Jess Melvin, Sydney
The South-East Asian department at the University of Sydney will cease to exist in 2006 unless students and staff can stop its closure.
Indonesian language, Thai language and South-East Asian history and politics subjects are on the line. The cuts are part of the federal government's general restructuring of university funding, which is forcing the extinction of all subjects that are not seen as economically viable.
Lack of enrolments has been cited as justification for the closure of the department by the University of Sydney administration. However, lecturer Edward Aspinall, currently running a South-East Asian history and politics subject with 70 students, rejects this claim. He told Green Left Weekly: "It is not clear that there has been a precipitous drop [in enrolments in the department], except in some areas, notably Indonesian language. The real crisis is caused by the long-term erosion of government funding for the university sector ... the decline, over the last few years only, in Indonesian enrolments is caused by a mixture of factors — most obviously the combination of economic and political crisis in Indonesia, including the perception of violence in Indonesia."
University of New South Wales professor David Reeve agrees that the closure is not about lack of student interest. He told GLW that UNSW would become the only Indonesian department with full-time staff from Newcastle to Wollongong. "I am absolutely astonished and ashamed that any university wouldn't put special arrangements in to protect the study of such an important language ... In NSW, Indonesian began at Sydney University. Now it's dying there. What a shame. What a folly."
According to Max Lane, research fellow at the Asia Research Centre at Perth's Murdoch University, "From about the 1980s Asian studies was sold as relevant on very utilitarian grounds, as being important for business penetration into Asia.
"Of course business couldn't give a shit about having a stronger Asian studies humanities capacity in Australia. It should be noted that Asian studies that help the Australian state's capacity to spy on our neighbours is well-funded — i.e. at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra."
The Australian government released a new defence white paper in July this year that pledged $100 million for the creation of Australian Federal Police "anti-terror flying squads" in South-East Asia, one of which is already based in Indonesia, training Indonesian police personnel.
Students are currently organising to save the South-East Asian studies department. To get involved in the campaign phone 0421 404 138 or meet Mondays at 1pm in room 611, Brennan Building, University of Sydney.
From Green Left Weekly, October 20, 2004.
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