Arts Faculty News

Usha M Rodrigues, Lecturer in Journalism, says Slumdog Millionaire’s depiction of India’s underbelly has left some Indians feeling misrepresented.

“When the film was released in India, it didn’t do very well at the box office. In fact people, particularly some of the slum-dwellers, protested against the depiction of their life on the big screen. Many writers opined about these protests being politically motivated, while others said it was pride which made Indians, including slum dwellers, object to being called slum dogs.”

Read the full article on the ABC’s Unleashed website

Extended Deadline for Abstract and Proposal Submissions: Friday 3 April

The number of motion in respect of before and after? Irrecuperable diachrony of pure passingness? Reversible? Relative? Real? Living present? Original transcendence? Structure of consciousness? The various Western philosophical traditions have, since their inception, continuously attempted to grapple with the question of time, but still, the problems remain unsolved, the paradoxes tangled, the contradictions unsettled.

Performers and artists understand time as an essential dimension of their media. Many contemporary artists foreground the temporal as a theme in their practice and making. Movements, rhythms, bodies, sounds, objects, experiences, memories, dreams, imaginings and dwellings are recorded, performed and activated in their duration, moment, event and passing.

time transcendence performance brings together the expertise and experiences of scholars and artists in a format that permits the thinking and doing of time with an aim towards mutual elucidation. Drawing together papers, panels, diverse performance practices, exhibitions, installations, screenings and workshops, this transdisciplinary conference and inter-media event initiates a global discussion, investigation and critique of temporality in its performative, phenomenological and transcendental dimensions. The tangible consequences of this cross-fertilisation offers promise for researchers, scholars and artists alike. To begin this gathering and discussion, this conference invites presenters across discourses, disciplines and media, questioning and emphasising the taken for granted yet complex and mysterious phenomenon of time.

Email submissions and enquiries: ttp2009@arts.monash.edu.au

Full details on the conference website

Commendations:
John Bradley: for his work with the ABC on the issues for people living in two cultures and the challenges of preserving indigenous languages. James Chin and Wong Chin Huat: made an enormous contribution to the profile of the School of Arts and Social Sciences and the Malaysian campus more generally through their frequent media commentaries on Malaysian electoral politics.

Genevieve Heard: for her important contributions to the national international debate on issues of fertility and parenting, a particularly significant contribution for an early career researcher awarded her Ph.D. in 2008.

Brett Hutchins: for his extensive commentary in newspapers, radio and television which has broadened the terms of public and media discussion about sport by providing scholarly, critical and analytical perspectives. Adrian Martin: for his contributions to popularising serious film criticism through his audio commentaries of major films.

Robert Peacock: for his role in developing, producing and starring in  the documentary crime series, Tin Rage, for South African television, a series of 39 episodes which brings academic insights on the relationship of crime to society through the medium of thematically-selected case studies.

Awards:
Bob Birrell is one of the most widely known and widely cited public intellectuals in the University. PSI, who loves statistics, have demonstrated that he is cited at least three times more often than any of his colleagues. And while many of his conclusions have proven controversial, there is no doubt that his robust empirical research into demographic issues has stimulated new insights and serious public debate on matters of crucial importance, and have influenced public policy on questions ranging from immigration to education.

Waleed Aly: achieved prominence as one of Australia¿s leading Muslim public and traditional intellectuals. He has engaged extensively through regular contributions to the Fairfax and tabloid press on issues as diverse as international security, political violence and gender politics. He also makes regular contributions to radio, especially the Jon Faine Show. Most challenging has been his participation in the comedy TV panel show, Salam Café, which tackles serious academic and social issues in a light-hearted vein. Finally, Waleed has also helped others develop their capacity to engage positively with the media through his contributions to the Multi-Faith Media Training for Clergy and the Australian Multicultural Foundation’s Leadership program for Young Muslims.