| | School of Culture, History & Language | | | CHL Crosscurrents | 26 April 2024
Welcome to the April 2024 edition of the CHL external newsletter, Crosscurrents!
We look forward to your stories, news, events and updates to share with CHL and the wider ANU community.
Please share your content with us via this form: | | | | | | | Stories | | A Splash of Culture and Tradition: ‘Thingyan’ or the Myanmar New Year Water Festival | Dancing, karaoke, a taste of Myanmar cuisine, and water play…the Myanmar Thingyan or Water Festival recently graced us on campus, and like so many vivid experiences, it provided participants with a unique window into the cultures and traditions of Southeast Asia. Here's a lowdown on the celebrations, where people simply went with the flow and paddled over for a splash of a lifetime!
Read Story | | | | | Listening to chiisana koe (unheard voices) | "What I am learning from my research is that we need to respect the trajectories of people's life courses to make sense of the world around us." For Dr Mayuko Itoh, coming to Australia was based on her curiosity for something new, something different. Living in another country and studying another language seemed far more fascinating than remaining on predictable and charted territory in Japan.
Read Story | | | | | PhD scholar Huade Huang is fighting to save an endangered language spoken by only 5,000 people | Venturing to a remote village in Southwest China to learn an undocumented language at a local primary school would be daunting for most people, but not for CHL PhD student Huade Huang. Undertaking his research on the endangered Tibetan-Burman language of Kua’nsi in the Yunnan Province, Huade is fascinated by learning languages, but he is also concerned about what he may never learn.
Read Story | | | | | Pacific cities much older than previously thought |
New evidence of one of the first cities in the Pacific shows they were established much earlier than previously thought, according to new research from ANU, spearheaded by CHL PhD Candidate Phillip Parton and Professor Geoffrey Clark.
The study used aerial laser scanning to map archaeological sites on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga.
Read Story | | | | | | On 4 April, CHL hosted a tribute to the late Emeritus Professor Mark Elvin, who passed away on 6 December 2023 in Oxford, UK. It was a beautiful and poignant evening, with colleagues, students, friends and family coming together to share their thoughts and memories.
If you missed it, or would like to revisit the evening, you can watch it here. The passcode to access the video is R0%b6=6n. | | | | In the Media | | Why Japan is the only country where married couples must have the same surname | Professor Simon Avenell recently spoke with ABC News about why Japan is the only country where married couples must have the same surname.
Read More | | | | | This Week In History: The Amritsar Massacre |
Associate Professor Meera Ashar spoke with Suzanne Hill on ABC Nightlife about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.
Read More | | | | | | | Vale Dr Deryck Scarr
Earlier this month, we received the sad news about the passing of Dr Deryck Scarr, a prolific Pacific historian, especially of Fiji. He spent 40 years in a previous iteration of CHL: The Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies.
Dr Scarr was born on 7 September 1939 in Newbury, England. He was the son of Dennis Wilfred Scarr and Keturah Alberta Scarr, and brother of Jeremy David Scarr. Deryck obtained a Bachelor in History with Honours and the history prize from the University of Exeter in 1961 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Pacific History from the Australian National University in Canberra, 1965. He first worked in Fiji’s extensive archives in 1962-63 and spent a good deal of time in Fiji thereafter marrying his beloved Marion Joy Erasito on 23 October, 1988. They had an equally beloved daughter, Miranda Keturah Marieta in 1991, and sadly Marion passed away in 1999.
He made a huge contribution to Pacific History, and was a prolific researcher and writer authoring 11 books on Fiji in the colonial period, the Seychelles, histories of slavery in the Indian Ocean, biographies of Sir John Bates Thurston, Ratu Sukuna and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, along with an extensive range of scholarly journals and book chapters.
An avid yachtsman, dearly loved, and missed by his family, he is survived by Miranda and her husband Adam Johnston, their daughters Margot and Lyla, and his brother Jeremy and his children Juliette and Kevin. | | | Spotlight
Dr Larissa Schneider at the Science Meets Parliament Forum | This year’s Science Meets Parliament served as an outstanding forum for dialogue, uniting a diverse group of scientists, researchers and policymakers.
Representing ANU, CHL's Associate Professor Larissa Schneider played a pivotal role at the event, embodying our dedication to a comprehensive approach to science that bridges various disciplines, and championing the integration of social sciences into our understanding and application of scientific knowledge. She argued that tackling the multifaceted issues of our era—ranging from climate change to public health emergencies—demands policies that are not only underpinned by robust scientific evidence but also enriched by social insights and cultural empathy.
Infusing prestige to the ANU representation, our esteemed former Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt also attended, highlighting the breadth of expertise and the ANU commitment to the national conversation on science and policy integration. | | | Events | | Assembly | 15 February–24 May 2024
(9am to 5pm)
Assembly brings together eight Hong Kong-born artists from different generations of the diaspora.
Amid the current wave of migration, this exhibition series explores the act of ‘making sense’ of layers and fragments, of memories and stories, told or untold.
For details of each event, click here. | | | | | Anthropology Seminar Series (Semester 1) | 19 February–20 May 2024 (Mondays 3pm to 4pm, unless otherwise stated)
The cross-campus seminar series in anthropology has returned with a new set of seminars! Check out the lineup on the event website.
These seminars are online, free and open to all, with no registration required. You can join the seminars via Zoom.
Click here for details and to register. | | | | | The last days of Ye Mingchen |
2 May 2024 (4pm to 5:30pm)
Professor Benjamin Penny examines surviving historical materials, including Alabaster’s diary, to trace the life of Ye Mingchen, following his capture and the circumstances of his death, about which there has been some dispute.
This seminar is part of the ANU China Seminar Series.
Click here to know more and register. | | | | | Tony and Yohanni Johns Lecture 2024: The Question of Truth | 2 May 2024 (5:30pm to 7pm)
This annual lecture honours both Tony and Yohanni Johns's enduring legacies on Indonesian teaching at ANU and across Australia, which started when Tony was made inaugural professor Indonesian languages and literature at ANU in 1963. It is made possible by the generosity of Emeritus Professor Anthony Reid, as well as Tony and Yohanni's friends and family. . Click here to know more and register. | | | | | A reconsideration of Japan’s delayed surrender in World War II | 7 May 2024 (1pm to 2:30pm)
This seminar is part of the ANU Japan Institute Seminar Series, which showcases cutting-edge research by leading and emerging scholars based primarily in Australia and Japan. It aims to promote networking among Japan Studies scholars in the two countries and will feature innovative research on the bilateral relationship.
This seminar locates Emperor Hirohito as the driving force behind Japanese surrender in World War II, presents new historical evidence to support its threefold case that (i) the emperor feared aerial bombardment, (ii) the atomic attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki magnified that fear, and (iii) this fear was the driving force behind the emperor’s 'sacred decisions' to end the war and submit to foreign military occupation.
Click here to know more and register. | | | | | Book Launch: She Wanted to be a Beauty Queen |
8 May 2024 (4pm to 5:30pm) Honorary Professor George Quinn’s She Wanted to be a Beauty Queen is the first-ever anthology of modern Javanese fiction in English translation. Its 30 short stories explore issues of ethnic identity, male-female relationships, religious faith and much more, all explored in a uniquely Javanese style.
The book will be launched by newly appointed CHL Indonesian lecturer and expert on ancient Javanese and Balinese manuscripts, Dr Jarrah Sastrawan, and Ayu Hancock, whose Honours research is focused on Javanese culture.
Honorary Professor George Quinn is the retired Head of the ANU Southeast Asia Centre, now incorporated into CHL.
Click here to know more and register. | | | | | Trying to model the history of Mian speakers: CHL-ECDI SYNAPSE Seminar Series | 9 May 2024 (3pm to 4:30pm)
The Mian-speaking population of Telefomin district occupies the northern fall of the central ranges, at a range of altitudes and, consequently, across distinguishable ecological zones. Their distribution reflects complex socio-historical movements that have produced significant social heterogeneity within the population as a whole, without entirely extinguishing something like a common Mian identity.
In this edition of the CHL flagship seminar series SYNAPSE, University of Lucerne Research Fellow Don Gardner explains his attempt to to map out the parameters of Mian history while attending to the profile of socio-political contingencies that are also integral to it.
Click here to know more and register. | | | | | China's heritage through history: The Orchid Pavilion gathering and calligraphy | 9 May 2024 (4pm to 5:30pm) The art of collecting, reproducing, and reinterpreting the past has been an enduring force shaping cultural identity and political legitimacy in China. But who have been the key players in these ongoing processes of reconfigured pasts? What methods have they employed? And how have these practices shaped society at large?
This talk, as part of Associate Professor Yujie Zhu's forthcoming book China's Heritage through History, tackles these questions through the example of the Orchid Pavilion gathering in Shaoxing and its calligraphy art as one of the most renowned works in Chinese history.
This seminar is part of the ANU China Seminar Series.
Click here to know more and register. | | | | | Exploring Themes in Korean Young Adult Fiction Through <Pa-int> 페인트 | 9 May 2024 (4pm to 5:30pm)
Join us to explore Korean Young Adult literature through an engaging discussion inspired by the award-winning novel Pa-int 페인트. Delve into the thought-provoking themes and captivating narrative of Pa-int while also examining broader trends in Korean Young Adult fiction. With the esteemed author, Lee Hee-Young, participants will embark on a journey through the pages of Pa-int, as the novel's premise—a futuristic society where children select their own parents through interviews—serves as a catalyst for exploring themes of autonomy, family dynamics, and societal norms. Through a summary of the novel and an examination of its themes, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of Korean Young Adult fiction and its relevance to contemporary society. Following the discussion, the Korean language class students from ANU and the University of Melbourne students will bring the novel to life by reading aloud passages they selected, offering their interpretations and reflections on the text..
Click here to know more and register. | | | | | ‘The Future of Our Past’ ~ Memory Activism and the Feminist Temporalities of International Women’s Year 1975 | 14 May 2024 (10:15am to 11:15am)
Rising from the ashes of patriarchally induced historical amnesia, feminist history is now delivered to us in discontinuous ‘chunks’ of activist time or tenuously connected crests and troughs. It often leaves new generations of activists feeling as if they are burdened with the overwhelming task of beginning feminism anew. Yet, there is a long history of memory activism that saw feminists striving to ensure the intergenerational transmission of feminist knowledge so that younger women would be aware that they could build directly on their predecessors’ momentum to realise their feminist futures.
In this seminar, Professor Sharon Crozier-De Rosa from the University of Wollongong share her analysis of feminist ‘time, place, everywhen’ by framing International Women’s Year (1975) in Australia as a crossroads where intergenerational feminist desires for historical and affective connection intersected.
Click here to know more and to register. | | | | | ANU Menzies Library Southeast Asia resource showcase and morning tea | 14 May 2024 (10:30am to 2pm)
The Menzies Library at ANU boasts an exemplary collection on Southeast Asia, offering incomparable resources for staff, students, and scholars focusing on the region. The ANU Southeast Asia Institute and the Menzies Collection Management Team are hosting a collaborative event to showcase the Southeast Asia collection alongside morning tea!
ANU staff and students are invited to this overview of the library resources, its collection and services, Southeast Asia archives, and other relevant content. The Menzies Collection Management team will also set up drop-in desks for attendees to have an opportunity to get specialist one-on-one info and assistance with finding and using resources relevant Southeast Asia.
Click here to know more and to register. | | | | | From North Maluku to Canberra: Presiden Tidore aka Bams Conoras Live! | 14 May 2024 (6pm to 7:30pm)
Presiden Tidore a.k.a Bams Conoras is a hip-hop artist from Tidore Island in North Maluku, Indonesia.
In May 2024, Presiden and his crew will bring their passion for Maluku culture and their signature blend of contemporary and traditional music and dance to Canberra, courtesy of the ANU School of Culture, History & Language, 16Albermarle Project Space, Sydney, and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to Australia.
Presiden Tidore's music draws on the traditions and history of his home island, Tidore, and calls for a greater recognition of the complex and vibrant contemporary cultures that lie away from the main centres of Indonesian culture in Java and Bali.
Click here for more and to register.
| | | | | Book Launch: Dreaming Ecology: Nomadics and Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, Victoria River, Northern Australia | 16 May 2024 (5:30pm to 7pm)
Please join us for the launch of Dreaming Ecology (ANU Press, 2024) by the late Deborah Bird Rose, renowned anthropologist and environmental humanities scholar on Indigenous Australian Environmental Knowledge and Practice in Victoria River District, Northern Australia, and losses and extinctions caused by colonialism and pastoralism.
The book has been co-edited by Darrell Lewis and CHL's Emerita Professor Margaret Jolly.
Dreaming Ecology will be formally launched by Professor Katherine Gibson, who is internationally known for her research on rethinking economies as sites of ethical action.
Click here to know more and to register. | | | | | Forty years in the South Seas: Book Launch and Seminar in honour of Glenn Summerhayes’ career | 24 May 2024 (2:30pm to 6pm)
It is not often that one gets to witness a fitting celebration of a remarkable career, which makes this occasion extraordinary. All are warmly invited to attend a tribute of sorts for Professor Glenn Summerhayes, to honour his outstanding contributions to western Pacific archaeology and population history. The event will open with a seminar presented by Professor Summerhayes, followed by the launch of Forty Years in the South Seas: Archaeological Perspectives on the Human History of Papua New Guinea and the Western Pacific Region, a festschrift featuring 19 chapters on the human history of Papua New Guinea and the Western Pacific to honour Glenn’s career (University of Otago) who will retire in 2025.
Click here to know more and to register. | | | | | | LCNAU Eighth Biennial Colloquium: Call for Papers
Deadline: 5 May 2024
The LCNAU 8th Biennial Colloquium will take place at the University of Sydney from 27th to 29th November 2024. This year's theme for the LCNAU colloquium is 'Trans/Formation: Research and education in languages and cultures'.
We find ourselves in a period where the intricate interplay between language and culture is undergoing a profound re-evaluation. Rapid technological advancements, ecological imperatives and geopolitical shifts have collectively pushed language education and research into uncharted territories.Yet, within these challenges lies the potential for valuable scholarly responses and the opportunity to engage in trans/formative thinking and practice: (re)constructing ideas and practices that help us to think in new ways across the relationship between culture and language as we traverse new academic and intellectual frontiers.
LCNAU invites scholars, practitioners, early career researchers and postgraduate students to submit panel proposals and abstracts.
Click here for details. | | | | Reconciliation Australia News and Publications
Reconciliation Australia is the lead body for reconciliation in Australia.
They inspire and build relationships, respect and trust between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Access relevant publications of Reconciliation Australia here. | | | | Share your Stories
We aspire to take your stories to a wider audience. And who better to tell these stories than the people at the heart of it?
Share articles, videos, photos and anything else that showcases your research, studies, field experiences and more! Submit your content here. | | | | | If you are interested in supporting the work and research of our School, you can now donate to the School of Culture, History & Language Fund. | | | | | | |