Current Projects 

Failed multiculturalisms?
Contact: Professor Wenche Ommundsen

• To bring together the editorial committee of the publication to come out of the joint UOW/UBC/NUS series of workshops on cultural sustainability, which concluded in July 2011. The working title of the book is Where in the World is Asia? Cultural Continuities and Obdurate Categories. The editorial committee consists of the four team leaders, Wenche Ommundsen (UOW), Sneja Gunew and Tim Cheek (UBC) and Robbie Goh (NUS), together with one additional scholar from each institution. By the time of the meeting, revised papers from all participants will have been received. The meeting will make final decisions on inclusion and set directions for the introduction and the choice of publisher.

• To conduct an interdisciplinary research workshop around a sub-theme which emerged as a major preoccupation in the cultural sustainability workshops: the notion of ‘failed multiculturalisms’ – both the rhetoric which has been so pervasive in recent political debates, particularly in Europe, but also the models of multiculturalism adopted by countries such as Singapore, Canada and Australia and the complex debates around their suitability as overarching principles under which to group policies and practices related to the coexistence of diverse cultural groups within the nation state. The project will also involve UOW researchers and invited scholars. The outcome of this workshop will be a special issue of an international journal.

Sexuality, Citizenship and Human rights in the Asia-Pacific Region
Contact: Professor Vera Mackie

This project builds on a previous ISTR project titled Transforming Human Rights in the Twenty-First Century, which involved a postgraduate reading group on human rights, a postgraduate roundtable on human rights as part of the ISTR seminar series in 2011 and a one day workshop on human rights, which was held in September 2011. 

Research on citizenship and human rights has recently expanded from a focus on gender and diversity to include a focus on sexuality. There are pressing contemporary issues concerning sexuality and citizenship in Australia and the region. These include attempts to expand UN protection of human rights to include issues of sexual preference/sexual orientation, the recognition of same sex partnerships, treatment of refugees who claim asylum on grounds of state homophobia, issues of sexuality and freedom of speech in the context of internet filtering and censorship. This project will thus address issues of both theoretical interest and broader societal concern. 

This project will focus on sexuality, citizenship and human rights in the Asia-Pacific Region. This will bring together researchers within the Faculty of Arts with an interest in gender and sexuality studies. Experts on questions of sexuality and citizenship in the Asia-Pacific region will be invited to a workshop to be held at UOW in early 2012, providing local researchers and postgraduate students with an opportunity to receive expert feedback on their work.

The initial outcome will be a special journal issue on Sexual Citizenship in the Asia-Pacific Region, which would include contributions from selected UOW researchers and invited speakers.

» 2011 Projects

» 2010 Projects