KNOWLEDGE, CULTURE AND POWER:

THE POLITICS OF CULTURAL STUDIES IN THE ASIAN REGION

Venue: Old Canberra House, ANU

Dates: 22-24 October 2004

Progam
Abstracts and Biographies
Report

In the colonial period, the Asia-Pacific region became the object of cultural research which used paradigms developed in Europe and North America, and was predominantly conducted by observers from “the West”. More recently, Asian and Pacific scholars have reasserted their place as subjects of research, often drawing inspiration from the critical perspectives of cultural studies, postcolonial theory and subaltern studies. Yet even within this process, the study of culture within the region has been the focus of ongoing controversy. Cultural studies and postcolonial theories (it is often argued) are themselves derived mainly from, and dominated by European and North American theorists, and their application to the realities of life in Asia and the Pacific has repeatedly been questioned. Such questioning draws attention to the power relations inherent in the practices of research, and to the institutional structures which shape the research process.

The conference will address these issues, and explore future paradigms for the practice of cultural studies within the Asia-Pacific region. A key question to be considered is the changing role of universities as centres fro the production of cultural knowledge. Today, university systems throughout the region are undergoing profound changes. Such change often threatens the survival of research and teaching on cultural issues. But it may also challenge university researchers to rethink their connections to other sections of the community (including practicing artists and writers, media industries, community groups and social movements) in creative ways. As Arjun Appadurai has argued, in the context of contemporary cultural globalization, it becomes necessary to re-examine the very meaning of “research” itself.

Since this is a conference concerned with the processes by which cultural knowledge is produced, it will also be a venue for experimenting with some innovative practices for communicating knowledge. We aim to create on-line and video links between participants before the conference itself, in order to prepare the ground for a more fruitful exchange of ideas during the conference period. We also hope to experiment with modes of presentation, which differ from the standard format of three presentations and a (usually inadequate) period of discussion in one-and-a-half hour panels.

Proposed participants will include:

Professor Meaghan MORRIS, Lingnan University, Hongkong
Professor YOSHIMI Shunya, University of Tokyo, Japan
Professor KANG Myoungkoo, Seoul National University, Korea
Professor Geremie BARME, The Australian National University
Dr Gloria DAVIES, Monash University
Mr. Kojima KIYOSHI, Iwanami Publishing Co.

Convener:

"The convener wishes to thank the Ford Foundation for their support of the conference and the inaugural meeting of the Asian Studies in Asia Clearinghouse."

Enquiries

Leena Messina
Programs Manager, Humanities Research Centre, ANU
Leena.Messina@anu.edu.au