In 1984, noted historian Jennifer Cushman challenged researchers
to move beyond the prevalent one-dimensional approach to understanding
the Chinese presence in Australia—an approach that was primarily
concerned with examining Australia’s attitudes towards the
Chinese. In taking up this challenge, and seeking to understand
the Chinese ‘on their own terms’, researchers have uncovered
new sources and applied inter-disciplinary approaches to reveal
the complex picture of Chinese community cultures, identities and
race relations in Australia.
While we would no longer say that the history of the Chinese in
Australia is hidden or neglected, where do these new stories fit
within the wider narrative of Australian history? What are the challenges
involved in communicating and interpreting these new perspectives,
with their inherent complexity and contradictions, to broader audiences?
One of the major aims of this conference is to bring together these
new historical understandings about early Chinese-Australians, and
consider their place within broader histories of Australia and the
Chinese diaspora. Another aim is to create a forum for how these
stories might be interpreted in the classroom, and at cultural heritage
sites and museums.
This conference welcomes papers from a wide range of disciplines,
including history, archeology, tourism, cultural studies, education,
and museum/heritage studies.
We are particularly interested in work that:
• Tells about early Chinese-Australian history from Chinese-Australian
perspectives.
• Discusses Chinese-Australian heritage/history within broader
perspectives (e.g. Australian, Chinese, comparative, and/or transnational).
• Draws on new resources to tell new stories.
• Focuses on intercolonial (Northern Territory and Queensland)
and/or trans-Tasman connections.
THEMES:
• Chinese goldseekers and their legacy
• Developments and issues for Chinese-Australian heritage
tourism (regional and urban)
• Everyday life and culture for early Chinese-Australians
• Communicating Chinese-Australian heritage (e.g. education,
multimedia, internet technology)
• Early Chinese-Australian formations of politics, identity
and citizenship
• Interrogating Chinese-Australian historiography and material
culture
• Perspectives on heritage Chinese precincts
• Mapping historical connections between Asia and Australia
• Biographies and oral histories of Chinese-Australian ‘pioneers’
• Creative work that re-interprets Chinese-Australian history
PRESENTATIONS:
Papers Standard session presentations should be 20 mins long (with
10 mins allowed for question time).
Panels – We’d welcome panel submissions. Our suggested
formats for the panels are:
- 3 x 20 min papers with a coherent theme, or
- Up to 5 speakers on a discussion panel (approx 10 mins each,
with at least 40 mins for discussion)
Abstracts (max 200 words), with speakers’ full contact details
and short biographical notes (max 100 words) should be sent to keirreeves@iprimus.com.au
BY MONDAY 18 MAY 2009.
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