Rethinking the Postcolonial in the Age of the War on Terror
The International Centre for Muslim and Non-Muslim Understanding
(ICMNMU), in conjunction with the UNESCO Chair in Transnational
Diasporas and Reconciliation Studies, are holding a joint Symposium
titled: Re-Thinking the Postcolonial in the Age of the War on
Terror, at the University of South Australia, on the 16th and 17th
September, 2010.
Postcolonial thought was for the most part consolidated during the
era of the Cold War and as such its critiques and interventions were
implicated in the narrative and institutions of that global
conflict. The stealthy emergence of a new grammar of international
politics centred around the logic of the 'war on terror' demands a
reconsideration of some central themes associated with postcolonial
thinking. The violent hierarchy between the West and the Rest which
characterised much of postcolonial interventions and critiques seems
at once inadequate to the contemporary complexities of modernities,
societies and cultures, yet at the same time necessary as campaigns
of pacification, racisms and exploitations point to the continuities
of coloniality.
The aim of this Symposium is to explore the postcolonial condition
in the era of the 'war on terror' and to rethink in order to
reformulate or reinforce its critical insights. This Symposium will
be the first in a series directed to re-thinking the postcolonial.
Preliminary program and registration.
Indian launch of the International Centre
Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard attended two significant functions in India at the beginning of September, both highlighting the depth of UniSA's engagement in India.
In New Delhi, Minister Gillard launched the South Australian-based International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding globally, with the aim of broadening the scope of the new research centre and attracting research engagement from India and the Asian region. More information.