About the conference

We are very proud that, despite economic restraints and other difficulties, we have survived and are continuing the tradition of scholarship and humanity. Following Davis, we are still continuing the ‘search for truth and love’. To celebrate the occasion we have decided to hold an international conference.

The aim of this conference is to bring together scholars from all over the globe, not only to discuss the problems related to the study of history, culture and institutions of Asian countries but also to exchange news and views with our colleagues in the humanities and arts, particularly those who study cultures derived from Europe, the Americas and Australasia. It is nearly 230 years since Sir William Jones (1746-1794) wanted to start another ‘Renaissance’ in Europe with the ‘ Discovery of the Orient’.  In that spirit, in 1950, Raymond Schwab wrote his  La Renaissance Orientale,  and in 1954, Denis Sinor, in his collection of essays, Orientalism and History, urged scholars to integrate ‘oriental’ history with general history. This is also true for philosophy, history of science and all other fields of humanities. The study of humanities, arts and social sciences without Asia is incomplete; the aim of the conference is to show this.

The conference will be held from December 3-7, 2006, at The Women's College on the University of Sydney's Broadway Campus, both of which are close to the cosmopolitan restaurant areas of Newtown and Glebe Point Road. We have tentatively booked 70 rooms for accommodation at the College. 

2006 A.R.Davis Memorial Keynote lecturer

• Prof. Frits Staal, University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Keynote Speakers:

• Prof. Jeff Riegel , University of California, Berkeley, USA.
• Prof. Geremie Barme Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
• Prof. Suzuki Sadami, International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan.
• Prof. Michael Allen, University of Sydney, Australia.
• Dr. Alison Broinowski, Australian National University, Australia.

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Call for Panels, Papers and Posters

Call for Papers is now "CLOSED". Please refer to the "Titles and Abstracts" section below for further information.

All conference papers will be refereed, and, if successful, they will be published in our refereed journal, the Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia.

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Registration

Online Registration is now Closed. Registration fees (including OSA annual fee) have been set as follows:
1. Regular fee (same as fee payable at conference registration desk) : $380
2. 'Early-bird' Registration with reduced fee is now "Closed"
3 . Students and unwaged delegates: $220
4 . Single Day Registration: $100

Please note that the Oriental Society of Australia is seeking to increase its membership and is therefore proud to announce that all conference participants will receive a one year complementary membership to the society including a one year subscription to the journal.

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Conference Schedule

The Conference schedule is as follows:

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Conference Program

Please download PDF version for print outs HERE.

Please note that late withdrawals will not be indicated, so participants should consult the printed version distributed at Registration.

Titles and Abstracts

A list of titles, linked to abstracts of all speakers is now available Here. 

Please download a PDF version of all abstract for easy viewing and printing Here.

Please note that late withdrawals will not be indicated, so participants should consult the printed version distributed at Registration.

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Social Activities

Conference Opening Reception

Date and Time: 3 December 2006 at 17:30PM.

Location: The reception will be held in the Menzies Common Room, Womens College, University of Sydney. To be officiated by the Chancellor of the University of Sydney, the Hon Justice Kim Santow.

18:00PM, Prof. Soumyen Mukherjee, President of the Oriental Society of Australia welcomes guests and invites the Hon. Justice G.F. Kim Santow, Chancellor of the University of Sydney, to open the Conference.

18:10PM, Address by Chancellor
18: 30PM, Refreshments

19:30PM Close

• Book Launch Dr.Kok Hu Jin

The launch is at 6pm on Monday 4th December 2006 at the Women's College of the University of Sydney.Please check Here for further details.

• Conference Dinner

Address: The Honourable Bob Debus MP - Attorney General of New South Wales.

• Awa-odori Dance performance and Book Launch

• Numismatic display in the Nicholson Museum

• Photographic Exhibition: CHINA - A World So Changed

Details of the conference dinner, planned excursions, and other activities will soon be available HERE

• Post conference tours of Sydney and Blue Mountains

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For Disabled Delegates

If you have a disability and require assistance in order to attend the conference, please contact us to advise us of your needs.

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About Sydney

Sydney is a city of around four million inhabitants on Australia's east coast. It is the capital of the state of New South Wales and it enjoys a temperate climate. Sydney's beautiful beaches and mountain views are within easy reach of the city's centre.

The following web sites, which are not maintained by the conference organisers, provide some interesting perspectives on the city and surrounds.

• ANZWERS Australian and New Zealand search engine
• Australian Bureau of Meteorology for weather information

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Accommodation and Parking

For information about Parking at the University of Sydney please see the University's Parking Website.

Accommodation arrangements have been made for conference delegates at the Women's College (venue of the conference), which is on the University of Sydney campus. You can book directly to the The Women's College. Please feel free to download the ACCOMMODATION BOOKING FORM FOR THE WOMEN'S COLLEGE.

We recommend that you reserve for bed and breakfast only. Your fees will cover your morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. For dinners, we recommend King Street, Newtown, where you will find many restaurants catering for various tastes at a reasonable price.

You could also have a look at:

• Visitor information and lodging in other parts of Sydney
• Other hotels and motels in Sydney

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Further Information

All correspondence should be addressed to:
OSA2006 Conference Committee
School of Languages and Cultures
The University of Sydney
Sydney, N.S.W. 2006, Australia
Phone: 61 2 9351 2878
Fax: 61 2 9351 2319
E-mail: OSA2006@arts.usyd.edu.au
To join The Oriental Society of Australia, please see the Membership Form
School location: Room 506, Level 5, Mango MacCallum Building A17
School of Languages and Cultures Web Page
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Conference Committee OSA 2006

Ian Bedford
Alison Broinowski
Jim Bullen
Michael Carter (Conference Program Coordinator)
Jocelyn Chey (Conference Secretary)
Yasuko Claremont (OSA Treasurer)
Hugh Clarke (OSA Vice President)
Rosita Holenbergh
Pankaj Mohan
Leith Morton (JOSA Editor in Chief)
Soumyen Mukherjee (OSA President)
Duk-Soo Park
Harriet Richards
Roman Rosenbaum
Judith Snodrass
Andrew Vincent
Peter Worsley
Seiko Yasumoto (OSA Secretary)

OSA gratefully acknowledges support received from:

• The Chancellor's Committee, University of Sydney

• Professor Stephen Garton, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Sydney

• The School of Languages and Cultures, University of Sydney

• Qantas

• HSBC Australia