======

MONASH ASIA INSTITUTE BULLETIN 3/2008

4 March 2008

======

In this bulletin

1. Updates: 17th ASAA biennial Conference

2. CSEAS Seminar: Indonesian local NGOs

3. Seminar: A Spaniard for Filipinos

4. Vietnamese Legal Studies Graduate Student Workshop

5. CSEAS Seminar: Schapelle Corbyís My Story

6. Seminar: Thai Buddhism in the 21st Century

7. CSEAS Seminar: A history of Tanah Toraja, South Sulawesi

8. CSEAS Seminar with Launch of Kartini Book

9. Business in Asia

10. Monash Business Review

11. Financial Development and Economic Growth Conference

12. Meet the Monash Archaeologists Seminar

13. Kartomi PhD in Music Scholarship

14. 2008 AYAD Forum

15. 20th IAHA Conference

16. Website of the month: Asia Bookroom

======

Monash Asia Institute and Monash University News and Events

======

Item 1. 17th ASAA biennial Conference

Hosted by Monash Asia Institute on behalf of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA)

17th ASAA biennial conference: "Is this the Asian century?"

1-3 July 2008, The Sebel Albert Park Hotel, Melbourne

Latest updates:

(1) Due date for submission of abstracts: 30 March 2008

(2) Due to popular demand, the Early Bird Registration is now extended to 16 April 2008

(3) Postgraduate Workshop - This workshop is available for free to any postgraduate students or early career researchers who register for the 17th Biennial ASAA Conference

(4) Specialised Panels: Papers for the following specialised panels are invited (more than one panel will be organised on each of the following themes):

* Memory and Violence in Southeast Asia (Please write to )

* Water issues in Asia (Please contact )

* New diseases in Asia - SARS, HIV/AIDS, Bird Flu (Please contact )

Submit your abstract by 30 March 2008, take advantage of the extended early bird registration and read the latest news about the postgraduate workshop, keynote speakers and abstract submissions at:

http://www.conferenceworks.net.au/asaa/index.php

------

Item 2. CSEAS Seminar

Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University

Thursday 6 Mar 2008, 11.00 am - 12.30 pm

Manton Room SG02, Ground Floor, Menzies Building (11) South

Monash University Clayton campus

"Activism of Indonesian local NGOs on the issue of women migrant workers: Building national, regional and international networks"

Speaker: Sylvia Yazid, PhD candidate, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University

Details: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/cseas/seminars/seminar08.php

All welcome

Enquiries: Dr Jemma Purdey

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Monash Asia Institute, Monash University

Email:

------

Item 3. Seminar

School of Historical Studies, Monash University

Friday 7 March 2008, 12:00 noon

Room W614, Menzies Building (11), Monash University Clayton campus

ìA Spaniard for Filipinos: Hernando de los RÌos Coronel (1559-1623/4).î

Speaker: Emeritus Prof John Crossley, Clayton School of Information Technology

Enquiries: Dr Katherine Ellinghaus, School of Historical Studies, Monash University

Email:

------

Item 4. Inaugural Vietnamese Legal Studies Graduate Student Workshop

hosted by

Asian Law Centre at the Melbourne Law School and

Asia-Pacific Business Regulation Group at Monash University

Call for papers: due date 10 March 2008 for Vietnamese Legal Studies Graduate Student Workshop

The Asian Law Centre at the Melbourne Law School and the Asia-Pacific Business Regulation Group in the Department of Business Law at Monash University will host the inaugural Vietnamese Legal Studies Graduate Student Workshop, ìResearching and Writing: Vietnamese Legal Changeî, on Wednesday 9 April, 2008.

This workshop aims to bring together postgraduate students around Australia who are researching topics relating to Vietnamese legal studies. It will provide students with a supportive, collegial atmosphere and the opportunity to meet students with similar interests. Students will benefit from feedback received from their peers and selected academic experts in the field, including Professor John Gillespie (Monash), Associate Professor Pip Nicholson (Melbourne) and Professor Mark Sidel (Iowa).

Postgraduate students from around Australia are invited to present papers on a topic specifically related to their current research. A prÈcis (summary) of the paper for a maximum of 10-15 minutes should be sent to Kathryn Taylor () at the Asian Law Centre, University of Melbourne, by Monday 10 March, 2008.

------

Item 5. CSEAS Seminar

Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University

Thursday 13 Mar 2008, 11.00 am - 12.30 pm

Manton Room SG02, Ground Floor, Menzies Building (11) South,

Monash University Clayton campus

"Schapelle Corbyís My Story and Responses to Her Trial in Australia and Indonesia"

Speaker: Kate McGregor, Lecturer, School of Historical Studies, Melbourne University

Details: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/cseas/seminars/seminar08.php

All welcome

Enquiries: Dr Jemma Purdey

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Monash Asia Institute, Monash University

Email:

------

Item 6. Seminar

Monash Asia Institute, Monash University

Wednesday 19 March 2008, 6:00 for 6:30 pm

Monash Conference Centre Level 7, 30 Collins St, Melbourne CBD

"Thai Buddhism in the 21st Century: Contested Views"

Speaker: Prof Donald K. Swearer, Center for the Study of World Religions

Critics of contemporary Thai Buddhism point to a stultifying, hierarchical national Sangha; flagrant cases of monastic malfeasance; Buddhist practices out of touch with modern idioms; and the increasing marginalization of the role of the monk in Thai society. Other more optimistic voices cite increasing monastic involvement in forest conservation; innovative doctrinal interpretations; the strengthening of monastic higher education; the emergence of Buddhism women's movements; and socially engaged Buddhist lay NGOs. This lecture argues that such generalizations are inherently problematic and proposes that the diverse forms of contemporary Thai Buddhism might be better understood through the lens of a descriptive typology.

Donald K. Swearer is the Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies at Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA., U.S.A. His research has focused on Buddhism in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. His recent monographs and edited volumes include: The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia (1995/2008); The Legend of Queen Cama: Bodhiramsiís Camadevivamsa (1998); The State of Buddhist Studies in the World, 1971-1997 (2000); Becoming the Buddha: The Ritual of Image Consecration in Thailand (2004); Sacred Mountains in Northern Thailand and Their Legends (2004)

see: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/news-and-events/seminars/index.php#thaibuddhism

RSVP by email to with "Thai Buddhism" as subject heading.

(This seminar is free and open to the public. All RSVPs will be accepted unless advised otherwise.)

------

Item 7. CSEAS Seminar

Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University

Thursday 20 Mar 2008, 11.00 am - 12.30 pm

Manton Room SG02, Ground Floor, Menzies Building (11) South

Monash University Clayton campus

"Cultural Circles: Dancing through a history of Tanah Toraja, South Sulawesi, Indonesia"

Speaker: Ms Elisabeth Hames-Brookes, PhD Candidate, Monash Asia Institute

Details: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/cseas/seminars/seminar08.php

All welcome

Enquiries: Dr Jemma Purdey

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Monash Asia Institute, Monash University

Email:

------

Item 8. CSEAS Seminar

Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University

Thursday 27 Mar 2008, 11.00 am - 12.30 pm

Manton Room SG02, Ground Floor, Menzies Building (11) South,

Monash University Clayton campus

Speaker: Jean Gelman Taylor, Associate Professor, School of History and Philosophy, University of New South Wales

(Title to be confirmed)

Followed by launch of Joost CotÈís "Realizing the Dream of Kartini: Her sisterís letters from colonial Java", Ohio RIS Southeast Asia Series (2008); and lunch provided by CSEAS.

Details: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/cseas/seminars/seminar08.php

All welcome

RSVP essential: Dr Jemma Purdey

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Monash Asia Institute, Monash University

Email:

------

Item 9. Recent release from the MAI Press

"Business in Asia" edited by Russell Smyth and Marika Vicziany

ISBN 978 1 876924 53 9, rrp $32.95, Paperback, 240pp page size A5 210 x 148mm

The extraordinary economic performance of Asia is arguably the most important economic phenomenon of the last fifty years. Recovering from the shocks of colonial control, today, the world of Asian business is a rapidly changing scenario in which home-grown companies compete against multinationals for market share and market access. This collection focuses on the role of entrepreneurshipóboth private and stateóin propelling Asian economic growth in the five decades since the end of the Second World War. The volume places the familiar names of Asian business in a long term historical and policy context. The 21st century is now being heralded as the ëAsian Centuryí. This book helps us to understand what has made this possible.

Other publications by Monash Asia Institute Press, see: http://www.monash.edu.au/mai/press/index.php

------

Item 10.

Call for business research papers - closes Fri 28 March

Monash Business Review is calling for quality, unpublished research for its July issue.

The Editorial Board are particularly interested in papers around the broad themes of transport and infrastructure, corporate governance and practical solutions to global economic pressures, plus general business topics including: management, marketing, leadership, business law, money/banking, international trade, economics, industrial relations etc. A focus on Australia and its Asia-Pacific neighbours is welcome.

Note: Monash Business Review is not a 'house journal' and encourages submissions from all business academics. Articles are based on original, fully independent double-blind-peer-reviewed research and eligible for DEST recognition.

If you have any exciting research you would like to share with the senior business people and decision makers, don't miss out on this opportunity to get published.

For further information and submission guidelines, see www.mbr.monash.edu/contributors.php or email .

Submit your paper at: www.epress.monash.edu/submission.

Deadline for next issue is: COB Friday 28 March.

------

Item 11. Financial Development and Economic Growth Conference

Friday 4 April 2008, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

This conference is hosted jointly by the Asian Business and Economics Research Unit (ABERU) and the Department of Economics at Monash University. It will provide a forum for debate on the relationship between financial development and economic growth, focusing on inter-related issues such as the role of institutions, financial liberalization, trade openness, capital flows, and banking efficiency.

The keynote speaker will be Panicos Demetriades, Professor of Financial Economics at University of Leicester, and leading researcher in the field of finance and development. Professor Demetriades has published widely in a number of leading journals, including Canadian Journal of Economics, Economic Journal, Journal of Applied Econometrics, Journal of International Economics and Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics.

Other guest presenters include Dr. Michael Graff (KOF Swiss Eco Institute & University of Queensland), Dr. Svetlana Andrianova (University of Leicester), Dr. Roland Hodler (University of Melbourne), Assoc Prof. Suk-Joong Kim (University of New South Wales), and Dr. James Laurenceson (University of Queensland).

Registration: Entry free but registration essential by 4th March 2008; send details of your name, institution and any dietary requirements to Felicity Milne at

Program enquiries: Dr. James Ang (organizer):

Details: http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/eco/

------

Item 12.

"Meet the Monash Archaeologists" Seminar

Sunday 18 May 2008, 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Venue: Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)International

180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne

Presented in conjunction with the School of Geography & Environmental Science and Monash Asia Institute, Monash University

Prof Alan Finkel, Chancellor of Monash University, will launch this

programme.

Archaeologists from Monash University will discuss their latest field

work and research in Victoria, Papua New Guinea, Sardinia and China. Speakers include:

"Treasures of the Tarim, western China", Guest speaker, an archaeologist from the Oasis Institute, Urumuqi

"Not hunter-gatherers: dating the antiquity of ancient Aboriginal eel

farming in western Victoria", Dr Ian J. McNiven, School of Geography &

Environmental Science, Monash University

"Contrasting early agriculture in New Guinea and Southwest Asia", Dr Tim Denham, School of Geography & Environmental Science, Monash University

"The archaeology of seafaring and ceramic trade in southern Papua New

Guinea", Dr Bruno David, School of Geography & Environmental Science,

Monash University

"Environmental change and the abandonment of the Punic-Roman port of Neapolis, Sardinia: pollen evidence from estuarine sediment cores", Ms Lucia Lancellotti, PhD candidate, School of Geography & Environmental Science, Monash University

Cost $25 Adult / $20 NGV Member / $22 Concession / $18 Student (includes afternoon tea)

Venue Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, NGV International

Event code P0865

Telephone: +61 3 8620 2222

This lecture is supported by National Gallery of Victoria Public

Programs. It is funded through the collaboration of the Monash Asia Institute and the School of Environment Science at Monash University.

------

Item 13.

Kartomi PhD in Music Scholarship

Scholarship period: 3 years full-time. Annual stipend $26,640 (2008 rate).

The School of Music-Conservatorium, Monash University is pleased to introduce the Kartomi PhD in Music Scholarship. The inaugural scholarship will initially be offered for commencement in the first half of 2009.

The scholarship is available to Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and international applicants who have completed a four year undergraduate, masters preliminary or masters degree at H1* level or equivalent and who propose to undertake a PhD in music.

The scholarship may be held in any field of music compatible with the research plans of the School. An outstanding background in a relevant discipline is required.

Award holders will receive a generous stipend and may also be eligible for allowances for establishment, relocation, research and thesis production. Funding for fieldwork may also be available.

For further details, please contact:

Applications will be available in July 2008 and close 31 October 2008.

* H1 = a grade in the top band on the institutionís grading scale. Please note: the degree must also include a research component.

======

Other News and Events

======

Item 14. 2008 Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) Forum

Tuesday 11 March 2008, 7.30pm ñ 10.30pm

Fitzroy Town Hall, 201 Napier Street, Fitzroy

The AYAD Program is pleased to present the AYAD Forum 2008 - an event to stimulate discussion in development issues and foster linkages between Australian organisations and young Australians with a passion for contributing to sustainable development.

"Water & sanitation: Development perspectives"

The keynote speakers include:

Marcus Howard, Infrastructure Advisor to AusAIDs ñ Infrastructure and Water Group

Paul Bolger, Water & Sanitation Engineer with Oxfam Australia

Ross Kearton, Business Development Manager with Cardno-Acil

Will Underwood, Returned AYAD (Vietnam ñ Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Advisor)

This is a fantastic opportunity to expand your professional networks by meeting other Australian Partner Organisations (APOs) and Returned Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (RAYADs)