I believe that all who attended this year's ASANA meeting, which was kindly hosted by the Center for Australian and New Zealand Studies at Georgetown University, agreed that it was a great success. More than 40 persons attended, many commenting on the high quality of the ten papers which were presented, as well as on the opening panel discussion of developments in Australian media ownership and communications technology. There was a very pleasant reception hosted by the Georgetown Center, and another equally pleasant Embassy reception hosted by the Australian Education Office (which itself played a major role in organizing the meeting). Finally, we were treated to the first North American screening of the interesting film "Floating Life". This depicts the trials and tribulations of Chinese migrants to Australia and it made graphic our recurring discussion of immigration and multiculturalism in Australia, on which Jim Jupp, from A.N.U., focused so expertly in his provocative keynote address.
In sum there was a lot of intellectual meat in this year's meeting and it augurs well for ASANA's growth and utility.
Let me extend sincerest thanks to all who attended, but especially to the more than dozen scholars and practitioners whose presentations made the meeting so rich substantively.
In late March, the ASANA Board met with Penny Amberg and John Wells to discuss a range of issues and to start planning next year's meeting. Bob Williams has already done much spadework to locate the 1998 gathering in Toronto, probably at Ryerson Polytechnic University (RPU) in the city's downtown area. The Board endorsed this venue and we are now approaching Ryerson formally and working on details, with one of the first three weekends in March 1998 being the likely date.
More generally, we are doing much in these next months to intensify communications in the ASANA network by producing more regular newsletters, expanding the Australian Studies Web site (and ASANA's place in it), and liaising with AAALS and with several relevant organizations in Australia. All this is in service to our goal of increasing ASANA's membership and usefulness for everyone connected with it. If you have suggestions or queries, please don't hesitate to contact me or one of the Board members (our e-mail addresses and contacts are printed at the end of this newsletter). And please get ready to pencil in next year's meeting in Toronto, more details about which will be forthcoming soon.
Finally, let me say that it is an honor to serve as president for the next two years. Bob Williams' presidency is a tough act to follow, but with the help of an extremely able and dedicated set of Board members, not to mention the unflagging efforts of Penny Amberg and John Wells on behalf of ASANA, I think that we'll make much progress. - John Higley
The 1997 Australian Studies Association of North America (ASANA) Conference was held at Georgetown University, Washington DC, on February 21 and 22. Over fifty academics with an interest in Australian Studies attended. A wide-range of papers was presented on topics as varied as Republicanism in Australia and the role of Torres Strait Islanders in Australian society today. The Keynote Speaker was Dr. James Jupp, Director, Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies at the Australian National University, who spoke about Australia's commitment to multiculturalism and the challenges which it is facing today.
For those interested in perusing some of the papers which were presented at the Conference, information is available on the ASANA Website at http://www.austudies.org/asana.
The following individuals presented papers at the 1997 ASANA Conference:
In the past several years, the ASANA secretariat has struggled to keep an up-to-date membership list and invoice for dues in a timely manner. We have designed a new database which will be maintained by Lisa Murphy, Australian Studies Officer at the Australian Education Office. We are hopeful that the new database will solve most of the membership problems. 1996 members who have not yet paid their 1997 dues will be invoiced. This membership will then be valid through the 1998 ASANA conference. We will follow this procedure for dues payment from now on. Those who have already paid their 1997 dues will receive a receipt indicating that they have paid. Non-members who attend the annual ASANA conference will be required to pay a non-member rate which does not entitle them to membership. Membership dues will remain at 25 dollars (US, Canadian, or even Australian) for individuals and 50 dollars for institutions. Instructions for payment will arrive with your renewal notice.
We hope to improve the value of your ASANA membership over the next year by publishing regular newsletters in May, September, and January. If we pick up news of relevance to members, we will, of course, send out special notices.
The 12th Annual American Association of Australian Literary Studies (AAALS) Conference was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia from May 1 - 3. The Conference theme was "Issues in Australian Literature - Many Cultures/Many Connections" and was hosted by Professor Andy Wainwright of Dalhousie University. The Conference was attended by more than forty individuals from Canada, the US, Europe and Australia. Papers were submitted on a wide array of topics related to Australian Literature. A highlight of the Conference was a reading by Mudrooroo, the author of Wild Cat Falling and Doctor Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the End of the World .
Next year's AAALS Conference was also announced and it will be held in St Louis from April 23 - 26 and hosted by Professor Robert Zeller of Southeast Missouri State University.
Anyone interested in more information about becoming an AAALS member should contact:
Harvard University's Committee on Australian Studies celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Australian Chair at Harvard with a symposium on May 9 and 10, 1997, at the Harvard University Gutman Conference Center in Cambridge, MA. Academics from both North America and Australia were in attendance.
Fifteen papers covering five disciplines, Archeology and Anthropology, Literature, Fine Arts, History, and Government, were presented. Most of the presenters were holders of the Australian Chair at Harvard University. The insightful and entertaining presentations covered topics such as the first signs of man in Australia and the United States, the impact of the United States on Australian literature, Australian nationalism, and the similarities/differences between the Australian and US constitutions.
The symposium was topped-off with a reception and dinner at the Harvard University President's home. The current Australian Ambassador to the United States, Andrew Peacock, gave a few remarks and Professor Bernard Bailyn gave a keynote address.
In addition to giving the keynote address at the ASANA Conference at Georgetown University, James Jupp, Director of the Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies at Australian National University, spoke at five universities throughout North America as part of the North American Speaker Series. Dr. Jupp spoke at public lectures, seminars and to fellow academics at the University of Richmond, College of William and Mary, Pennsylvania State University, University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. Throughout his tour, Dr. Jupp was able to update his audience on Australia's commitment to multiculturalism and the challenges which it is facing today. Dr. Jupp explained that "The overall intention of policy is to reduce settlement costs, to discourage non-English-speakers, to tighten family reunion and to reduce the overall intake gradually." "Like its predecessor the new government remains committed to a humanitarian intake of at least ten per cent of the total." (Dr. Jupp, 1997)
The North American Speaker Series is an Australian Embassy funded program administered by the Australian Education Office through its newly appointed Australian Studies Officer. Funding is available for Australian speakers to travel to the US and Canada and speak at four to five different institutions throughout North America. The Australian Embassy funds cover all travel costs, both international and domestic while the host universities cover the on-ground costs during a speakers visit.
During the 1997/98 academic year, the AEO hopes to have at least five Australian speakers tour North America. Should you have any suggestions about speakers, you should contact Lisa Murphy, Australian Studies Officer in the AEO. Once speakers have been identified, ASANA members will be notified by e-mail and mail and will be asked to submit proposals to host speakers.
The Australian Education Office has received funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to promote Australian Studies in North America. The funding provides half of the cost of hiring an Australian Studies Officer as well as project funds to conduct the North American Speaker Series, support Australian Studies organizations in North America (including ASANA and the American Association of Australian Literary Studies), and develop a program to support Australian studies in senior secondary schools throughout North America.
The AEO has already hired the Australian Studies Officer, Ms. Lisa Murphy. Lisa has a BA from the University of Alabama's New College and an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University. She interned with the Embassy of Australia in 1993 and studied in Australia as a high school exchange student. She can be contacted at (202) 332-8285, Fax: (202) 332-8304 or e-mail: [email protected]
During the month of April, Penn State was the site of a photographic exhibit by Australian photographer Richard Woldendorp. Woldendorp, whose "Photographs of Australia" landscape has been exhibited in private and public galleries in Australia, Europe, and the United States, was named Photographer of the Year in 1982 by the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers.
Desmond O'Grady, an Australian-born author and journalist living in Italy, presented several seminars on the Penn State campus. Mr. O'Grady was the literary editor of Australia's foremost weekly, the "Bulletin", and has worked as a freelance journalist in Rome since 1962. Among his works are numerous short stories and plays, a novel, radio scripts, and histories of early Christianity. His stories have a variety of settings, ranging from Europe to Asia to Australia and reveal a plain but expressive style combined with a keen eye for the odd and eccentric. The presentations were co-sponsored by the Australia-New Zealand Studies Center, the Comparative Literature Department, the English Department, the Institute for the Arts and Humanistic Studies, and the Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair for Special Collections, Pattee Library.
Also in April, former Ambassador of the United States to Australia, to South Africa and to Liberia, and former U.S. Representative to the United Nations Edward Joseph Perkins met with students, faculty and administrators. He gave a number of public lectures, including: "American Diplomacy and Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa", "The Emerging Role of the Asia-Pacific Region in Global Affairs: Responses from and Cooperation Between the United States and Australia", and "Positioning Universities for their International Role: A Career Diplomat's Perspective". The visit was co-sponsored by the Australia-New Zealand Studies Center, the Office of International Programs, and the Equal Opportunity Committee.
For additional information about these and other events, please contact Patricia Corbett at e-mail: [email protected] or phone: 814/863-1603.
During the last two years Australian Studies, especially academics located "off-shore", has moved rapidly onto the computer internet. ASANA is just one of many associations and centers around the world that has its own World Wide Web site. These sites allow each of us to stay informed of the activities of our colleagues and make instant email contact with (almost) anyone in the field. An increasing amount of primary and secondary source data is appearing to assist our research.
In March 1997 a major effort started to consolidate these various web sites. There now exist an "Australian Studies Network" which offers a single "point of entry" to the internet for all academics involved with Australian Studies. From the "homepage" of this Network, located at "http://www.austudies.org", the visitor is directed to all manner of contacts and information of value. It will tell you which Australian academics are visiting North America and help you contact them. It contains immediate announcements of importance. This Network not only provides "links" to existing web sites, but maintains and acts as the host for many of the major sites. Any Australian Studies program may have their own web site created, maintained and served over the Network. The goal is for every off-shore academic in the field to have their own web site freely available to all of us.
ASANA members are encouraged to "visit" the Australian Studies Network and offer corrections and ideas for future development. Among the many sites you will find is the ASANA web site (note: new address "http://www.austudies.org/asana") and the official Virtual Library for Australia. You will also find information about yourself and, where possible, a direct email link that other academics from any point on earth may use. It is to your benefit, personally and professionally, to become involved with this project. If you or your program desire a web site, this is the chance. It is a non-profit project supported by the Embassy of Australia in Washington and there is no charge for its services.
Mark the Australian Studies Network as a "bookmark" and visit often. For further information visit the site and/or email to [email protected].
As noted above, the ASANA web site has a new home and a new URL address. It may be found at "http://www.austudies.org/asana". The site is "housed" within the Australian Studies Network, but it is a fully independent web site under the direction of the ASANA board. The site is maintained as a service to members and will be most valuable if members consult it frequently and offer their suggestions for additions and improvements. Each member is listed in the site and email addresses are included when known. Please be sure your information is accurate. The site may be used to answer general questions from members - for example, there is a large page explaining how to get Australian text books in North America. The current newsletter is electronically published along with immediate announcements of interest to members. If you have a bit of news to share with other members, send it along. All correspondence regarding the site and any additions to be placed "online" should be emailed directly to Frank Poyas at email: [email protected].
Please contact any of the following if you have questions about or suggestions for ASANA:
From now on the ASANA Newsletter will be a joint enterprise. ASANA Secretary-Treasurer, John M. Keller, associated with Penn State's Australia-New Zealand Studies Center, will work with the Australian Education Office's Lisa Murphy to put out the newsletters. As we mentioned in the text of this newsletter, we hope to fine-tune these periodic bulletins so that they are of use to you. Please inform Lisa or John if you have information of interest to ASANA members which would be appropriate for future newsletters. Lisa and John will also post information to the ASANA website between newsletters. Our contacts are listed above. All the best for a good summer. Keep in touch. - Lisa Murphy and John Keller
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