Asia-New Zealand Research ClusterAbout the ResearchThis research group comprises individual and collaborative projects on the two-way process of cultural influences, transnationalism and (im)migration between Asia and New Zealand. Asian issues are an increasingly important area of study for academics, local community groups and public policy makers alike, and by identifying the historical and contemporary influences and areas of interest, the researchers offer insight into and understanding of Asia and Asian influences on New Zealand. The objectives of the research group are:
The cluster has close links with the Asia New Zealand Foundation , The New Zealand Asian Studies Society (NZASIA), the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies and the Asian Studies Institute. Coordinators Researchers
.............................................................................................................................................................................. Research ProjectsThe cluster comprises collaborative research under the theme "Asia-New Zealand research ", while at the same time dividing into eight distinctive sub-themes in order to provide an overview of Asia's influences on New Zealand culture:
1. Diaspora and Social Systems (Dr J Leckie)(i) This project will research the history of migration and settlement from the Indian subcontinent to Aotearoa. The emphasis will be on the historic experience of Indians in New Zealand and to set this against the local, national and global context. The project has been endorsed by and is a partnership with the New Zealand Indian Central Association. (ii) Muslims and Islam in New Zealand: integration and assimilation of Muslims and the role Islam plays in these issues, maintenance of an Islamic identity, and creation of a new global or westernised form of Islam. 2. Visual and Performing Arts (Assoc Prof H Johnson, Dr P Voci)(i) This research examines Asian Performing Arts (including music and festivals) in New Zealand over the last 10 years. It looks at the presentation and representation of Asian performing arts; how Asian artists present their work, as well as the reception of it by the Dunedin public. The research will investigate the media attention to, and portrayal of, Asian cultural events, including such areas as the Chinese New Year, Asian food and culture festivals, and Asian student organisations. (ii) This area of research combines East Asian Studies (in particular, Chinese language and culture), film and media studies, and visual culture. In particular, recent research has focused on visual culture in contemporary China, but with this project will investigate the phenomenon of Chinese visual arts in New Zealand, their place in helping create local and transnational identities, and their history as both Chinese and New Zealand artifacts. 3. Medicine (Dr J-B Nie)This contribution will look at Asia and medicine in the Otago region. Specifically it will investigate the introduction of traditional Chinese medicine to Otago, the qualifications and background of current practitioners, its popularity and the type and level of use within the region. This research will also take a historical look at Asian students and the Otago Medical School; its first Asian graduates and changes over the recent past. It will address future issues such as the impact of increasing numbers of students who will not practice in this country, and how the university can attract more Asian students. 4. Japanese Education in Otago (Dr N Guo)This section will examine the establishment, current situation and future of the Japanese Section of Otago University, including a review of the collaborative research projects between Otago and Japanese universities. 5. Buddhism in New Zealand/ New Zealand Buddhism (Dr E Baffelli) This project will research the introduction and reception of Buddhism in New Zealand. In particular, it will focus on Buddhist communities in Dunedin. i) The emphasis will be on historical development,
members figures,
activities and relationship with other religious groups in New
Zealand and with Buddhism groups in Asia; Researcher ProfilesDr Erica BaffelliDr. Baffelli, Lecturer in the Department of Theology and Religion, has interest in East Asian religions. In particular, her research lies in Japanese New Religions and mass-media communication. Recent research has focused on conversion stories in Japanese new religious movements, Buddhist rituals and satellite broadcasting and pop culture and religions, especially manga published by New Religions in Japan. Dr David BellDavid Bell is Senior Lecturer in Art Education at the College of Education, and also teaches Japanese art in the Art History and Theory Programme. His current research interests include the representation of Japanese art in New Zealand contexts, the theatrical saga Kanadehon Chushingura, and decadence and elegance in the work of Kitagawa Utamaro. Dr Shelley BruntDr Shelley Brunt, Lecturer in the Music Department, has research interests in Japanese popular music and television, and in particular, issues of identity, community and gender. Recent research has expanded to include representations of Asia in New Zealand music/cultural festivals. She is a performer in 'Puspawarna Gamelan', the Indonesian community gamelan ensemble based at the University of Otago, and is a student of the gender and bonang. Dr Stephanie DobsonDr Stephanie Dobson is a Professional Practice Fellow lecturing in the Department of Anthropology. Her current research focuses on Muslim women in New Zealand – especially exploring women’s experiences of faith, identity and expressions of culture/ethnicity, as well as Muslim and non-Muslim perceptions relevant to these areas. Dr Jacob EdmondDr Jacob Edmond, Senior Lecturer in the English Department, is concerned with comparative approaches to literary studies and with cross-cultural encounters that take place in and through literature. He has research interests in modern and contemporary poetry in Chinese, Russian and English, and has a particular interest in Chinese-New Zealand literary relations. He has worked extensively on the contemporary Chinese poet Yang Lian, who is now a New Zealand citizen, and is currently co-editing a book of Yang's New Zealand work in English translation. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Graduate Journal of Asia Pacific Studies. Dr Gautam GhoshGautam Ghosh is Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, Gender and Sociology. His research is situated in the intersections among anthropology, political theory, and cultural studies. Recent research examines – within the context of South Asia and the South Asian diaspora – issues of liberal nationalism, with attention to questions of historical periodization and, more broadly, time and temporality. He has studied these in the context of the 1947 Partition of British India as well as in “Cyberia.” Dr Susan HeydonDr. Susan Heydon is Lecturer in Social Pharmacy in the School of Pharmacy. Her research focuses on changes in medicine use over time and medicines in the context of people’s lives. Its focus is the broader historical, social, political and economic context in which sickness is experienced and healthcare services are provided. Dr Henry JohnsonDr Johnson, a Professor in the Music Department, studies the musics of Japan, Indonesia and India. He is currently expanding his research interests in the musics of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. He plays the koto, shamisen, sitar, classical guitar, and a number of Indonesian gamelan instruments. Associate Professor Jacqui LeckieDr Leckie, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, works within anthropology, history and development studies within South Pacific and South Asian cultures - especially gender, ethnicity, and power. Current research focuses on the Indian diaspora to the South Pacific, a history of ‘madness’ in Fiji, and children born to American servicemen in Fiji during World War II. Dr Jing-Bao NieDr Jing-Bao Nie, Associate Professor in Bioethics , has research interests in cross-cultural and international bioethics and human reproduction; Chinese perspectives on bioethics ; Chinese-Western comparative history and philosophy of medicine; and bioethical theories and methods from the standpoints of hermeneutics, social sciences, and medical humanities. Dr Will SweetmanWill Sweetman is Senior Lecturer in Asian Religions in the Department of Theology and Religion. His research interests centre on interactions between the religions of Asia and the West in the modern period. His doctoral research examined accounts of Hinduism in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He continues to work in this area and is currently engaged in a study of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg's works on Hinduism, in particular the Genealogie der malabarischen Götter (1713). Dr Paola VociDr Voci, Senior Lecturer in the Chinese Department , has research interests that combine East Asian Studies (in particular, Chinese language and culture), film and media studies, and visual culture. Recent research has focused on visual culture in contemporary China and is moving towards more non-logocentric forms of expression (like videomaking, computer graphics, street and performance art). Dr Vanessa B. WardVanessa lectures in East Asian history, specialising in modern Japanese history, in the Department of History and Art History. Her current research focuses the thought and contribution of a Japanese woman to intellectual life in the 1950s, and the history of a Japanese pacifist text. Dr Zhao XiaohuanDr. Zhao Xiaohuan, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Languages and Cultures, has research interests in Chinese literature and culture. His interest in Chinese culture centres on Chinese mythology, religion, and folklore, and is closely associated with his recent research on classical Chinese supernatural fiction and traditional Chinese drama. He also has strong interest in Pre-Qin philosophy, particularly Taoism and Confucianism, and early and medieval Chinese philology and grammar.
PostgraduateRecently completed and current research by Masters and PhD students linked to the research cluster:
EventsForthcoming
......................................................... Previous SymposiaInterrogating Multiculturalism in Aotearoa/New Zealand: An Asian Studies PerspectiveA Symposium hosted by the Asia-NZ Research Cluster at Otago University and co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Institute at Victoria University Wellington When: Saturday 19 February 2011, 10am - 6pm & Sunday 20 February 2011, 10am - 12.30pm
More about the topicNew Zealand history and culture is an admixture of indigenous, settler and immigrant interrelations. Yet debates about multiculturalism have emerged here only of late. Why so, and in what ways? At one level, a certain “multiculturalism” is visible through, e.g., celebrations to mark the Chinese New Year or the Diwali Festival of Lights as well as through new commodities (food) and activities (the martial arts). At another level, ideas about multiculturalism are receiving greater attention in government, community and popular discourse. Both levels call for investigation. Questions explored included – but were not limited to:
As in the past, the research cluster’s symposium will culminate in a quality peer-reviewed publication. Localising Asia in NZ A Symposium Sponsored by the Asia New Zealand Research Cluster 30 - 31 January 2009 This event included presentations from a variety of people from both the arts and academia. For more information please go to: http://www.otago.ac.nz/humanities/research/clusters/asianz/localising_asia_symp.html ......................................................... Representing Asia, Remaking New Zealand in Contemporary New Zealand CulturePlease go to www.otago.ac.nz/humanities/research/asianz/representing asia symp. . .......................................................... 'Environment and Nature in Asia' Research SymposiumThis special one-day symposium on Saturday 2 September 2006 explored aspects of Asia’s environmental history as well as Asia’s relationship to Australasia. Scholars of environmental history, garden history, literature, and history of science presented papers. Topics include European perceptions of Central Asia, hunting in Australasia and India, the Asiatic Black Bear in Japan, the poet Yang Lian, Japanese gardens in New Zealand, Chinese gardens in New Zealand.
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