Institute of Advanced Studies

These symposia consisted of three separate themes held at different times during 2007.

Each theme was presented as a separate event linked to the overall objectives of exploring the many issues that surround Australia's national identity and Australia's relations with Asia from a variety of perspectives and disciplines in a way that will stimulate academic and public interest.

The format for each theme included a one-day symposium with a public lecture the previous night.

Theme 1: Labour, migration and economic restructuring

15-16 March

This symposium considered the impact of economic restructuring on organised labour movements, class consciousness, and worker identity in emerging, newly industrialising and industrialised locations in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The symposium addressed the theme of transnational workers (or global workers), their rights and citizenship status, as well as the responses by government and civil society actors (unions, non-government organisations) to labour migration.

Papers

Theme 2: Globalisation, Culture and Identity

17-18 May

This symposium examined the complex intersections between globalisation, culture and identity in the Asia-Pacific region. It sought to explore what forms globalisation is taking in different parts of the Asia-Pacific and how debates around the complex nexus of culture and identity are unfolding in different societies.

International speakersl addressed aspects of this topic from a range of perspectives, including historical considerations, gender dimensions, and popular culture. The symposium highlighted the diverse forms and experience of globalisation, culture and identity in terms of social class, gender, nationality, ethnicity and geographical location. At the same time, the symposium examined the common themes and concerns that unify this topic and expose meaningful sites of intervention. There was special emphasis on how globalisation and the Asian imagining shaped cultural and national identity in Australia.

Theme 3: Australia and Asia: Issues of global security

16-17 August

As the 21st Century continues to unfold, issues of national security continue to dominate the ways in which nation-states, communities and individuals conceive of their place in an ever-changing world. For an increasingly interconnected world national security and global security are one and the same thing.

Australia, located in one of the fastest changing regions and an active player in the major global matters concerning security, finds itself confronted by an array of new security challenges the choices Australia makes now will shape not only its own security future but in many ways will impact on that of the Asian region as well. Alongside the risks associated with armed conflict between nations, Australian policy makers must contend with terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and global warming. To add to the complexity, all of this is happening at a moment of significant geopolitical change as the 'victors' of the Cold War (that is, the United States and its allies) make room for India and China  - the new kids on the block.

And of course there are other often 'unseen' threats (and opportunities?) in the guise of potentially devastating epidemics such as SARS and Avian Influenza (not to mention the impact HIV/AIDS is having on some countries in the Asia-Pacific and in turn social, economic and political stability). And last but not least the spectre of a major economic crisis cannot be discounted as we enter a potentially volatile period of global capitalism.

This symposium explored these concerns by inviting a number of distinguished international and domestic experts to share and discuss their insights.