eTropic Call for Papers: "Decolonizing the Tropics"

Special Issue Theme: Decolonizing the Tropics

This special issue aligns itself with the fields of decolonial, anti-colonial, and postcolonial scholarship, and thinks these theories through the critical notion of tropicality. The aim is to rearticulate these fields in tropical terms, that is, with scholarly, applied/engaged, and creative practices from, about, and with the tropical world. This focus is crucial given that current scholarship in postcolonialism and decoloniality still predominantly originates from European/temperate contexts and is primarily informed by Western philosophies and epistemologies. In order to decolonize this status quo, the special issue recognizes not only that colonial systems have profoundly impacted the tropics, but also that neo-colonial power remains an active material reality. This special issue welcomes papers informed by decolonizing intuitions and from scholars of/from formerly and ongoingly colonized regions of the tropics.

Decolonizing the Tropics seeks disciplinary contributions from:

• Ecocriticism, Multispecies Studies, Environmental Humanities

• Anthropology, Heritage and Material Studies, Archaeology

• Post/colonialism and Decoloniality Studies

• Queer, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

• Indigeneity and Indigenous Studies

• Performance and Cinema Studies

• History and Philosophy of Science

• Science and Technology Studies

• Architecture and Urban Planning

• Feminist and Cultural Studies

• Gothic and Horror Studies

This special issue centers on three major themes: theoretical engagements with postcolonialism and decolonialization; new vocabularies and vernaculars through which discourses on decoloniality can be initiated; and varieties of practices across disciplinary fields which demonstrate what decolonial tropicality may be – including its entanglement with people, ecology and climate.

We accept writings in disciplinary genres (the scholarly and the creative), and encourage hybrid forms. We also seek submissions engaging material elements—photographs, videos, art, music, theatre, cinema.

CFP Decolonizing the Tropics

This CFP is open to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary intertwinings, as well as new perspectives on established disciplinary approaches. It invites papers that consider Decolonization of the Tropics through: science and literatures, histories and futures, realities and fictions, mythologies and technologies, knowledges and practices. It invites a wide range of articles and creative works from researchers who engage with the tropical regions of the world: tropical Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Indian Ocean Islands, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the tropical north of Australia, Papua and the Pacific Ocean Islands, Hawai’i and the American South.

eTropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics publishes new research from Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and allied fields on the variety and interrelatedness of nature, culture, and society in the Tropics. ISSN:1448-2940, free open access; indexed in Scopus, Google Scholar, Ulrich's, DOAJ; archived in Pandora, Sherpa/Romeo; uses DOIs and Crossref; ranked Scimago Q1.  

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

• Submissions close 30 March 2023 (full paper)

• Publication date: June 2023

• Research article submissions should be about 6000-8000 words

• Literary, creative works and photographic essays about 4000 words

• Article Titles should be concise and clear (maximum 2 lines)

• Include a 100-200-word abstract of the article or creative work + 5 keywords

• Provide a 100-word biographical note for each author (on separate sheet)

• Strongly follow APA (edition 7) for in-text citations and reference list

• Contributions should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file

• Submissions must conform to and be submitted on the eTropic Style Sheet & Layout

• All images must be used with permission and referenced

• Submissions should be uploaded to eTropic online journal site

• Papers undergo a preliminary review to determine if they meet the criteria of the Special Issue

• Suitable papers will be double-blind peer reviewed

• If extensive editing is required the author will be notified regarding Professional Copyediting

• Authors should browse eTropic articles to make sure they are familiar with the journal’s multidisciplinary scope and style

• For enquiries, or to pitch your ideas or abstracts, email the Editor: anita.lundberg@gmail.com

Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellowship in Southeast Asian Studies

The Association for Asian Studies is honored to offer the Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellowship in Southeast Asian Studies, made possible by a generous gift from L.A. Peter Gosling and Linda Yuen-Ching Lim.

This fellowship is focused on capability-building in Southeast Asian Studies among scholars who are Southeast Asian nationals based in Southeast Asia and at Southeast Asian institutions. Its goal is to enable such scholars to concentrate on publishing their dissertation research, and/or embark on new post-dissertation research, without the distraction of having to teach, consult, or shoulder administrative burdens, and with the opportunity to expand their scholarly networks and expertise. The intent is that fellowship recipients will develop their careers in Southeast Asia, helping to advance the field of Southeast Asian Studies within the region.

The fellowship provides US$52,000 of funding for postdoctoral research and writing, to be expended over 8-12 months, beginning on September 1, 2023, while the recipient is in residence or otherwise based at an academic institution, in Southeast Asia or abroad, other than their home institution and the institution at which their doctorate was obtained.

The fellowship may be used in any discipline and for any country of Southeast Asia (i.e., Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam). 

All applications must be submitted through the AAS application portal by February 15, 2023. Applicants will be notified of decisions in April 2023, and fellowships will begin on September 1, 2023.

Museums for the 21st Century: Registration Open for December 2022 Workshops in Jakarta, Pontianak and Palangkaraya

From December 2022 to February 2023, the Tracing Patterns Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution from the United States are offering a heritage workshop called Museums for the 21st Century (M21) in collaboration with two Indonesian institutions, Museum Ceria and Institut Konservasi. 

Participation in the program is free for all museum staff and people interested in heritage development in Indonesia, but there is limited capacity of 20 people per workshop.

M21 addresses three critical activities of museums/ heritage centers: 1. Conservation; 2. Curatorial and research; 3. Engagement with family and youth. The program is funded by the US Embassy Jakarta and supported by the Kementerian Pendidikan Kebudayaan Riset dan Teknologi. 

Important Dates & Registration Links:

• December 12 Museum Tekstil Jakarta - Day 1, Conservation Workshop. https://s.id/M21day1

• December 13 Museum Tekstil Jakarta - Day 2, Curatorial and research Workshop. https://s.id/M21day2

• December 14 Museum Tekstil Jakarta - Day 3, Education Workshop. https://s.id/M21day3

• December 15-17 Museum Kalimantan Barat, Pontianak - For the three-day workshop at Pontianak, please contact Retno: 089674422713

• December 20-22 3-day workshop at the Museum Balanga, Palangkaraya - For the three-day workshop in Palangkaraya, please register here: https://bit.ly/PendaftaranWorkshopM21 

• January 2023. Date tbd. Follow-up report and discussion with workshop participants**

• February 2023. Date tbd. A series of online heritage webinar. Open to the public.

*Certificate will be available upon completion of the workshop.

** E-certificate will be available.

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Conservation Module

9:00-10:15 am Fundamentals. Looking at objects and applying basic technical examination skills using different lighting techniques/angles that are applicable to most types of materials, and discussing agents of deterioration harmful to collections.

10:15-10:30 am – Coffee break

10:30 am-12:00 pm Environmental control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) theory. Demonstration using climate and light monitoring devices to observe unwanted harmful activity in storage and exhibition spaces.

12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch

1:30-3:00 pm Storage, labeling, and conservation principles. Demonstration on how to prepare an archival tube for rolling, various types of storage solutions for different objects, and conservation stitches for textiles.

3:00-3:15 pm – Coffee break

3:15 -4:30 pm Practical hands-on. Choices between practicing conservation stitches, object labeling, and making object storage.

Instructors: 

Kristal Hale, Conservation Fellow, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Saiful Bakhri, President and Conservator, Institut Konservasi; Ph.D. Student Conservation of Material Culture at the University of California, Los Angeles

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Curatorial and Research Module 

9:00-10:15 am Representing Cultures in Museums and “Cultural Centers.” Presentation about a historical perspective on the differing management styles and modes of representing cultural heritage found today, due in part to different paths in museum history.

Discussion on ICOM and AAM definitions of “museum” and differences among the most common types of museums today along. Surveying the activities and operations of a modern museum or cultural center with an emphasis how museums can find project-based funding for their activities. 

10:15-10:30 am – Coffee break

10:30 am-12:00 pm Exhibition. Discussion on the development of an exhibition, from the idea to the opening. Areas to be examined include planning, conceptualization, script, involvement of communities, curatorial research, conservation issues, design & production.

12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch

1:30-3:00 pm Research. Discussion on research approaches, with a presentation on the Hampton Archive Research. 

3:00-3:15 pm – Coffee break

3:15 -4:30 pm Breakout groups. Participants identify projects within their own museums examine ways that museums can encourage integration of museum activities (research, collections, exhibitions, education/outreach) within “heritage projects” or within integrated curatorial programs. 

Instructors: 

Dr. Robert Pontsioen, Senior Research Fellow, Asian Cultural History Program (Smithsonian Institution)

Dr. Sandra Sardjono, Founder and President, Tracing Patterns Foundation

Dr. Christopher Buckley, Research Associate, Tracing Patterns Foundation 

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Education Module 

9:00-10:15 am Museum Public Programs for Family Visitors. Examination on the characters of family visitors in museums, particularly with young children, and consideration on how to engage this particular type of audience. 

10:15-10:30 am – Coffee break

10:30 am-12:00 pm Experiencing museum with closed eyes. Creating awareness among museum personnel on the specific facilities and programs for special needs children. 

12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch

1:30-3:00 pm Theory. How to create museum education and public programs for family and special needs children. Particularly on how to create a touching tour for visually impaired children, and sensory materials.

3:00-3:15 pm – Coffee break

3:15-4:30 pm Breakout groups. Participants develop project idea for their own museum’s program.

Instructor: 

Ajeng A. Arainikasih, Founder and Lady Boss, Museum Ceria; Ph.D. Candidate in Museum Studies

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Follow-up Report & Discussion 

(January 2023, date tbd) Workshop participants will share their implementations of the ideas developed during the workshops. Then, as a group, we will address the next step.

Heritage Webinars (February 2023, date tbd) The M21 team, in collaboration with the American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS) and @America as host, will present an online discussion with US museum experts on the topics covered in the workshops. Open to the public.

Moderator: Dr. Megan Hewitt, Executive Director, American Institute for Indonesian Studies

Consulting Opportunity: Summer Indonesian-Speaking Resident Director

American Councils is currently seeking a qualified consultant to serve as an Indonesian-speaking Resident Director to work on a summer Indonesian language program approximately eight weeks in length.  The language program offers intensive Bahasa Indonesian language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains in undergraduate and graduate students.  

The Resident Director represents American Councils on the program overseas. The Resident Director will work with the host institution, manage communications between American Councils, program participants and local staff, arrange logistics for the group, and advise participants as required and resolve medical and other issues as necessary.

ANTICIPATED Contract DATES:

May - August 2023 (exact dates will vary by program specifics). Resident Director training dates will be announced separately.

For other job opportunities through American Councils, please visit: https://www.americancouncils.org/careers

5 Dec 2022, Women in Southeast Asian Social Sciences Present Public Webinar on Engaging the Public and Disseminating our Work: Strategies and Challenges

How do we engage the broader public and highlight our work effectively?  What are the possible venues for public engagement, and what types of pieces do they want?  How is writing for a policy audience distinct from writing for the public? How do we navigate the process of developing a pitch, writing the manuscript, getting it published, and engaging with the comments and responses thereafter? For early career female scholars/experts who work on controversial and potentially unpopular topics, what risks should we anticipate and are there strategies to mitigate them?

Join us for a webinar with Sana Jaffrey (Director, Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict and Non-resident Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Shailey Hingorani (Senior Advisor, Advocacy, Research and Communications, AWARE), and Kim Yi Dionne (Associate Professor of Political Science at UC Riverside, and contributing editor to The Monkey Cage), who will share their insights and tips on engaging with the public as early career female experts.  Risa Toha (Wake Forest University) will moderate the discussion. 

Monday, 5 December 2022

9:30-10:45AM New York

10:30-11:45PM Singapore

Via Zoom: https://essex-university.zoom.us/j/98108300549

HRAF Global Scholars Program 2023 - Access to Ethnographic and Archaeological Database

Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) is an internationally recognized membership-supported nonprofit organization comprised of universities, colleges, libraries, and research institutions which share a mission to promote understanding of cultural diversity and commonality in the past and present. To accomplish this mission, HRAF produces scholarly resources and infrastructure for research, teaching and learning, and supports and conducts original research on cross-cultural variation.

HRAF is now accepting applications for the HRAF Global Scholars Program 2023. This program provides scholars around the world with one year of complimentary access to eHRAF World Cultures and eHRAF Archaeology.

The application deadline is December 15, 2022.