ASANA Newsletter
April 3, 1997

Compiled by John M. Keller,
Secretary-Treasurer, ASANA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. ASANA President's Message
2. 1997-98 ASANA Dues
3. Upcoming events/Visitor Arrivals
4. Internet News
5. ASANA Contacts

Message from John Higley, ASANA President 1997-99:

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 below). 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

ASANA 1997-98 Dues:

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 and are hopeful that it will solve most of the 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 (U.S., 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, in addition to this April edition. If we pick up news of relevance to members, we will, of course, send out special notices.

Upcoming Events:

Harvard University

The Committee on Australian Studies at Harvard University will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Chair of Australian Studies with a symposium to be held May 9 and 10, 1997 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The symposium theme will be the interplay of the Australian-American connection in those academic fields represented by former incumbents-literature, history, economics, fine arts, archaeology and sociology. Speakers include: Rhys Jones, John Mulvaney, Les Hiatt, Dame Leonie Kramer, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Peter Steele, Patrick McCaughey, Jan Senbergs, Geoffrey Blainey, Jill Roe, Graeme Davison, Alan Frost, James Walter, Peter Beilharz, and The Hon. e. Gough Whitlam. The symposium is free and open to the public. Location: Gutman Conference Center, Appian Way, Cambridge, MA. For information, contact: Ms. Janet Hatch, Coordinator, Australian Studies Committee, Harvard University, Robinson Hall 201, Cambridge, MA 02138, email: [email protected].

Pennsylvania State University:

Photographic exhibit by Australian photographer Richard Woldendorp Through April 27

ABOUT OUR VISITOR: 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. He uses the exhibit to express his fascination with the landscape of Australia.
"The Australian landscape has always appealed to me. There's something about it - its spaciousness, its character, the light and its uniqueness. But it also is a very old landscape. It is the flattest and driest continent, which compared with other countries does not manifest itself in grandeur as we know it - large rivers, large mountains, and the dramatic changes of the seasons," said Woldendorp, a resident of Australia since 1951.
The HUB's Browsing Gallery is located on the first floor of the Hetzel Union Building; hours are noon to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; noon to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday.

O'GRADY -- APRIL 14-15

Mr. Desmond O'Grady, an Australian-born author and journalist living in Italy, will be presenting seminars on campus on April 14 and 15, 1997. The first is a comparative literature seminar entitled "Bouras' Greece, O'Grady's Italy: The Experience of Two Expatriate Australian Writers" on Monday, April 14, in 101 Kern Building. A brown-bag luncheon will begin at 12:15 p.m.; the presentation and discussion will begin at 12:40 p.m. The second is a lecture titled "Italians in 19th Century Australia" in the Rare Books Room, Pattee Library, on Tuesday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m.
Mr. O'Grady has a diverse literary background. He has worked as 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, among others. His stories have a variety of settings, ranging from Europe to Asia to Australia and portray a plain but expressive style combined with a keen eye for the odd and eccentric.
The two presentations, which are open to the public, are being 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. For additional information, please contact Patricia Corbett at e-mail: [email protected] or phone: 814/863-1603.

PERKINS -- April 17-18

• FORMER AMBASSADOR TO SPEAK ON ASIA-PACIFIC ROLE IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS
  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 will be at Penn State April 17 and 18 to meet with students, faculty and administrators. He will give a number of public lectures, including:
  
  Thursday, April 17, 12:00 noon, Brown Bag Seminar, Paul Robeson Cultural Center - "American Diplomacy and Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa"
  Thursday, April 17, HUB Assembly Room, The Dorrance Distinguished Lecture - "The Emerging Role of the Asia-Pacific Region in Global Affairs: Responses from and Cooperation Between the United States and Australia"
  Friday, April 18,10 a.m., Faculty Colloquium, Lounge of the University Office of International Programs (222 Boucke Building) - "Positioning Universities for their International Role: A Career Diplomat's Perspective"
  The visit is being co-sponsored by the Australia-New Zealand Studies Center, the Office of International Programs, and the Equal Opportunity Committee. Questions should be directed to Patricia Corbett at e-mail [email protected] or phone 814/863-1603.

April 24 - 26 - John Cain, former premier of Victoria (now affiliated with the University of Melbourne). Additional details will be forthcoming.

June 1 pre-conference to the world ICDE (International Council for Distance Education) on "Forming Continuing and Distance Education Partnerships", organized by Penn State's Australia-New Zealand Studies Center with the participation of Open Learning Australia, Massey University, Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, and Open Learning Hong Kong. The pre-conference will be held at the Penn State Conference Center. Observers welcome; please contact John M. Keller at [email protected]; tel: 814 863 1603; fax: 814 865 3336.

June 9-11, US-Australia Conference on "Strengthening Postsecondary Education's Contribution to Economic Development", sponsored by the Education Commission of the States, Macquarie University, Northern Sydney Institute of Training and Further Education, Penn State's Center for the Study of Higher Education, Australia-New Zealand Studies Center, and the University of New England, in cooperation with the Australian Department of Employment, Education, Training, & Youth Affairs, Australian National Training Authority, and Penn State's Continuing & Distance Education offices. The conference is designed to build a bilateral agenda for postsecondary educational involvement in economic development in the U.S. and Australia. It provides an opportunity for the exchange of ideas and collaboration between education professionals and key stakeholders in the process of economic development at the state level. The conference will be held at the Penn State Conference Center. For more information or to receive a registration form, please contact Patricia Corbett at e-mail [email protected]; tel. 814 863 1603; fax: 814 865-3336.

2nd Annual Festival of Australian Short Films, Wednesday - Thursday, July 16 - 17, 112 Kern Building -- 7 p.m., (Reception follows each screening)

This second annual event will feature award-winning Australian short films and videos. This event is sponsored by the Australia-New Zealand Studies Center and the Office of Summer Sessions with the assistance of New York-based Susan Talbot, the Australian television executive who is the informal liaison in the United States for the Australian film industry. Ms. Talbot will obtain films from the Australian National Radio and Film School, the Melbourne-based Victorian School of the Arts, and independent film makers. Depending on availability, the screening may include a film or two from New Zealand. Ms. Talbot will introduce the films. For additional information, please contact Patricia Corbett at e-mail [email protected] or phone 814/863-1603.

Fall visiting fellows:

8/2 - 9/29/97, Robert Catley, Dept. of Political Science, U. of Adelaide
10/3 - 10/17/97 Shirley Richardson, School of Business & Electronic Commerce, Monash U. (Gippsland Campus)

Internet News:

AUSTRALIAN STUDIES NETWORK

During the last two years Australian studies, especially academics located "off-shore", has moved rapidly onto the computer internet. The 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 Australian embassy 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]".

ASANA Officer and Board Contacts:

Please contact any of the following if you have questions about or suggestions for ASANA:

• President, John Higley: University of Texas, Austin; Email: [email protected]
• Vice-President, Angelika Sauer, University of Winnipeg; Email: [email protected]
• Secretary-Treasurer, John M. Keller, Penn State University: Email: [email protected]
• Board Member: Hoyt Edge, Rollins College: Email: [email protected]
• Board Member: Frank Poyas, Penn State University; Email: [email protected]
• Board Member: Robert Williams, University of Waterloo; Email: [email protected]

ASANA Website:

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].

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