CALL FOR PAPERS

Dragon Tails: Re-interpreting Chinese-Australian Heritage
9-11 October 2009
Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Victoria

While we would no longer say that the history of the Chinese in Australia is hidden or neglected, where do these new stories fit within the wider narrative of Australian history? One of the major aims of this conference is to bring together new historical understandings about early Chinese-Australians, and consider their place within broader histories of Australia and the Chinese diaspora. Another aim is to create a forum for how these stories might be interpreted in the classroom, and at cultural heritage sites and museums.

This conference welcomes papers from a wide range of disciplines, including history, archaeology, tourism, cultural studies, education, and museum/heritage studies.

THEMES

• Chinese goldseekers and their legacy
• Developments and issues for Chinese-Australian heritage tourism (regional and urban)
• Everyday life and culture for early Chinese-Australians
• Communicating Chinese-Australian heritage (e.g. education, multimedia, internet technology)
• Early Chinese-Australian formations of politics, identity and citizenship
• Interrogating Chinese-Australian historiography and material culture
• Perspectives on heritage Chinese precincts
• Mapping historical connections between Asia and Australia
• Biographies and oral histories of Chinese-Australian ‘pioneers’
• Creative work that re-interprets Chinese-Australian history
• Inter-colonial (Northern Territory and Queensland) and/or trans-Tasman connections.

PRESENTATIONS

Papers – standard session presentations should be 20 minutes (with 10 minutes allowed for question time).
Panels – suggested formats for the panels are as follows:

• 3 x 20-minute papers with a coherent theme, or

• Up to 5 speakers on a discussion panel (approx 10 minutes each, with at least 40 minutes for discussion)

Abstracts (max. 200 words), with full contact details for speakers and short biographical notes (max. 100 words) should be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it BY MONDAY, 1 JUNE 2009.

ENQUIRIES

Enquiries about the conference should be directed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it