work also includes gendered effect of border trade under the policy of open border in Greater Mekong Sub-region countries, as well as women street vendors in Cambodia.
RSVP with subject heading "Women workers seminar" to Dr Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au
Seminar
Monash Asia Institute
Tuesday 4 July
2006, 1.00 pm
Room S822, Monash Asia Institute, Level
8 South, Monash University Clayton campus
"History
and the inequality predicament in South Asia"
Professor David Ludden, History Department, University of Pennsylvania
Professor David Ludden is a noted world authority on South
Asian history who has, in recent years, developed his work into a
comparative inter-regional and multi-disciplinary framework. His
books include "India and South Asia: A Short History",
Oxford: OneWorld Publishers, 2002; "An Agrarian History of South
Asia", Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1999, "Peasant
History in South India", Princeton University Press, 1985. He
is in Australia as the Guest of the ASAA Conference organisers and
the Monash Asia Institute.
Monash Asia Institute
Friday 30 June 2006, 2.00 pm
Room S822, Monash Asia Institute, Level 8 South, Monash University
Clayton campus
"The Private Performative
Space - Ritual and Performance in the Family"
Dr Malavika Karlekar
In this presentation I argue that performance is not only confined to the public sphere: from the 19th century onwards, as the recording of rites de passage events through photography became increasingly popular, the studio and later the home assumed the locale for performance. In addition, rituals and daily activities such as cooking too can acquire a performative edge, with their many proscriptions and requirements. By the 20th century, life cycle rituals focusing around nuptials, marriages, births and deaths, festivals, theatricals and soirees were events to be framed for posterity - often by amateur domestic photographers. A number of the photographs I am to show you were taken by relatives and friends. At the same time, from the early decades of the century, to organise a professional to come home and take photographs started becoming popular among the urban middle classes, royalty and the landed elite.
To understand the role of the photograph in the domestic sphere it is important to digress briefly. In the early days of photography, a visit to the growing number of photo studios was an experience of a very special kind. Though after 1840, photo studios mushroomed in the three Presidencies, Indians did not visit studios before 1859. While the first to be photographed were men, soon enough visuals of the conjugal couple and the family group became popular.
The photo studio was of paramount importance, providing as it did an enclosed space, often where a fantasy world could be played out: backdrops painted on canvas were unfurled and displayed as were selected props such as impressive tomes, elaborately carved furniture, pediments, exotic indoor plants and so on. The photographer was the director of the minor theatrical production underway and though the subject could specify preferred positions, gestures, hand and body positions, these were minutely supervised by the specialist. Models of poses and the use of props were available from the West, and interestingly, in mid-nineteenth century urban India, where access to physical space was racially determined, the photographic studio became a shared locale. It was not unusual for the colonial rulers and the Indian elite to patronise the same studio and use the same photographers - and may be the same props - albeit sequentially. Dressing for the occasion was important as clothes and the photographic context - backdrop, expensive draperies, over-stuffed chairs, objet d'art and other Victoriana - were vital in the spectacle of presenting oneself for an audience. These not only connoted a certain established upper middle class status but also became symbols of aspiration for a life of achievement and learning, and of a certain kind of leisure and ease.
About the speaker
Malavika Karlekar, BA (Hons) Delhi BA (Oxon) MLitt and PhD (Delhi) has
been a university teacher and is now an author and editor. Her recent
publications include: "Re-visioning the Past - Early photography
in Bengal 1875-1915", New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2005
and Editor of "Paradigms of Learning - The Total Literacy Campaign
in India", New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2004,"Visualizing
Indian Women 1875-1947", New Delhi: Oxford University Press,
2006
Seminar sponsored by Monash Asia Institute
Wednesday 14
June 2006, 9.30 am
Room
SG01 (Manton Rooms), Ground Floor, Building 11 (Menzies),
Monash University Clayton campus
"The
Rise of China and its implications for Regional Security"
Dr Robert Sutter, Visiting Professor, School of Foreign Service,
Georgetown University
About the seminar
Dr. Robert Sutter believes that predictions of a new order in Asia led by a rising China reflect a poor understanding of the ambitions of Asian governments, the resilience of U.S. leadership, and the actual status of China's influence. In this seminar, Dr. Sutter will consider each of these topics to show that as China's influence in Asia increases, neighboring governments hedge and manoeuvre against possible Chinese dominance, and that the United States is less distrusted by Asian governments in comparison with how these governments view one another and how they view China.
About the speaker
Robert Sutter has been a Visiting Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University since August 2001. Dr. Sutter specialized in Asian and Pacific Affairs and US foreign policy in a US government career of over 30 years. He held a variety of analytical and supervisory positions with the Library of Congress for over 20 years, and he also worked with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of State, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
After leaving the Library of Congress where he was for many years the Senior Specialist in International Politics for the Congressional Research Service, Dr. Sutter served for two years as the National Intelligence Officer for East Asia and the Pacific at the US Government's National Intelligence Council. He received a Ph.D. in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University. He has held adjunct faculty positions with Georgetown, George Washington, and Johns Hopkins Universities and the University of Virginia. He has published 14 books, numerous articles and several hundred government reports dealing with contemporary East Asian and Pacific Countries and their relations with the United States. His most recent book is China's Rise in Asia: Promises and Perils (Rowman and Littlefield, 2005).
The Monash Asia Institute would like to acknowledge with gratitude the role of United States Embassy that has brought Dr Sutter to Australia for this visit and a number of briefings.
'Reports
from Asia' seminar
Wednesday 7 June
2006, 2.00 pm
S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies),
Monash University Clayton campus
"The
"Midnight System" of Âryabhata and the temples of Cambodia
"
Speaker: Dr Robert Alan Bywater.
Robert
Bywater commenced his association with Monash University in 1962
as part of a medical student intake. After graduating in medicine
with honours, (B. Med Sci. 1966 and M.B.B.S. Hons, 1968), he worked
as a medical officer in 2 of the teaching hospitals affiliated with
Monash. He then returned to Monash University to take up an academic
position in the Department of Physiology in 1971. He retired from
Monash University in March 2006.
Hobby Interests
Dr Bywater has an interest in audio and has published papers
on the design of low frequency loudspeaker systems. One of these
papers was included in the prestigious volume published by the Audio
Engineering Society "Loudspeakers An anthology" (see Bywater
& Wiebell 1984). Furthermore he was invited to be the Papers
Chairman for the First Regional Convention (1984) held by the Audio
Engineering Society outside U.S.A. and Europe and the Session Chairperson
on "Loudspeakers" at their 1991 Regional Convention.
Since 2001, Robert Bywater has become a participating member
of Ancient Cartography. Recently Robert co-authored a paper with
Jean-Pierre Lacroix published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal
of Spatial Science on the cartography of the western portion of the
Turkish map of Piri Reis. This area of Piri Reiss 1513 world map
is attributed to be a copy of a map of Columbus and generally thought
to be a map of Columbus' discoveries in the Caribbean; in the
2004 paper it was suggested however that it is a map depicting the
Asian shorelines and probably obtained by Columbus prior to his initial
departure. The findings were presented at an International Conference
organized and hosted by the Department of Navigation, Hydrography
and Oceanography of the Turkish Navy in Istanbul in September 2004,
held to celebrate the life and contributions made by Piri Reis to
maritime navigation.
Together with Jean-Pierre Lacroix,
Dr Robert Bywater is presently investigating the geographical locations
of Khmer temples in Cambodia and Laos.
Friday 2 June 2006
1.30 pm - 4.30 pm (Forum) and 4.30 - 6.00 pm (Reception)
The Windsor Hotel, 103 Spring St, Melbourne CBD
A special forum about Malaysia sponsored by ~
- Monash Asia Institute (Monash University)
- Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Australia-Malaysia Institute (Department of Foreign Affairs)
With support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Melbourne Office), Asia Society AustralAsia Centre and Centre for Malaysian Studies (Monash Asia Institute)
Programme
| 1:30 pm | Arrival and Registration of Delegates |
| 1:50 pm | Arrival of Guest-of-Honour |
| 2:05 pm | Welcome and Introductory Addresses |
| 2:10 pm | Mr Robert Cotton (Former Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia) |
| 2:15 pm | Dato' Dr Michael Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer & Director, Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI) |
| 2:20 pm | Professor Richard Larkins, Vice Chancellor, Monash University |
| 2:25 pm | Opening
Keynote Address Chairperson: Hon. Michael Johnson MP, Chairman, Australia-Malaysia Caucus in the Australian Parliament |
| 2:50 pm | Q&A with the Minister |
| 3:05 pm |
Session One Introductory remarks by the Chairperson, Mr Peter Yates, (Managing Director, Allco Equity Partners Ltd) Speakers
|
| 3:50 pm | Q & A |
| 4:10 pm | Session
Two Speaker: Tan Sri Ramon V. Navaratnam Sunway Group Corporate, Advisor/Director, Monash Malaysia Board of Directors Chairperson: Professor Stephanie Fahey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International), Monash University, Australia Vote of Thanks: Mr Richard Woolcott (Founding Director Asia Society AustralAsia Centre) |
| 4:30- 6:00 pm | Reception |
Download Keynote Address by The Hon. Dato' Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Malaysia
Open to the public free of any chargesWednesday 31 May 2006, 1.00 pm
S822, Level
8 South, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
"Context-specific invocation in Islamic
ritual: A West Java case study"
Dr
Julian Millie, PostDoctoral Fellow, Centre of Southeast Asian Studies,
Monash Asia Institute
Julian Millie will discuss variation in ritual form within the tradition-oriented Islamic communities of West Java. He will suggest that scholarly approaches to Islamic practice have failed to appreciate the diversity evident within the ritual practices of this demographic, largely because Arabic invocations are considered as belonging to the spiritual realm rather as reflections of political necessity. Video footage will be shown.
"Meet the Monash Archaeologists II"
Sunday
28 May 2006, 1.00 - 4.30 pm
Building South 1, Monash
University, Clayton Campus
Presented by The School of Geography & Environmental Science, The Centre of Archaeology & Ancient History & Monash Asia Institute
These free lectures will focus on Monash archaeologists and their latest field work & research in Australia, Papua New Guinea, China, Egypt & Italy. Speakers include:
- Dr Angelo Andrea Di Castro on Kashgar
- Joy Kremler & Richard Long on Ancient Egypt
- Tom Chandler on 3D reconstructions in Egypt, Angkor & Kashgar
- Dr Ian McNiven on Torres Strait Island
- Dr Tim Denham on Papua New Guinea and
- Assoc. Prof. Jim Peterson & Lucia Lancellotti on Sardinia.
Programme
| 1.00 - 1.05 pm | Welcome "Meet the Monash Archaeologists II" & the closure of NAW 2006 |
| 1.05 - 1.30 pm | Lecture
1 "The Kashgar Oasis Project" Dr Angelo Andrea Di Castro, Monash Asia Institute |
| 1.30 - 2.05 pm | Lecture
2 "The challenge and utility of landscape reconstruction in the service of archaeological interpretation: exemplification from Neapolis, S.W. Sardinia, Italy" Dr Jim Peterson & Lucia Lancellotti, School of Geography & Environmental Science |
| 2.05 - 2.30 pm | Lecture 3 "Constructed paradise: Torres Strait Islander landscape modification over the last 4, 000 years". Dr Ian McNiven, School of Geography & Environmental Science |
| 2.30 - 2.55 pm | Lecture 4 "New Kingdom Egyptian annexation of the oases of the western desert" Richard Long, MA candidate, Centre for Ancient History & Egyptology |
| 2.55 - 3.15 pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3.15 - 3.40 pm | Lecture 5 "The origins of agriculture in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea" Dr Tim Denham,School of Geography & Environmental Science |
| 3.40 - 4.05 pm | Lecture
6 "The 3D reconstructions of Angkor, Kashgar & Dakhleh Oasis". Tom Chandler, School of Information & Technology |
| 4.05 - 4.30 pm | Lecture 7 "Ancient Egyptian frog amulets" Joy Kremler, MA Candidate, Centre for Ancient History & Egyptology |
| 4.30 pm | Closure & Vote of thanks |
Downloads and Links
Getting to Monash Clayton campus - see: http://www.monash.edu.au/campuses/clayton.html
Monash Clayton Campus map - Parking is free during
weekends.
Enquiries about the lectures : Ms Lucia Lancellotti (Lucia.Lancellotti@arts.monash.edu.au )
Diet and Nutrition in the Tibetan Medical
System
Tuesday 23 May 2006, 1.00 pm to
2.30pm
Room S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies),
Monash University Clayton Campus
Barry Clark,
author of The Quintessence Tantras of Tibetan Medicine published
by Snow Lion Publications, 1995
Dr.Barry Clark studied
for almost twenty years in the Himalayas under two personal physicians
of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. He is the only westerner ever to
have received the complete training as a doctor in the ancient Tibetan
Medical System. Dr Clark has also taught and practised Tibetan Medicine
all over the world for some twenty-five years now. In his quest for
exotic medicinal plants he has also climbed his fair share of mountains
in the Indian Himalayas and Tibet.
In his lecture on
"Diet and Nutrition in the Tibetan Medical System", Dr
Clark will explain the nature of the subtle energies of the body
as a basis for both good health and disease. By means of dietary
wisdom and knowledge of nutrition one can utilize the energetic properties
of food sources to gain more control over both sickness and health.
By such means one can transform a victim into a warrior. This lecture
will also explain what makes foods 'tick' in daily life.
Visiting
speaker from Bangladesh
Monday 22 May
2006
Room S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies),
Monash University, Clayton Campus
"The role of media/civil
society in good governance and anti-corruption in Bangladesh"
(Topic to be confirmed)
Mr Zafar Sobhan, Assistant Editor,
The Daily Star in Bangladesh
Wednesday 10 May 2006,
1.00 pm
S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies),
Monash University Clayton campus
"
The Challenges from Kuala Lumpur to West Point New York
"
Mrs Jowati Juhary, PhD Candidate,
Monash Asia Institute
Mrs Jowati Juhary has just returned
from her fieldwork in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and New York United States.
Her thesis entitled "e-Learning and Simulations at Tertiary
Military Institutions: The Military Academy of Malaysia compared
with the U.S. Experience" has brought her to visit the United
States Military Academy West Point New York. She spent about 2 months
in Kuala Lumpur and another 1 1/2 months in New York. While in Kuala
Lumpur and West Point, Mrs Juhary had the opportunity to interact
with military officers as well as civilians who are involved with
the education and training of cadets. The difficulties in order to
obtain the visa and approval from the Pentagon Washington have made
the fieldwork to New York a memorable one for Mrs. Juhary.
Monash Asia
Institute
Friday 5 May 2006, 2.00 pm
Room
S822, Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11), Monash University Clayton
campus
Dr Jim Masselos
School of Philosophical
and Historical Inquiry, University of Sydney
"The
great crowds: re-seeing the Delhi Durbars: a talk with 19th century
Indian photographs of the Durbars of 1877, 1903 and 1911."
Synopsis
The paper uses photographic images from
a new archive of 19th century photographs of India, to re-examine
some of the predominant ideas about the great Delhi Durbars of 1877,
1903 and 1911. The focus is upon the people who attended the durbars,
who formed the crowds which were so much part of the great display,
and tries to suggest ways in which their presence might be interpreted
and crowd dynamics analysed.
About the speaker
Jim Massselos is an honorary reader in the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry at the University of Sydney. He is the author of numerous articles in journals and collected volumes of essays and has written Indian Nationalism: an History ( 5th revised edition, 2005), Towards Nationalism, and has co-authored Dancing to the Flute: Dance and Music in Indian Art, and Beato's Delhi, 1857,1998. As well he has edited or co-edited a number of collections of essays. He has curated or co-curated a number of exhibitions at the Art Gallery of NSW and the Macleay Museum in Sydney University including Dancing to the Flute and the Same But Different: Indian and Australian Photographs 1850-1925.
Wednesday 3 May 2006, 1.00
pm
S822, Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash
University Clayton campus
"Lajjagauri, the headless
naked goddess"
Dr Jayant Bapat, Hon. Research Associate,
Monash Asia Institute
Dr Jayant Bapat will discuss his
recent fieldwork in India on his current project on Lajjagauri, the
headless naked goddess. Lajjagauri was popular until the 10th century
CE is now worshipped in secret by women who do not have children.
On his recent visit to India, Dr Bapat took a number of photographs
of this deity in Karnataka and obtain convincing proof that the goddess
is none other than Gauri, the consort of Shiva.
"
Field Work in South Korea: An Experience of a Lifetime
"
Ms Geetha Govindasamy, PhD Candidate,
Monash Asia Institute
Wednesday 19 April 2006, 1.00
pm - 2.00 pm
Room S822, Level 8 South, Building 11
(Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
The 'Reports
from Asia' lunchtime seminar series continues with a talk by
Miss Geetha Govindasamy, a Phd candidate at MAI , who returned to Australia
on 2nd March 2006 after a 6 month field trip to Seoul, South Korea.
The main purpose of her trip was to collect primary data and conduct
interviews for her thesis entitled "The Role of Perceptions
in the Formulation of South Korea's Security Policies toward
North Korea." In this seminar Geetha will report on the challenges
she faced in terms of cultural differences as well as rewards of
conducting fieldwork in a Northeast Asian setting.
"From Afghanistan to Iran"
Dr Faridullah Bezhan, Hon Research Fellow, Monash Asia Institute
Time:
Wednesday 5 April 2006, 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm
Room S822,
Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
The 'Reports from Asia' lunchtime seminar series continues with a talk by Dr Farid Bezhan who recently returned to the Monash Asia Institute after a field trip to Tehran and London. Dr Bezhan's talk will focus on his fieldwork in Tehran on the recent Presidential election as well as his research on 'War literature in Afghanistan, 1978-2001' which took him to London. Dr Bezhan presented a paper at Kings' College titled "Parliamentary Election in Afghanistan: Path for Democracy or Warlordism?".
Seminar presented by Monash Asia Institute and Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology, Monash University
"Working with the Mind and Emotions: Hindu and Buddhist perspectives"
Sunday 9 April 2006, 2.00-5.00pm
Room S3 Building 25 (Science Faculty), Monash University Clayton
Campus, Wellington Rd
This seminar explores the contribution of both Hinduism and Buddhism to reflecting on both the mind and the emotions, by bringing together three distinguished authorities on the religious traditions of the Indian subcontinent: David Templeman, Swami Shankarananda, and Padmasiri de Silva. Its goal is to look past doctrinal differences between Hinduism and Buddhism to consider the practical insights offered in both traditions to psychological issues of our own time. The seminar concludes with the launch of a new 4th edition of Padmasiri de Silva's classic study, Introduction to Buddhist Psychology (Palgrave MacMillan) by Graham Meadows, Professor of Adult Psychiatry at Monash University and Director of Southern Synergy, based at Southern Health Mental Health Services, Dandenong Hospital. The seminar is sponsored by the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology and Monash Asia Institute.
Program
| 2.00-2.05 pm | Welcome A/Prof. Constant J. Mews and Prof. Marika Vicziany |
| 2.05-2.40 pm | David Templeman (Monash
University) "Hinduism and Buddhism: More than Kissing Cousins?" |
| 2.40-3.25 pm | Swami Shankarananda (Shiva Ashram) "The two, the three, and the One: Patanjali, Saiva Siddhanta and Kashmir Shaivism" |
| 3.25-3.45 pm | Break |
| 3.45-4.15 pm | Prof. Padmasiri de Silva (Monash University) "The Mind and the Emotions: Buddhist Perspectives" |
| 4.15-4.45 pm | Panel discussion: The Mind and the Emotions: Hindu and Buddhist perspectives compared (Chair: A/Prof. Constant J. Mews) |
| 4.45 pm | Prof. Graham Meadows (Monash University) Launch of Prof. Padmasiri de Silva,Introduction to Buddhist Psychology 4th edn (Palgrave MacMillan) |
| 5.00 pm | Refreshments in foyer |
Participants
Swami Shankarananda is the founder and Director of the Shiva School of Meditation, Mount Eliza. He is the author of the best-selling book Happy For No Good Reason, and has also written Consciousness is Everything and Carrot in My Ear (all published by Shaktipat Press). Swami Shankarananda is an authority on the spiritual tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, and has developed a process of self-inquiry that makes it easy for everyone to have an immediate and direct spiritual experience.
Prof. Padmasiri de Silva was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and has held visiting positions at a number of universities, and is Research Associate in the School of Historical Studies, Monash. He is author of many books on Buddhist psychology and ethics. In 2005 Palgrave MacMillan published a new 4th edition of his Introduction to Buddhist Psychology , first published in 1979.
David Templeman is a historian of Tibetan Buddhism and has translated sacred biographical material for more than 25 years. He is now undertaking his PhD. at the Monash Asia Institute on the topic of the Survival of Buddhism in India until the 17th century from Tibetan historical writings.
Prof. Graham Meadows , a Professor in the School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, is Director of Southern Synergy, a centre funded through Southern Health that is active in teaching, education, research and evaluation. He conducts research in psychiatric epidemiology, health systems research, mental health economics and primary mental health care, including currently heading a clinical trial on use of meditation practices to prevent relapses of depression.
Assoc. Prof. Constant J. Mews is Director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology.
Prof. Marika Vicziany is Director of the Monash Asia Institute.
Download Brochure, Travelling to Monash University Clayton Campus
A brochure in Word format can be downloaded here.
Travelling to Monash - see: http://www.monash.edu.au/campuses/clayton/travel.html
Monash Clayton Campus Map - http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/maps/3-Claytoncolour.pdf
Enquiries and RSVP
Entrance to the seminar is free, but participants must register their attendance by 6 April with Tony.Donaldson@adm. monash.edu.au - use "Mind and Emotions seminar" in subject heading of your email message.
Enquiries: Assoc. Prof. Constant J. Mews Constant.Mews@arts.monash.edu.au (Tel: 9905 2185)
Seminar: Saving the Earth : A Case Study from Java
Hosted by Monash Asia Institute and Centre of Southeast Asian Studies
Thursday 6 April 2006, 11.30 am - 1.45 pm
Room
H7, Ground Floor, Menzies Building (11), Monash
University
Clayton campus
*** Please note new venue, H7 and start time, 11.30 am***
"Saving the Earth : A Case Study from
Java"
Dr Lea Jellinek, Monash Asia
Institute and
Mr Iswanto, Polytechnic of Environmental
Health, Jogjakarta
About the seminar
Plastic waste is choking the rivers, drains and rice fields
of Java, Indonesia. The air is grey with the smoke of burning rubbish.
In Jogyakarta, simple and appropriate technology combined with good
leadership and community involvement, has encouraged a village of
800 people to separate and recycle their rubbish and re-green their
community. This program is now spreading to other urban villages
of Indonesia.
About the speakers
Iswanto, (MSc Tropical Medicine, BEd Environmental Health) is a
Lecturer at the Polytechnic of Environmental Health in Jogjakarta.
Iswanto has just arrived in Australia on his first journey out of
Indonesia. He is on a three-month fact finding tour to learn about
Australia's best practices in recycling, sanitation and water
management for application in urban and village Indonesia.
Lea Jellinek (PhD) has worked as consultant
anthropologist for many international agencies and volunteers as
a community development worker. She was Senior Lecturer at Melbourne
University and is currently Research Associate at Monash Asia Institute,
Monash University.
Since 2003 Lea and her partner,
Ed Kiefer, ( MA
, MSc) an environmentalist and health educator, have worked as advisors
to the Sukunan Waste Management and Sustainable Living Program.
New MAI Lunchtime Seminar Series:'Reports from Asia'
In response to popular demand, Monash Asia Institute will soon launch a new lunchtime seminar series titled 'Reports from Asia' in which returning scholars will be invited to speak about their fieldwork experiences.
This brown bag series will commence with the following seminar by Dr Ahmad Naser Sarmast, Honorary Research Fellow, Monash Asia Institute
"The state of music in Afghanistan"
Time:
Wednesday 22 March 2006, 1.00 pm - 2.00pm
Room S822,
Level 8 South, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
Dr Ahmad Naser Sarmast returned to MAI after a three-week field trip to Kabul in late 2005. The purpose of his trip was to assess the state of music and music education in Kabul, and to develop a project for the revival and promotion of music in Afghanistan. In this first of this seminar series Dr Sarmast will report on his recent experiences in Kabul in the context of his current research.
Seminar: Where did Buddha die? By the distinguished Humbolt University Scholar Professor Toni Huber
Wednesday 15 March 2006, 1.00 pm to
5.00 pm
Clemenger BBDO Auditorium
National
Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
The lecture will be followed by questions and answers, afternoon tea and a viewing of the Gallery's Buddhist collection.
Talk Title: "Where Did Shakyamuni Die? Tibetan Buddhism and the Shifting Terrain of the Buddha"
Outline:
This lecture calls into question the modern assumption of a stable identification of the original holy places in India that are associated with the life of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Drawing upon examples from the history of Tibetan Buddhism and the modern scholarship of Buddhist Studies, the lecture will propose an alternative perspective, namely that there has only ever been a shifting terrain of the Buddha which has been reinvented over time by a series of interested interpreters.
Speaker:
Toni Huber holds the Chair of Tibetan Studies at the Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany, where he pursues research and teaching on the anthropology and cultural history of Tibetan and closely related Himalayan societies. His scholarly interests include ritual and religion, social practices and attitudes relating to the natural environment, the ethnography of Tibeto-Burman speaking populations of the eastern Himalaya, and aspects of development and change in modern Tibetan societies.
How to get to the National Gallery of Victoria: http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngvinternational/location.html
A Special Double Seminar on China
Hosted by Monash Asia Institute and Chinese Studies (Monash University)
Friday 17 February 2006, 10.00 am -1.00 p.m.
Room W809, Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton campus
(Melway Ref: 70 G10)
"Literature and Memory - the value of Chinese non-fiction" by Yu Jie
"Regionalism and the Change of Political Form in Mainland China" by Wang Yi
About the speakers
Yu Jie and Wang Yi are both well-known and outspoken social commentators in China. 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.
The lecture and discussion will be both in English and Chinese.
Seminar jointly sponsored by Monash Asia Institute and the Asian
Economics and Business Unit, Monash University
Thursday
19 January 2006, 12.30 pm
M1
Lecture Theatre, Building 13d (Faculty of Medicine)
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.
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. In certain phases, notably during the mid 1990s and also during the recent period, the growth rate 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. Sectorally, services has performed best by maintaining nearly 10 percent growth per annum. In comparison, the industry has lagged behind at about 7 - 8 percent. The real draw back is however agriculture which is growing at about two percent only. Since the bulk of the population lives in rural areas and the majority of the work force earns their livelihood from agriculture, the long-term prosperity would depend crucially on the performance of agriculture.
Certain activities in India notably, Information and Communication Technology, Telecommunications, Finance, Insurance, Pharmaceutical Industry and Medical Services etc. are now growing at almost 20 percent per annum. In comparison to China, India is performing better in services and worse in Industry. However, while China has a much higher saving and investment rate, India at the aggregate level, has a better productivity of capital. This is despite India's comparatively poor infrastructure and institutional backwardness. Democracy in India, which is some times considered to be a speed breaker in economic terms, is also a positive feature for overall development.
High population growth in India has now turned into a positive factor. In the coming decades India would have one of the best Youth - total population ratio. A small percentage of the youth are highly educated and skilled and India's international competitiveness has also concentrated on activities using higher skilled personnel. If India can widen higher education facilities, and also improve the supply and management of infrastructure, then India may well maintain above 10 percent growth rate in the coming years.