In the wake of terrorist attacks in the USA, the stereotyping of certain communities in Australia and elsewhere raises many questions about the values associated with multiculturalism, racism, and national or cultural identities.
These types of issues will be examined at a University of Queensland conference next month, according to Dr Tseen Khoo, postdoctoral fellow in UQ’s School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies.
Dr Khoo is a member of the organising committee for the Transforming Cultures/Shifting Boundaries conference to be held at Emmanuel College at The University of Queensland from November 30 to December 2.
"This is an important international conference which has attracted a significant number of panels addressing how communities of Asian descent build civic and cultural identities, how they negotiate racism and discrimination, and engage with and alter the cultures surrounding them," she said.
Conference themes will include Indigenous and Asian interaction or contact, cultural production by artists of Asian descent, identity formation for various Asian groups, and examination of "Asian" spaces in Australia.
"It’s important that the conference is held in Queensland to send a clear signal that this is a tolerant and multicultural society and that the majority of Queenslanders are fair-minded," she said.
"This event also will provide an opportunity for in-depth discussion of timely community issues."
Conference organisers expect speakers from the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and New Zealand. Conference events include a public film screening at the State Library of Queensland and readings from Asian-Australian authors.
Registration is still open for the conference, which will be hosted by UQ’s Faculty of Arts’ research concentration in Asian Identities. It is also supported by the Australian Studies Centre (UQ), the Association for Canadian Studies in Australia and New Zealand (ACSANZ), the Canadian government, and the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies (CCCS) at UQ.
The full timetable and listing of abstracts is available at the conference website: http://www.arts.uq.edu.au/slccs/diasporas
This conference is followed immediately by the AsiaPacifiQueer 2 conference on Media, Technology and Queer Cultures (3-4 December) also held at The University of Queensland. Website: http://wwwsshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersections/apq/apqhomepage.html
For further information, contact Dr Tseen Khoo, School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies, UQ Ph: (07) 336-56328 / Fax: (07) 336-56799 / Email: t.khoo@mailbox.uq.edu.au
