Future Directions: Incorporating Studies of Asia

by Dr Deborah Henderson, School of Cultural and Language Studies in Education, Queensland University of Technology

The challenges emanating from Afghanistan, Iraq and North Korea, together with the aftermath of September 11 and the Bali bombing, indicate the increasing interconnectedness and uncertainty that characterises our world today. Moreover, these challenges illustrate the dynamics of globalisation and the prominence of Asia in Australia's relations with the world.

For example, terrorist action in the United States led to Australian soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Following the Bali massacre, Australian federal police and medical officers worked in Indonesia. Australia's membership of the 'Coalition of the Willing' led to our involvement in military action in Iraq. Most recently, Australia and Japan have taken a united position to pressure North Korea to agree to multi-party talks involving the United States and China to end the impending nuclear crisis. The ramifications of these involvements indicate that Australians are not only members of a global community, but also that our connections to the countries of Asia are increasing in strategic significance.

No other part of the world encompasses Australia as do the countries of Asia. The Asian region comprises 30% of the earth's land, 60% of the world's population and has the greatest diversity of belief systems, including the world's largest Muslim nation, Indonesia. Two of the world's great powers, Japan and China, are key nations in the region. Few regions are as diverse and different. Put simply, Australians need to know about the history, politics, languages, cultures and economies of our region. As General Peter Cosgrove noted of Australia's involvement in East Timor, 'We must … ensure … we are politically and culturally prepared …' (Cosgrove 2000).

Given that the forces of globalisation will lead Australians to interact increasingly with the countries of Asia, we must be concerned by the warning from the Asian Studies Association of Australia (2002) that Australia's long-term knowledge base is in jeopardy. 'Most Australians know little about Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism or Shintoism … most Australians do not know that Malaysia is a federation and China is a unitary state … or … that differences in languages and social structure between one part of the Indian federation and another are as great as among the countries of Europe …' (Asian Studies Association of Australia 2002, p 3). This lack of knowledge about Asia has surfaced in Australian political life. For example, Pauline Hanson's maiden speech in Parliament contained 13 factual errors, including the populations of Malaysia and Indonesia (Tingle 1996, p A15). Such ignorance persists despite the fact that Australian scholars of Asia have argued for more than forty years that Australians need to be educated about the Asian region and that reports and policy papers have emphasised the significance of developing Asia-literate Australians for our national interest (Henderson 2003).

For example, the Asian Studies Council (1988) argued in its National Strategy that 'the study of Asia should not be an elective' and that 'the proper study of Asia and its languages is about national survival in an intensely competitive world' (p 2). A year later the Ingleson Report claimed that Asian studies was 'the obverse side of the coin to Australian studies' and it was vital 'that in teaching about Asia and its languages we constantly seek ways of reiterating this to our own society …' (Ingleson 1989, vol 1, p 13).

More recently, the Rudd Report claimed that Australia required an 'export culture'. This involved 'the range of linguistic and cultural competencies required by Australians to operate effectively at different levels in their various dealings with the region – as individuals, organisations and as a nation' (Rudd 1994, p ii). Indeed, the bipartisan acceptance of Rudd's report Asian Languages and Australia's Economic Future (1994) by State, Territory and Commonwealth governments for national implementation marked a significant phase in the journey for Australians to become Asia-literate (Henderson 1999). A National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) Strategy to oversee the process of implementing a national Asian languages and cultures strategy, based on the recommendations of the report, commenced the first implementation phase in 1995.

Although the NALSAS Strategy initially emphasised second language provision over Asian studies, the implementation period from 1995 revealed a broadening focus on cultures and aspects of citizenship. In the ten years since the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) was established to promote the study of Asia across the curriculum in Australian schools, it has worked with the NALSAS Taskforce on various national collaborative strategies and played a crucial role in this process. Indeed, the journey so far indicates that much has been achieved.

Commonwealth funding for the NALSAS Strategy ceased in December 2002, and it is now timely to consider how the AEF's five curriculum emphases for the study of Asia can be incorporated into the Discovering Democracy project. These emphases – developing concepts of Asia, challenging stereotypes, contemporary issues, world contributions by the peoples of Asia and likely implications of closer Asia–Australian relationships (AEF 2000, p 13) – resonate with the four themes of Discovering Democracy. Indeed, integrating Studies of Asia into Civics and Citizenship Education provides an ideal opportunity to enrich students' understandings of what it means to different people to be a member of a society in an increasingly globalised world.

It is crucial that we move towards a notion of regional and global citizenship in Australian classrooms. This involves students in informed critiques of Australia's role in the Asian region. Students need to engage in the 'difficult debates' about regional and global issues. They need to critique the rhetoric about the role of international agencies such as the United Nations, strategies to deal with terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, child labour, Third World debt, illegal immigrants, increasing poverty and other significant issues. The next phase of Discovering Democracy can play a vital role in developing and extending this notion of regional and global citizenship. Our capacity as a nation to deal proactively with the dynamics of the 21st century depends upon it.

References

Asia Education Foundation 2000, Studies of Asia: A Statement for Australian Schools, 2nd edn, Curriculum Corporation, Melbourne.

Asian Studies Association of Australia 2002, Maximizing Australia's Asia Knowledge: Repositioning and Renewal of a National Asset, Asian Studies Association of Australia, Melbourne.

Asian Studies Council 1988, A National Strategy for the Study of Asia in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Cosgrove, PJ 2000, Address to the Griffith Asia Pacific Council, 12 September, Brisbane.

Henderson, DJ 1999, The Rudd Report: An Anatomy of an Education Reform, unpublished PhD thesis, Griffith University, Nathan Campus.

Henderson, DJ 2003, 'Meeting the national interest through Asia-literacy – an overview of the major stages and debates', Asian Studies Review, vol 27, no 1, pp 23–53.

Ingleson, J 1989, Asia in Australian Higher Education: Report of the Inquiry into the Teaching of Asian Studies and Languages in Higher Education, vols 1 & 2, Asian Studies Council, Canberra.

Rudd, K (Chair) 1994, Asian Languages and Australia's Economic Future: A Report Prepared for the Council of Australian Governments on a Proposed National Asian Languages/Studies Strategy for Australian Schools, Queensland Government Printer, Brisbane.

Rudd, K 2002, 'Our role in global protection should begin at home', Australian, 31 October, p 11.

Tingle, L 1996, 'Behind the lines', Age, 15 November, p A15.