Date/Time
Date(s) - Mon 5 October
11:00 - 13:00
Location
Hunter Council Chambers, Level 2, Hunter Building, VUW
Saad Public Lecture
Lecture synopsis:
Alfred Deakin, Australia’s nation-building prime minister (1903, 1905–1908, and 1909–1910), told Australians that they had “made their homes neither in Europe or America but in [what he termed] Austral-Asia – Southern Asia”. Building a stronger connection with Asia remains a challenge for both Australia and New Zealand. Eight decades after Deakin, Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who took this challenge seriously, urged Australian academics to “bring Asia more fully into [Australia’s] intellectual universe”.
In this lecture, Professor Anthony Milner will discuss his experience in addressing this challenge, including his role in developing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Dialogue. He will then examine how academics study Asian societies and their foreign policies. He argues that International Relations often overlooks the local contexts that shape how countries behave. To understand Asia better, we must consider the different ideas, values, and perspectives that influence Asian nations.
About the speaker:
Anthony Milner is Emeritus Basham Professor of Asian History at the Australian National University, a Visiting Professor at the University of Malaya, and Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He previously served as Dean of Asian Studies at ANU, International Director at Asialink, and Co-Chair of the Australian Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific. He also helped develop the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Dialogue.
A graduate of Monash and Cornell universities, Milner specialises in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. Milner is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Institute of International Affairs. He is a Member of the Order of Australia, a recipient of Malaysia’s Merdeka Award, and the holder of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Malaya.
Time
Registration opens at 11 am, and the lecture begins at 11.30 am. The lecture will be followed by a reception at 1 pm in the Hunter Council Foyer.
Registration
RSVP information is required for catering purposes. To register for the lecture, fill in the registration form.