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MONASH ASIA INSTITUTE BULLETIN 9/2007
3 September 2007
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In this bulletin
1. ASAA Conference: 1st keynote speaker: Mr. AITZAZ AHSAN
2. Seminar: Water management at Angkor
3. Book Launch: ìThe sojourner communityî and Seminar
4. Seminar: Indian civil-military issues and challenges
5. Seminar: Australian youth and WW2 war history
6. Seminar: Moral and religious education in Japan
7. Seminar: Indiscriminate bombing in Osaka in WW2
8. Public Lecture: Radical Forgiveness
9. Seminar: The Tibo Case
10. Australia Malaysia Fellowships
11. Seminar: Pamphlets, magazines and books read by Malays in southern Thailand
12. Demonisation Symposium
13. Annual Indonesia Lecture Series 2007
14. Indonesia Council Open Conference (ICOC) 2007
15. Conference: Migration and social protection in China
16. 5th Herb Feith Memorial Lecture
17. Chinese temples in Singapore
18. Public lecture by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand
19. Peacekeeping Conference
20. Lecture: The hidden battle for the world food order
21. 11th Japanese Film Festival
22. A night of stories: With Waleed Aly - People Like Us
23. Launch of Issue 8 of AsiaRights
24. Conference: International political economy of East Asia
25. Asian Football Business Review newsletter
26. Website of the month: chinastudies.blip.tv
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Monash Asia Institute and Monash University News and Events
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Item 1. Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) 17th biennial conference
"Is this the Asian Century?"
1-3 July 2008, Sebel Albert Park Hotel, Melbourne
First keynote speaker: Mr. AITZAZ AHSAN
Aitzaz Ahsan, is without doubt, one of Pakistanís leading constitutional and human rights attorneys. A Minister in various Pakistani cabinets, he is also admired as the author of several books including a co-authored work ëDivided on Democracyí with Professor Lord Desai (2005).
Mr. Ahsan has defended scores of political prisoners in military court trials under Martial Law.
Aitzaz Ahsan will speak at the ASAA conference on ëCivil Society and the Asian Centuryí.
For details see:
Call for papers for ASAA 2008 Conference - Due Date: 20 February 2008
Register now:
Conference website:
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Item 2. Seminar
Centre of Southeast Asian Studies (Monash Asia Institute)
Thursday 6 September 2007, 11.00 am
SG02 (Manton Rooms), Menzies Building (11)
Monash University Clayton campus
"Water management at Angkor: redefining the debate"
Associate Professor Roland Fletcher
Co-Director, Greater Angkor Project, University of Sydney
The water management system of Angkor has been the topic of intense debate since the early 1980s with opinions spuriously divided between functionalist and ritualist interpretations. New evidence collected by the EFEO and the Greater Angkor Project from remote sensing, field survey and excavations has redefined the debate by identifying an immense three-part water control and dispersal network spread over 1000 sq km that contains massive masonry-built water management features. The network formed the infrastructure of the urban complex, was a key component of its low-density, urban residential pattern and may also be implicated in its demise as Groslier argued in the 1960s and 70s.
Associate Professor Fletcher is the principal Director and instigator of the Greater Angkor Project at the University of Sydney. He is an archaeologist and spatial theorist with experience in the archaeology and ethnography of settlement dynamics. He has developed his specific expertise on Angkor over the past decade.
ALL WELCOME
Enquiries: Dr Trudy Jacobsen,
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Item 3. Book Launch and Seminar
Thursday 6 September 2007, 1:00 pm
Japanese Studies Centre, Building 54, Monash University Clayton
1:00 Book launch:- The sojourner community: Japanese migration and residency in Australia, by Tetsuo Mizukami. Brill, 2007.
The important theoretical dimension of this book is the refinement of the concept of the sojourner to take into account the migrantsí settlement phases. Although the sociological meaning of the sojourner vis-‡-vis settler has not been sufficiently discussed in the social scientific area, the growing significance of sojourning foreigners should not be ignored. Part of the book illustrates the characteristic patterns of population movements from Japan to Australia by analysing statistical data. The outcome from the extensive research, including intensive fieldwork conducted in Melbourne, portrays the distinctiveness of the Japanese community living there. This work will contribute to the sociology of migration and cultural exchange programmes and multi-national firms that seek to better understand the unavoidable transformation relating to various patterns of international migration and the emergence of new types of urban ethnicity.
2:00 Professor Mizukami will talk about his current research:
"Frames for research into Japanese migration"
Tetsuo Mizukami is professor of sociology at Rikkyo (St Paul's) University, Tokyo. He has a PhD in Sociology from Monash University. He has published extensively on Migration Studies and Urban Ethnicity including Ibunkashakai tekio no riron [Theories on Cross-Cultural Adjustment] (Harvest, 1996) and Integration of Japanese Residents into Australian Society (Japanese Studies Centre, 1993).
All Welcome
Please RSVP by Tuesday 4th September for catering purposes to:
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Item 4. Monash Asia Institute PhD seminar
Friday 7 September 2007, 10:00 am
Room S822, Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11)
Monash University Clayton campus
"Mind Games not War Games: Indian Civil-Military issues and challenges"
Speaker: Mr Dinesh Kumar, PhD Candidate, Monash Asia Institute
From nation consolidation in the early years of Indiaís post-Independence history to fighting wars and engaging in sustained internal security operations, the Indian armed forces have had a substantial share of role playing in handling issues and challenges in Indiaís post-Independence civil society. The Indian armed forces have stayed firmly apolitical, professional and have functioned under an unchallenged supremacy of civilian control. There has been no attempt or fear of a military coup notwithstanding the fact that India is surrounded by authoritarian regimes of various hues. But a key question that is continuously raised in India is ìwhy do the armed forces continue to play little role in decision making on defence and security related issues?î Decision making in India remains the exclusive domain of the politician and the bureaucrat, very few of whom have an understanding of defence issues. How does this augur for a country that is seeking to use military power for ìforce projectionî in the region. At the same time a major challenge to civil-military relations in India comes from the Armyís near permanent deployment in internal security operations almost from the time of Independence, which in turn is causing serious internal strain on the armed forces of a country that is seeking to find its ìrightful place in the worldî.
Dinesh Kumar is a PhD candidate at the Monash Asia Institute. He is a former Resident Editor of The Times of India, Chandigarh and a former Defence Correspondent for The Times of India, New Delhi.
RSVP with subject heading "Indian military challenges" to Dr Tony Donaldson,
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Item 5. Japanese Studies Centre, Monash University
Research Seminar
Friday 7 September 2007, 2.00pm
Auditorium, Japanese Studies Centre, Building 54, Monash University Clayton campus
"Australian youth and WW2 war history"
Speakers:
Ms. Ryoko Adachi, Visiting Researcher, Japanese Studies Centre
Mr. Andrew McKay, Visiting Researcher, Japanese Studies Centre
In Australia students are increasingly being exposed to World War 2 history. Itís the result of a major national initiative involving Federal and State Governments, the RSL, Legacy and the Commemoration of the Battle for Australia organization. Children are being taken to shrines and memorials. They learn about fighting the Japanese and what happened at Changi prison camp, the Thai-Burma Railway and the Sandakan death march. In Japan students are being deprived of knowledge about WW2, even the fact that Australia was once the enemy. School texts are being re-written to eliminate what is called "dark history" for fear it will damage national morale. The authors of Shadows of War, Ryoko Adachi and Andrew McKay, will talk bout their latest investigations. And the prospect of Australian v. Japanese war history knowledge and ignorance leading to misunderstandings between the two countries in the near future.
Enquiries, or
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Item 6. Japanese Studies Centre, Monash University
Research Seminar
Friday, 7 September 2007 3.00pm ñ 4.00pm
Auditorium, Japanese Studies Centre, Building 54, Monash University Clayton campus
"Moral and Religious Education in Japan"
Speaker: Dr. Dorothea Filus, Visiting Researcher, Japanese Studies Centre
This paper will aim at finding solutions to the current problems and conflicts in the debate on the introduction of religious education in Japanese public schools. The major obstacle to the progress in the debate is of a legal and political nature. The Constitution of Japan forbids religious education, while the conservative politicians push for religious education modeled on the pre-war moral education (shushin). The public is suspicious of a hidden agenda behind the proposal to teach religion in public schools. Some critics argue that it will only serve the interests of the conservative politicians to manipulate the religious sentiments and the social disappointments of the Japanese people. Parents in general oppose religious education and are cautious even about some aspects of the current moral education.
The recent revision of the Fundamental Law of Education opens the door to the possibility of teaching some aspects of religion. However, as designing a new curriculum based on the revised Law will take a few years, at this stage it is not clear how and whether moral education in public schools will incorporate some aspects of religious knowledge. As there is no public agreement on what constitutes Japanese religious and moral values, the content of such a new course on morality/religion also remains a problem.
The paper argues that some Japanese religious and social beliefs and values should be reinterpreted in accordance with global cultural trends and modified to fit the 21st century. The purpose of such a modification is for the development of the ideals of tolerance, openness, inclusiveness, and gender and race equality. Only then a moral/religious education program committed to mutual tolerance, empathy and respect for others and their values can successfully be created. The paper will also consider whether moral education classes should be used as a platform for promoting community service, volunteer spirit, social activism, and philanthropic and altruistic work for the purpose of benefiting society.
Enquiries,
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Item 7. Japanese Studies Centre Research Seminar
Friday 7 September 2007, 4.00pm ñ 5.30pm
Auditorium, Japanese Studies Centre, Building 54, Monash University Clayton campus
"Oda Makoto and August 14, 1945: His Humanitarian Wrath against Indiscriminate Bombing"
Speaker: Prof. Toshi-Yuki Tanaka, Hiroshima Peace Institute, Hiroshima City University
Until this year it was an annual event in Osaka for Oda to give a public lecture on war and peace on August 14, the day that Osaka was heavily bombed by the U.S. Forces in 1945. This was the last bombing before Japan officially surrendered, and Oda lived through it. His unforgettable encounter with the atrocity of war led to his deep commitment to various humanitarian causes throughout his life and was the basis for many of his ideas and writings. This paper will explain the inter-relationship between Oda's war experience and his philosophy as a writer and activist.
Enquiries, or
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Item 8. Arts Public Lecture Series
Friday 7 September 5.30pm for a 6pm start
Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria, 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Entry 3, La Trobe Street
ìRadical Forgiveness: Beyond Hannah Arendtî
Speaker: Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela
What are the possibilities of radical forgiveness in politics? Political philosopher Hannah Arendt famously remarked that the radical evil of the concentration camps represented a crime of such magnitude that it could neither be punished nor forgiven. In this lecture internationally acclaimed Professor of Psychology, Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela reaches beyond Arendt, with her concept of ìradical forgivenessî. She offers the hope and the possibility that every person, no matter how dehumanised, can be restored to the human community.
Bookings: to register,
For more details,
Free admission - refreshments provided
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Item 9.
Centre of Southeast Asian Studies (Monash Asia Institute)
13 September 2007, 11.00 am
SG02 (Manton Rooms), Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton campus
"The Tibo Case: Local sectarianism, national factionalism and the struggle for justice."
Speaker: Dr John Prior, Candraditya Research Centre for the Study of Religion and Culture, Maumere (Flores)
The execution of Tibo and companions earlier this year brings out issues of sectarianism, factionalism and legal manipulation by powerful interests, and the dilemma of those working for social justice without being sucked into these negative forces.
Dr John Prior has lived in Flores, eastern Indonesia, since 1973. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham in the field of inter-cultural theology. Professor at Ledalero Major Seminary, Maumere, Flores, he is also an associate lecturer at Yarra Theological Union, Box Hill, and a visiting scholar at the University of Melbourne.
ALL WELCOME
Enquiries: Dr Trudy Jacobsen,
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Item 10. Australia Malaysia Fellowships $10,000
The Australia-Malaysia Institute (AMI) announces the 2007-08 round of Fellowships for academics, postgraduate students and other researchers, in three categories:
1. Malaysian Studies - for Australian researchers to visit Malaysian tertiary educational and research institutions
2. Australian Studies - for Malaysian researchers to visit Australian tertiary educational and research institutions
3. Research Excellence - for Malaysian researchers who wish to cooperate with Australian researchers in a research area other than Australian studies
The Australia-Malaysia Institute seeks to promote Australiaís relationship with Malaysia by increasing linkages between people and institutions and promoting mutual understanding of our counterpart societies. These fellowships are also intended to promote excellence in research.
Applicants should forward descriptions of projects which further the above objectives, containing a brief research proposal, brief curriculum vitae (including relevant research track record), proposed itinerary, estimated budget and expected scholarly outcomes. Several fellowships of up to $10,000, tenable for six to twelve weeks, will be awarded and must be completed before 30 May 2008.
Further details and application forms can be found on the AMI website or contact the Fellowship Secretariat, Dr Wendy Smith, on (03) 9905-9250 or
Applications need to be submitted to the AMI at by COB 14 September 2007
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Item 11. Seminar
A joint seminar hosted by the Centre of Malaysian Studies and Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University
20 September 2007, 11.00 am
SG02 Manton Rooms, Building 11 (Menzies)
Monash University Clayton campus
'Pamphlets, magazines and books read by Malays in southern Thailand: Change and millenarianism'
Speaker: Dr Dennis Walker Honorary Research Fellow, Monash Asia Institute
ALL WELCOME
Enquiries: Dr Trudy Jacobsen,
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Item 12. Demonisation Symposium
Hosted by Monash Asia Institute and Centre for Studies in Religion & Theology, Monash University
Saturday 22 September 2007, 1:00 - 5:00 pm
H4 Lecture Theatre
Building 11 (Menzies), Monash University Clayton Campus
Presentations at this symposium include:
"Cambodian demons under Pol Pot", Dr Peg Le Vine, Monash Asia Institute
"Demonisation of Tantra", Mr David Templeman, Monash Asia Institute
"The power of Untouchable demons", Prof Marika Vicziany, Monash Asia Institute
"Harnessing the demons within: therapeutic resources for anger management", Dr Padmasiri DeSilva, School of Historical Studies, Faculty of Arts, Monash University
There will also be a book launch by Dr Craig Hassed: "Explorers of inner space" by Dr Padmasiri DeSilva
Tea/Coffee and other refreshments can be purchased from HQ Coffee shop next to H4 Theatre.
Full details of the symposium will be available shortly.
Enquiries and RSVP to "Demonisation Symposium" in the subject heading of the email to Dr Tony Donaldson at
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Item 13. Annual Indonesia Lecture Series 2007
The Centre of Southeast Asian Studies of the Monash Asia Institute and Anthropology, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, in association with ABC Radio Australia, and the Australian-Indonesian Association of Victoria Inc. presentÖ
"10 years of political reform in Indonesia: Reasons for hope"
Monday 24 September 2007, 5.00pm Reception in foyer,
Lectures commence at 6.00pm sharp
Venue: Lecture theatre K309, Level 3, Building K
Monash University Caulfield campus
(Caulfield campus map:
The sudden demise of the Suharto administration in 1998 ended 32 years of political oppression in Indonesia and initiated a period of significant political liberalisation, restructuring and reform (Ind.: Reformasi). Nearly ten years have passed and we are frequently reminded that many difficulties remain. This yearís Annual Indonesia Lecture Series, however, brings together a panel of international experts to address the equally important task of reflecting on what has changed and what has been achieved during the terms of Indonesiaís four post-Suharto presidents and throughout this period of democratisation in general.
Presentations will be followed by an extended public debate with members of the audience, many of whom will be experts on Indonesia attending the ASAA Indonesia Council Open Conference (24-25th Sept) at Monash University. ABC Radio Australia will record the Annual Indonesia Lectures for subsequent broadcast.
Speakers include Dr Irman G. Lanti (UNDP Jakarta), Prof Greg Barton (ANU), Dr Angus McIntyre (LaTrobe University), Dr Ariel Heryanto (University of Melbourne), and Dr Robert Cribb (ANU).
ALL WELCOME
RSVP (ESSENTIAL for this event) "AILS 2007" in the subject heading of the email to Monash Asia Institute's Dr Tony Donaldson at
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Item 14. Indonesia Council Open Conference (ICOC) 2007
Monash University, Caulfield Campus
24-25 September 2007
A reminder that the date for registering for the ICOC 2007 is fast approaching.
Registration is free, but to assist with planning please send an email with your name, institutional affiliation and email address to by Monday 3 September 2007. Please indicate if you DO NOT want your name, institution and email address published in the conference program.
For more details:
Enquires: Dr Brett Hough,
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Item 15. Conference
"Migration and Social Protection in China"
Hosted by Asian Business and Economics Research Unit (Monash University)
Institute of Population and Labor Economics (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) Renmin-Monash Advanced Centre for Economic Studies