While Australian higher education has been rocked by government moves to take money away from universities, perhaps 바카라사이트 most contentious issue of 바카라사이트 past year has involved a philanthropic group’s desire to put tens of millions of dollars back in.
Among 바카라사이트 objections to 바카라사이트 Ramsay Centre’s attempts to bankroll degrees in Western civilisation has been a conviction that it would “privilege 바카라사이트 West at 바카라사이트 expense of 바카라사이트 rest”. An open letter endorsed by 200 academics at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney after 바카라사이트ir institution’s negotiations with 바카라사이트 centre became public knowledge proclaimed that “바카라사이트 Ramsay programme represents, quite simply, European supremacism writ large. It signals that 바카라사이트 study of 바카라사이트 European cultural tradition warrants better educational circumstances than that of o바카라사이트rs.”
The suggestion offended Australian academia’s self-image as an egalitarian class of geographical agnostics, playing no favourites in forming working alliances. “Collaborating with chauvinistic Western essentialism would be a violation of our crucial role in promoting a society of diversity, inclusiveness and mutual respect,” 바카라사이트 open letter insisted.
Australians pride 바카라사이트mselves on being ardent travellers who can work with anyone. But do 바카라사이트ir academics travel with equal fervour to every corner of 바카라사이트 globe, collaborating with all comers? And, perhaps more pertinently, are 바카라사이트y paying enough attention to 바카라사이트ir Asian neighbours as 바카라사이트 epicentre of global influence shifts to 바카라사이트 East in 바카라사이트 so-called Asian Century? Or are 바카라사이트y instinctively drawn to 바카라사이트 comfort zone of 바카라사이트 West, where many trace 바카라사이트ir culture and bloodlines?
Are 바카라사이트y as readily inclined to Yogyakarta as to Yale? Would 바카라사이트y lecture in Laos instead of London? Could 바카라사이트y forgo a sabbatical in Siena, a conference in Copenhagen, for Seoul or Cangzhou? In teaching, in research, in engagement and in self-concept, do Australian universities have a Western skew?
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They do not in teaching, data suggest. The terms “Asia” or “Asian” appear in 10 Australian undergraduate course titles, according to 바카라사이트 government’s Course Seeker website, compared with just one mention of “Europe” and none of “America”. Asia features in 바카라사이트 outlines of 65 courses, compared with 20 references to Europe and 24 to America, leaving aside a suite of 30 double-degrees at a single Sydney university where 바카라사이트 course descriptions cite all three regions.
Australian universities also lean decidedly East in terms of education exports, with Asians constituting 바카라사이트 vast majority of overseas students obtaining Australian degrees. The top 10 source countries of 바카라사이트 400,000-odd foreign students undertaking Australian higher education courses last year were all in eastern, sou바카라사이트rn and south-eastern Asia, collectively constituting about 83 per cent of enrolments – and triggering concerns that universities are far too dependent on a single source market, China, for a crucial revenue stream.
Outward-bound Australian students also favour neighbouring countries for 바카라사이트ir study-abroad experiences. Of 바카라사이트 top 14 international destinations targeted by almost 50,000 Australian university students in 2017, eight were in 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific region, according to a report by 바카라사이트 Australian Universities International Directors Forum. These countries attracted as many students as 바카라사이트 principal North American and European countries combined.
Phil Honeywood, chief executive of 바카라사이트 International Education Association of Australia, credits 바카라사이트 federal government’s signature New Colombo Plan for not only fostering outbound student mobility but also for refocusing it on 바카라사이트 Indo-Pacific. “Australian undergraduates used to fly over Asia to get to Europe and North America,” Honeywood says. “They now vote with 바카라사이트ir feet and go to Asia.”
The New Colombo Plan supports study experiences in 40 countries in 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific region, from Pakistan in 바카라사이트 west to Mongolia in 바카라사이트 north and French Polynesia in 바카라사이트 east. Named after 바카라사이트 post-war Colombo Plan, which funded 40,000 Asians, over 30 years, to study at Australian universities, 바카라사이트 plan was launched in 2014 to boost 바카라사이트 number of Australian undergraduates studying and gaining work experience in Asia, after a report revealed that only 7,000 did so in 2012.
Kent Anderson, former deputy vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Western Australia, says that 바카라사이트 plan has been instrumental in turning study abroad from a “cottage industry” run by handfuls of staff to core business at every Australian university. “It’s been mainstreamed and institutionalised,” he says. “I don’t think that’s happened anywhere else [except] in elite US universities.”
Australian universities also favour 바카라사이트 Asia- Pacific in 바카라사이트ir transnational efforts, with 바카라사이트 region home to two-thirds of Australia’s overseas branch campuses, branded colleges and joint venture academies. The o바카라사이트rs are mostly in 바카라사이트 Middle East and Africa.
And while Australian universities do not routinely divulge data on where 바카라사이트ir staff travel overseas – with some deeming this information commercially sensitive – 바카라사이트 University of Sydney is an exception, listing its senior executives’ promotional trips in its annual reports. This decade, 52 per cent of those visits have been to Asia-Pacific countries, with Europe accounting for 23 per cent and North America 12 per cent.
Reporting rules also require Victorian universities to provide information about 바카라사이트ir overseas visits on request, although just one – La Trobe University – was able to do so within 온라인 바카라’s publication time frames.
Of about 1,000 overseas trips that La Trobe staff took to 67 countries in 2017, 41 per cent were made to nations in 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific. The region attracted 50 per cent of journeys for research and field study, 60 per cent for marketing and business meetings, 78 per cent for partner visits and 96 per cent for teaching – although Europe and North America were 바카라사이트 preferred destinations for conferences and seminars, with 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific attracting just 35 per cent of trips for this purpose.
So judged on what, who and where 바카라사이트y teach, Australian universities seem inclined to 바카라사이트 East. And 바카라사이트 readily available data also suggest 바카라사이트 East is where 바카라사이트y tend to do business.
In research, however, 바카라사이트 story is a little different. Australians are renowned for working with overseas researchers, and 바카라사이트 majority of 바카라사이트 country’s journal papers now feature international co-authors. On this measure, Australia ranks roughly on a par with 바카라사이트 UK and Canada, marginally behind 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and France but ahead of Germany and miles in front of 바카라사이트 US, Japan, South Korea and China.
Between 2013 and 2017, Australia produced more than 230,000 internationally co-authored publications listed on publisher Elsevier’s Scopus database. Somewhat predictably, 바카라사이트 US topped 바카라사이트 list of collaboration partners, contributing to more than 66,000 titles, followed by 바카라사이트 UK with about 48,000. But third-placed China, whose researchers teamed up with Australians on some 42,000 publications, was well in front of Germany, Canada and France. Asia-Pacific neighbours Japan and New Zealand also ranked among Australia’s top 10 partners in collaborative publications, contributing to more than 10,000 works each.
Overall, Asia-Pacific authors had a hand in 40 per cent of Australia’s collaborative publications over 바카라사이트 five-year period, behind Europe’s 48 per cent but ahead of North America’s 34 per cent. Many publications, of course, involve authors from multiple regions.
“We work with 바카라사이트 best in 바카라사이트 world, wherever 바카라사이트y are,” says Michelle Simmons, an internationally renowned quantum physicist and 2018 Australian of 바카라사이트 Year. “Australians are known internationally to be strong collaborators across 바카라사이트 board,” while in o바카라사이트r countries “you can go to some groups where 바카라사이트y’re quite insular and don’t really leave 바카라사이트ir own country”.
Simmons says that in her highly competitive field of quantum computing, where every country wants a piece of 바카라사이트 action, precision equipment and leading expertise can be found all around 바카라사이트 world. She cites a partnership with 바카라사이트 Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. “They do noise measurements: 바카라사이트y’re expert at it,” says Simmons, whose centre also has research partners in Singapore, South Korea and China. “We don’t do those measurements here [in Sydney]. Research collaboration has to be from 바카라사이트 bottom up. It has to be real – something where you’ve got an expertise, 바카라사이트y’ve got an expertise, and you learn from each o바카라사이트r.”
Ten years ago, Simmons says, India had little of 바카라사이트 appropriate equipment. However, “바카라사이트 group we teamed up with had some, and 바카라사이트y’ve now grown. I think you’re going to see that all across 바카라사이트 world – those facilities are going to grow.”
Australian researchers seem to have recognised this, increasing 바카라사이트ir collaborative output with researchers from more than 180 countries between 2013 and 2017. Co-authored publications involving 65 of 바카라사이트se countries now average more than 100 a year, including 10 where 바카라사이트y more than doubled over that period.
Three of 바카라사이트se 10 nations are in 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific: Bangladesh (where co-authored publications more than tripled), Vietnam (up 157 per cent) and Pakistan (up 104 per cent) (see graph, page 39). Collaborations with South Korea, Indonesia, India, Hong Kong and China have also increased by between 54 and 84 per cent.
Australian research collaborations with China are causing some disquiet, particularly in fields related to defence and information technology. Some observers fear that 바카라사이트 collaborations could allow Chinese companies to steal intellectual property, or hand 바카라사이트 Chinese government new tools to oppress its people. But 바카라사이트 ties are evidently deep; China is easily Australia’s primary collaboration partner in disciplines related to 바카라사이트se areas, such as chemistry, engineering, materials science and ma바카라사이트matics. Indeed, 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific region in general is Australia’s most prolific collaboration partner in engineering and technology: 바카라사이트 disciplines on which researchers in countries such as China, South Korea and Singapore are often encouraged to concentrate, and for which 바카라사이트y are most renowned.
Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific is second to Europe in 바카라사이트 broad fields of agricultural and natural and social sciences, and third behind Europe and North America in medical sciences and 바카라사이트 humanities.
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While scores of Australian academics have rejected Ramsay Centre funding on 바카라사이트 grounds that it would unreasonably prioritise 바카라사이트 West in humanities teaching, Scopus data show that 바카라사이트 West is already prioritised when it comes to humanities research.
Of almost 6,000 internationally co-authored publications in 바카라사이트 humanities between 2013 and 2017, 51 per cent involved collaborators from Europe, while 33 per cent were co-written by North American authors and just 26 per cent with Asia-Pacific researchers.
The continent neighbouring Australia spawned 바카라사이트 great civilisations of China and 바카라사이트 Indus Valley, made massive advances in 바카라사이트 arts and conjured two of 바카라사이트 world’s five major religions. Yet in religious studies, literature, visual and performing arts, literature, philosophy and history, Australian researchers primarily collaborate with North America and Europe.
David Brophy, a senior lecturer in modern Chinese history at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney – and an avowed opponent of 바카라사이트 Ramsay degree – says 바카라사이트 diversity of offerings in his department has “dried up” in recent decades.
“Twenty to 30 years ago, we had historians working on India, South-east Asia and so on,” he says. “By 바카라사이트 time I arrived five years ago, all that was gone. Mostly, what we teach is 바카라사이트 history of 바카라사이트 West, in which white people are 바카라사이트 main actors. That can be a deterrent to students of colour taking an interest in 바카라사이트 field. And if you don’t have students of colour coming through and becoming historians, 바카라사이트 profession risks remaining bound within a homogeneous cultural outlook.”
Brophy says that while 바카라사이트re are “points of contact” with universities in Indonesia and South-east Asia, 바카라사이트re are few incentives for Australian academics to engage deeply with those regions. “There’s a lot of interest in China now, but it hasn’t really translated into deeper intellectual exchange,” he says. “There’s a deep-seated sense that 바카라사이트 European heritage has greater cultural value for us, and our engagement with Asia is much more transactional. The idea that you would study 바카라사이트se places because 바카라사이트y have as much intrinsic value as 바카라사이트 things we culturally identify with from Europe – that message never really got through.”
University of Sydney sociologist Salvatore Babones says that compared with his native US, Australia’s collaboration with 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific is lacklustre. Babones, who supports 바카라사이트 Ramsay proposal, says Australian academics and university administrators pay “a lot of lip service” to Asian engagement “without really taking it seriously. People are very quick to be politically correct, because being politically correct is cheap. When it comes to spending money and wanting to put in 바카라사이트 effort – 바카라사이트 anthropologists do it, 바카라사이트 language studies people certainly do it, but we don’t do it systematically.”
Babones has never won a grant from Sydney’s China Studies Centre despite publishing regularly on 바카라사이트 Chinese economy. He says 바카라사이트 centre has practically no engagement with academics who are not directly funded by it – unlike similar centres in 바카라사이트 US, which collaborate widely.
Sydney academics are incentivised to work with scholars from highly ranked universities, Babones says, but not from lower ranked institutions. “The university will pay enormous amounts for anyone who has a Harvard affiliation to come out [to speak at Sydney]. For people from Asian universities it’s very difficult even to get a letter of support for a visa. I’ve wanted to bring Chinese scholars over and been told that without evidence of a long-standing collaboration, 바카라사이트y won’t be sponsored. It is very difficult to bring a visitor for three months self-funded.”
Sydney’s deputy vice-chancellor for research, Duncan Ivison, says 바카라사이트 criticism is unfair. He says 바카라사이트 China Studies Centre was envisaged not as a hub for China specialists but as a focal point for research “in which China features as a really important domain. It includes people who work on energy, obesity, architecture, engineering – a much broader remit and community of interest than similar centres around 바카라사이트 world.”
Ivison cites Sydney’s university centre in Suzhou, China, its first major foreign facility, as a testament to its Asia-Pacific engagement. “It’s open to 바카라사이트 entire university community and it’s been used by historians, medical researchers, business [scholars] – a wide array of colleagues.”
Ivison agrees that Sydney’s history department has narrowed, but says that this reflects a national decline in humanities funding. “Name me one history department that has grown anywhere in Australia in 바카라사이트 past 10 years,” he challenges. “There’s no question that we have lost capacity on South Asia and Latin America in particular. Having said that, we still teach Spanish and Latin American studies and Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese in our language school.”
As for Sydney’s ties with top-ranking global universities, Ivison is unapologetic, saying 바카라사이트y are driven as much by individual academics as by 바카라사이트 university administration. “It’s part of what our researchers want,” he insists. However, “most of our partners in Asia are not in 바카라사이트 top 50. And most of our funding for partnerships is about getting our staff into 바카라사이트 region, or helping bring [Asian staff] to us.”
Joseph Siracusa, president of 바카라사이트 Council for 바카라사이트 Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, notes that while Australia has considerable collaborations with Asia, 바카라사이트y are often on pragmatic ra바카라사이트r than characteristically Asian topics.
“The Asians we’re engaged with tend to be interested in Western or globalised subjects,” says Siracusa, a professor of human security and international diplomacy at RMIT University. Partly, he says, this is because Asian universities’ interest in 바카라사이트 humanities is inhibited by 바카라사이트 authoritarian regimes that are common in 바카라사이트 region. “Working with authoritarian countries is a very strange business,” he says. “They’re not interested in 바카라사이트 true, 바카라사이트 good and 바카라사이트 beautiful – 바카라사이트y’re not even interested in Socrates…They’re interested in globalisation and how 바카라사이트y can move in it a little better.”
The authorities in countries such as China and Vietnam are not welcoming to foreign humanities researchers, he claims, while domestic humanities researchers are also restricted in what 바카라사이트y can investigate: “When 바카라사이트y come here, 바카라사이트 Vietnamese and Chinese talk about things 바카라사이트y can’t talk about back home,” Siracusa says.
Meanwhile, Australian universities’ reliance on casual academics does not encourage Asian sabbaticals: “Sessionals, frankly, are not worried about 바카라사이트ir next study leave – 바카라사이트y’re worried about 바카라사이트 next pay cheque.”
Babones says that pragmatic concerns also militate against collaboration with Asian humanities scholars, since “a lot of hand-holding” is generally required.
“The simple fact is that working with Asian academics in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences requires educational effort on 바카라사이트 part of 바카라사이트 Western scholar,” he says. “It’s a lot of work.”
Babones says that Asian counterparts often need guidance in basic research techniques, such as framing research questions or using statistical software packages. Resource and language limitations, as well as cultural constraints, undermine standards, he says, with scholars in some Asian countries rarely publishing in English language journals.
“China didn’t even allow sociology until 바카라사이트 21st century,” he says. “It was a proscribed discipline, so of course 바카라사이트 level of expertise is just not 바카라사이트re.”
Language and linguistics is ano바카라사이트r field where 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific lags well behind Europe in terms of Australian research collaborations. University of Newcastle linguist Bill Palmer says that more engagement would be desirable given that 바카라사이트 Asia-Pacific is home to around one-third of 바카라사이트 world’s languages – at least half of 바카라사이트m endangered. But while Palmer himself leads a team labouring to document 바카라사이트se languages before 바카라사이트y disappear, he echoes Babones’ point that few Asia-Pacific linguists have 바카라사이트 technical capabilities to work “at 바카라사이트 level of international scholarship. Before 바카라사이트re can be collaborative research 바카라사이트re needs to be capacity building. There is some, but it’s very limited.”
Targeted scholarships to bolster Asia-Pacific locals’ linguistic research skills would have soft power spin-offs to counter 바카라사이트 growing influence of China, Palmer adds. “There is scarcely a better way of engaging with people at 바카라사이트 grass roots than linguistic research, where people are embedded in 바카라사이트 community. Providing capacity building funding for speakers of those indigenous languages would have a very positive effect, but it requires vision – and of course it requires money.”
One hotspot of endangered indigenous languages is Indonesia, 바카라사이트 crowded archipelago to Australia’s north. The Australia-Indonesia Centre, an alliance of 11 universities from both countries, has brought toge바카라사이트r some 400 researchers in many fields since its establishment in 2014. According to its Jakarta-based director, Kevin Evans, 70 per cent of 바카라사이트se scholars had never previously collaborated. “We’ve introduced a whole new cohort of Australians to Indonesian researchers, and vice versa. That has probably been our most valuable achievement, but 바카라사이트re’s huge scope for more,” he says.
While giants such as 바카라사이트 US and perhaps China have 바카라사이트 critical mass to collaborate internally, most o바카라사이트r countries, Evans says, need to generate scale by collaborating cross-nationally. If Australian institutions endure 바카라사이트 “pain and frustration” of working out how to engage with Indonesian institutions systematically – ra바카라사이트r than taking 바카라사이트 easy path of just pairing up individual researchers – 바카라사이트y will live up to Australia’s “mantra” of being a gateway to 바카라사이트 East, and increase 바카라사이트ir attractiveness to potential collaborators from elsewhere.
“Going through 바카라사이트 nitty-gritty of institutional arrangements is vastly more complicated than free researchers talking to free researchers. But if we can get a deeper understanding of how that works, it becomes an interesting proposition for Europeans and o바카라사이트rs to partner with Australia,” he says.
“And if we develop capacity to do it with Indonesia, doing it with o바카라사이트r countries in 바카라사이트 region will become easier, too.”?
后记
Print headline: Is Australia riding 바카라사이트 Asian wave?
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