Commonwealth Research Seminar Series
All seminars are on Wednesdays and begin at 1730
TERM 1
14 November 2012
Ben Muda, Commonwealth Business Council, London: Malaysia at Fifty: The Commonwealth in Malaysia's Foreign Policy
Filippo Menozzi, University of Canterbury, Kent, The Boundaries of Politics: Arundhati Roy's Transversal Activism
12 December 2012
Lanver Mak, Visiting Fellow ICwS, Unveiling the Veiled Protectorate: The Untold Stories of British Labourers and Criminals in Egypt, 1882-1922
Maria Mut Bosque, Visiting Fellow and PhD student, ICwS, Gibraltar: National Identity and Language Issues
TERM 2
16 January 2013
Peter Fraser, Visiting Fellow ICwS: An exemplary life: Arnold Hamilton Maloney and Trinidadian intellectual history
Giorgios Charalambous, Visiting Fellow ICwS: The Cypriot Left in Government: A Preliminary Assessment
13 February 2013
Bill Clarance, Visitng Fellow ICwS: Understanding Leonard Woolf : his role in decolonization
Paulo Rigueira, Doctoral Student ICwS: Globalisation & Human Rights: A Conceptual Approach
13 March 2013
Mandy Banton. Senior Fellow ICwS: Title TBA
Yiannos Katsourides, Visiting Fellow ICwS: Political conflicts in Cyprus in the 1940s and 1950s
TERM 3
17 April 2013
Abess Taqi, Doctoral student, ICwS: Arab perspectives on Western efforts to promote democratic reform in the Arab world
Sue Onslow, Senior Fellow ICwS, The Commonwealth & election monitoring: the Zimbabwe success story?
15 May 2013
Shihan de Silva, Senior Fellow ICwS: Connecting the Portuguese Burghers to the Commonwealth and Beyond: Language Matters
John Cowley, Fellow ICwS: Numberless Are The Sands On The Seashore : 'The Real Bahamas' and the field recording experience (1935-1965)
12 June 2013
Susan Williams, Senior Fellow ICwS, and Dr Luke McKernan, Lead Curator, Moving Image, The British Library: The screening of decolonisation: from book to film
Convenors: Susan Williams (susan.williams@sas.ac.uk) and Shihan de Silva (shihan.desilva@sas.ac.uk )
Showing posts with label Commonwealth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commonwealth. Show all posts
Thursday, 25 October 2012
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Theses in Progress in Commonwealth Studies
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies’ Register of Commonwealth research is a list of higher degree theses conducted at UK Universities and relating to the Commonwealth of Nations, its member countries, and the former British Empire. The Register has been maintained since 1949 and covers research both in progress and completed; its retrospective coverage extends back to the 1920s.
From the data held in the Register, the Institute compiles and publishes the annual Theses in Progress in Commonwealth Studies as a snapshot of current research on the Commonwealth and Empire in Britain.
The Register, and Theses in Progress, are compiled and maintained as a source of current and past research on the Commonwealth, and also as a point of contact between candidates for higher degrees in British universities.
We are pleased to announce the publication of the 2012 edition which is available on the Institute of Commonwealth Studies website and (direct link) at http://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/4515/
Thanks go to Pat Larby, the compiler and editor of the register, for her dedication to and effort on this project.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Digital New Zealand
Digital NZ - A-Tihi te Aotearoa Digital NZ is an initiative with more than 120 partners, led by the National Library of New Zealand .
Digital NZ provides access to and aims to make New Zealand digital content more useful. This includes helping people use digital material from libraries, museums, government departments, publicly funded organisations, the private sector, and community groups.
Users can find NZ digital material that is hidden or buried on the internet and search across more than 20 million digital items to discover New Zealand treasures such as amazing aerial photos, old posters and memorabilia, newspaper clippings, artworks, and publications. Items are contributed from partners including Te Papa, the Alexander Turnbull Library, Auckland Art Gallery, Te Ara, NZ On Screen and many many more.
You can also create your own collections or sets of material (and browse those of others), or for those more technically minded, get access to NZ search data for your own projects. All the data used in this search service is available for free public use and a developers section provides access to an API key and further details.
Current sets on the site are diverse and include seed catalogues, Marmite, sickness and medicine, and my own created Commonwealth set http://digitalnz.org/user_sets/094341b5326ecc2b as an example showing different media (cartoons, photographs, text, audio, television and documentary) and a range of Commonwealth related material and topics.
Digital NZ provides access to and aims to make New Zealand digital content more useful. This includes helping people use digital material from libraries, museums, government departments, publicly funded organisations, the private sector, and community groups.
Users can find NZ digital material that is hidden or buried on the internet and search across more than 20 million digital items to discover New Zealand treasures such as amazing aerial photos, old posters and memorabilia, newspaper clippings, artworks, and publications. Items are contributed from partners including Te Papa, the Alexander Turnbull Library, Auckland Art Gallery, Te Ara, NZ On Screen and many many more.
You can also create your own collections or sets of material (and browse those of others), or for those more technically minded, get access to NZ search data for your own projects. All the data used in this search service is available for free public use and a developers section provides access to an API key and further details.
Current sets on the site are diverse and include seed catalogues, Marmite, sickness and medicine, and my own created Commonwealth set http://digitalnz.org/user_sets/094341b5326ecc2b as an example showing different media (cartoons, photographs, text, audio, television and documentary) and a range of Commonwealth related material and topics.
Thursday, 28 June 2012
AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award: Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC)
Institute of Commonwealth Studies awarded AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award
The ICwS, jointly with the Commonwealth Secretariat, has been awarded an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award to fund a research studentship to undertake a study of the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) in order to examine questions of the development of knowledge, expertise and cooperation in the context of a decolonizing and post-colonial world. T
he CFTC provides advice, expertise and training for development, through the provision of international experts in fields including agriculture, engineering, education, public service training and mineral extraction negotiations. The history of the CFTC charts an important transition in the post-colonial relations of the Commonwealth and in the development of notions of South-South cooperation. The fund piloted the use and sharing of expertise from developing countries rather than those from the North.
The PhD student who will be working on the study will be jointly supervised by Professor Philip Murphy, Dr Ruth Craggs (University of Hull) and Hilary McEwan, who is the Archivist at the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The AHRC CDA scheme is designed to encourage and develop collaboration and partnerships between universities and non-academic organisations, providing opportunities for doctoral students to gain firsthand experience of work outside an academic environment. The support provided by both an academic and non-academic supervisor enhances the employment-related skills and training a research student gains during the course of their award. The studentships also encourage and establish links that can have long-term benefits for both collaborating partners, providing access to resources and materials, knowledge and expertise that may not otherwise have been available and also provide social, cultural and economic benefits to wider society.
The ICwS is currently actively recruiting to fill the AHRC CDA research studentship. Further details
The ICwS, jointly with the Commonwealth Secretariat, has been awarded an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award to fund a research studentship to undertake a study of the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) in order to examine questions of the development of knowledge, expertise and cooperation in the context of a decolonizing and post-colonial world. T
he CFTC provides advice, expertise and training for development, through the provision of international experts in fields including agriculture, engineering, education, public service training and mineral extraction negotiations. The history of the CFTC charts an important transition in the post-colonial relations of the Commonwealth and in the development of notions of South-South cooperation. The fund piloted the use and sharing of expertise from developing countries rather than those from the North.
The PhD student who will be working on the study will be jointly supervised by Professor Philip Murphy, Dr Ruth Craggs (University of Hull) and Hilary McEwan, who is the Archivist at the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The AHRC CDA scheme is designed to encourage and develop collaboration and partnerships between universities and non-academic organisations, providing opportunities for doctoral students to gain firsthand experience of work outside an academic environment. The support provided by both an academic and non-academic supervisor enhances the employment-related skills and training a research student gains during the course of their award. The studentships also encourage and establish links that can have long-term benefits for both collaborating partners, providing access to resources and materials, knowledge and expertise that may not otherwise have been available and also provide social, cultural and economic benefits to wider society.
The ICwS is currently actively recruiting to fill the AHRC CDA research studentship. Further details
Saturday, 26 May 2012
The Global Peace Index
The Institute for Economics & Peace produces a number of indexes which measure levels of peace and conflict worldwide. Its Global Peace Index ranks 153 nations according to 23 dimensions of peace. These include democracy, wellbeing, and violence, crime data which is drawn from a number of sources including the International Institute of Strategic Studies, the World Bank, a number of UN Agencies, peace institutes and the EIU. The report and an interactive map are available at the website. http://economicsandpeace.org/research/iep-indices-data/global-peace-index
Out of the 153 countries Commonwealth nations are in the top ten (New Zealand ranking 2nd (after Iceland), and Canada 8th) and also represented in the bottow ten (Pakistan being ranked 146th). the site shows detailed indicators including number of external and internal conflicts fought, relations with neighbouring countries, political instability, respect for human rights, level of violent crime, military expenditure and number of armed personnel.
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Henry Charles Chapman Visiting Fellowship at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies
Applications for the Henry Charles Chapman Visiting Fellowship at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies are being accepted.
The Fellowship, offered biennially, is financed by income from a bequest to the University of London by the late Mr Henry Charles Chapman for the promotion of the study of Commonwealth affairs.
The Fellowship is open to members of the academic staff of any university in the Commonwealth, or elsewhere, who wish to spend a period of leave from their present post doing research at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.
Further information, including details about the application process, can be found in on the Institute of Commonwealth Studies website. Please note that the deadline for submissions in 31 May 2012.
The Fellowship, offered biennially, is financed by income from a bequest to the University of London by the late Mr Henry Charles Chapman for the promotion of the study of Commonwealth affairs.
The Fellowship is open to members of the academic staff of any university in the Commonwealth, or elsewhere, who wish to spend a period of leave from their present post doing research at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.
Further information, including details about the application process, can be found in on the Institute of Commonwealth Studies website. Please note that the deadline for submissions in 31 May 2012.
Monday, 12 March 2012
The Monarchy, the Commonwealth and the Media
The Monarchy, the Commonwealth and the Media
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the first ever to be televised, a decision the new Queen actively encouraged. 19 million viewers watched the ceremony in the UK, over half of the adult population. Within five years, television ownership had risen six-fold. The shedding of media light on the mystery of monarchy was sometimes engineered and sometimes accidental – but always remorseless. Alongside the triumphs, there have been the dark days of the death of Princess Diana, ‘Annus Horribilis’, and the hacking of royal phones. Can the monarchy survive its dealings with the media – or is that relationship the secret of its survival?
In conversation ...
CHARLES ANSON CVO (former Press Secretary to the Queen)
TOM CORBY MVO (former Court Correspondent of the Press Association)
KESHINI NAVARATNAM (former BBC World TV presenter)
Tuesday 20 March at 5.30pm
The Senate Room, 1st Floor, Senate House, Malet Street, WC1E 7HU
ALL WELCOME (booking strongly advised - please email chloe.pieters@sas.ac.uk)
Part of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies’ Diamond Jubilee series, reflecting on the role of Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth and Sovereign of the Commonwealth Realms
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the first ever to be televised, a decision the new Queen actively encouraged. 19 million viewers watched the ceremony in the UK, over half of the adult population. Within five years, television ownership had risen six-fold. The shedding of media light on the mystery of monarchy was sometimes engineered and sometimes accidental – but always remorseless. Alongside the triumphs, there have been the dark days of the death of Princess Diana, ‘Annus Horribilis’, and the hacking of royal phones. Can the monarchy survive its dealings with the media – or is that relationship the secret of its survival?
In conversation ...
CHARLES ANSON CVO (former Press Secretary to the Queen)
TOM CORBY MVO (former Court Correspondent of the Press Association)
KESHINI NAVARATNAM (former BBC World TV presenter)
Tuesday 20 March at 5.30pm
The Senate Room, 1st Floor, Senate House, Malet Street, WC1E 7HU
ALL WELCOME (booking strongly advised - please email chloe.pieters@sas.ac.uk)
Part of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies’ Diamond Jubilee series, reflecting on the role of Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth and Sovereign of the Commonwealth Realms
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
New podcast available: Decriminalising Homosexuality In The Caribbean: The Belize Case In Commonwealth Perspective And Beyond
http://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/events/videos-and-podcasts/decriminalising-homosexuality-in-the-caribbean/
The link above provides access to the Caribbean Studies Seminar held on 3rd February 2012 with speaker, Lord Goldsmith QC of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, replacing the originally intended Godfrey Smith, who unexpectedly had to return to Belize. The packed event was held late on a Friday afternoon and is now made available to anyone who was unable to attend in person.
The link above provides access to the Caribbean Studies Seminar held on 3rd February 2012 with speaker, Lord Goldsmith QC of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, replacing the originally intended Godfrey Smith, who unexpectedly had to return to Belize. The packed event was held late on a Friday afternoon and is now made available to anyone who was unable to attend in person.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Happy birthday to Commonwealth and Comparative Politics
Happy birthday to Commonwealth and Comparative Politics!
Just available is the first number of the 50th volume of the journal, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics.
The journal title was first published in November 1961 as the Journal of Commonwealth Political Studies, and is the oldest British journal of comparative politics and the leading journal on Commonwealth and comparative politics. The journal was renamed The Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics in 1974, and then Commonwealth and Comparative Politics in 1998. Since 2003 it has been published by Taylor and Francis. Published thrice yearly until 2006 (when it came online), it became a quarterly in 2007.
The journal emerged in the late 1950s out of a seminar series initiated at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies by its first director, Professor Sir Keith Hancock. Stimulated by the rapid decolonisation that was transforming the Commonwealth, the founders were Hancock, Professor J.D.B. Miller of the University of Leicester, Professor Robert Taylor Cole of Duke University, and Professor Kenneth Robinson, Hancock's successor at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.
The Library holds print copies of the journal as well as providing electronic access.
Just available is the first number of the 50th volume of the journal, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics.
The journal title was first published in November 1961 as the Journal of Commonwealth Political Studies, and is the oldest British journal of comparative politics and the leading journal on Commonwealth and comparative politics. The journal was renamed The Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics in 1974, and then Commonwealth and Comparative Politics in 1998. Since 2003 it has been published by Taylor and Francis. Published thrice yearly until 2006 (when it came online), it became a quarterly in 2007.
The journal emerged in the late 1950s out of a seminar series initiated at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies by its first director, Professor Sir Keith Hancock. Stimulated by the rapid decolonisation that was transforming the Commonwealth, the founders were Hancock, Professor J.D.B. Miller of the University of Leicester, Professor Robert Taylor Cole of Duke University, and Professor Kenneth Robinson, Hancock's successor at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.
The Library holds print copies of the journal as well as providing electronic access.
Friday, 27 January 2012
Princess Anne launches new Diamond Jubilee Seminar Series on the Monarchy and the Commonwealth
Princess Anne launches new Diamond Jubilee Seminar Series on the Monarchy and the Commonwealth
On 11 January 2012, the Chancellor of the University of London, the Princess Royal, visited the Institute of Commonwealth Studies to launch a series of seminars for the Diamond Jubilee Year exploring the relationship between the monarchy and the Commonwealth. She participated in the first seminar in the series, which was introduced by the Institute’s director, Professor Philip Murphy.
Among the other speakers was the former Nigerian diplomat, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who served as Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1990 to 2000. Chief Anyaoku paid warm tribute to the Queen’s personal role as head of the Commonwealth. The title ‘Head of the Commonwealth’ was established by the London Declaration of April 1949. In the view of most constitutional experts it is not hereditary, and will therefore not pass automatically to the next British monarch. Hence, there is some uncertainty as to what will happen to the title at the end of the current reign. In an important intervention on this issue, Chief Anyaoku expressed his personal view that when the time came, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth should inform Commonwealth member states that, in keeping with the London Declaration, the headship of the Commonwealth should pass to the Queen’s successor as monarch.
Another speaker was the Nigerian-born artist, Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy, who was commissioned to produce a portrait of the Queen for the Golden Jubilee in 2002. The portrait – which depicts the Queen as head of the Commonwealth, hangs in Marlborough House in London, the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Chinwe recalled the Queen’s warmth and humour during the sittings for the portrait.
The Princess Royal herself recalled some of her own visits to Commonwealth countries and spoke about the forthcoming tours of the Commonwealth by members of the royal family to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee year. She noted that, along with other members of the royal family, her exposure to a multi-cultural environment while growing up had been thanks to the Commonwealth – in terms of both visits to and visitors from its member states. She remembered with affection her visit to Kenya in 1971 and spoke of meeting its President, Jomo Kenyatta, as ‘a highlight of my life’. What had struck her on her various visits were, she claimed, the similarities across the Commonwealth rather than the differences.
The Diamond Jubilee Seminar Series will run throughout 2012. The next seminar - on the Crown, the media and the Commonwealth - will take place on 20 March, 17:30-19:30. Information on this and all forthcoming seminars will be posted to the Institute’s events pages.
Diamond Jubilee Series opening seminar podcast
Interview with Professor Philip Murphy podcast
On 11 January 2012, the Chancellor of the University of London, the Princess Royal, visited the Institute of Commonwealth Studies to launch a series of seminars for the Diamond Jubilee Year exploring the relationship between the monarchy and the Commonwealth. She participated in the first seminar in the series, which was introduced by the Institute’s director, Professor Philip Murphy.
Among the other speakers was the former Nigerian diplomat, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who served as Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1990 to 2000. Chief Anyaoku paid warm tribute to the Queen’s personal role as head of the Commonwealth. The title ‘Head of the Commonwealth’ was established by the London Declaration of April 1949. In the view of most constitutional experts it is not hereditary, and will therefore not pass automatically to the next British monarch. Hence, there is some uncertainty as to what will happen to the title at the end of the current reign. In an important intervention on this issue, Chief Anyaoku expressed his personal view that when the time came, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth should inform Commonwealth member states that, in keeping with the London Declaration, the headship of the Commonwealth should pass to the Queen’s successor as monarch.
Another speaker was the Nigerian-born artist, Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy, who was commissioned to produce a portrait of the Queen for the Golden Jubilee in 2002. The portrait – which depicts the Queen as head of the Commonwealth, hangs in Marlborough House in London, the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Chinwe recalled the Queen’s warmth and humour during the sittings for the portrait.
The Princess Royal herself recalled some of her own visits to Commonwealth countries and spoke about the forthcoming tours of the Commonwealth by members of the royal family to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee year. She noted that, along with other members of the royal family, her exposure to a multi-cultural environment while growing up had been thanks to the Commonwealth – in terms of both visits to and visitors from its member states. She remembered with affection her visit to Kenya in 1971 and spoke of meeting its President, Jomo Kenyatta, as ‘a highlight of my life’. What had struck her on her various visits were, she claimed, the similarities across the Commonwealth rather than the differences.
The Diamond Jubilee Seminar Series will run throughout 2012. The next seminar - on the Crown, the media and the Commonwealth - will take place on 20 March, 17:30-19:30. Information on this and all forthcoming seminars will be posted to the Institute’s events pages.
Diamond Jubilee Series opening seminar podcast
Interview with Professor Philip Murphy podcast
Thursday, 20 October 2011
The Commonwealth in the world: governance, resistance & change
The Commonwealth in the world: governance, resistance & change
Please find below the details of the seminar 'The Commonwealth in the world: governance, resistance and change', organised by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, the Commonwealth Advisory Bureau (CA/B) and the Université Paris Diderot. The first seminar will take place on 1 November 2011 in London and the second one in Spring 2012 in Paris.
The Commonwealth in the world: governance, resistance and change Occasional Seminar Series Institute of Commonwealth Studies Commonwealth Advisory Bureau (CA/B) and Université Paris Diderot
Pascal Bianchini: Anti-colonial scholarship: (re) discovering Jean Suret-Canale
Tuesday, 1 November, 12:30-14:30
Institute of Commonwealth Studies
Senate House - Room ST275
How is it possible to lead two extraordinary careers in a same life? Jean Suret-Canale was a politically committed intellectual and a pathfinder in African history (though he was in fact a geographer). He could be compared to Basil Davidson with whom he had epistolary exchange. As Davidson, Suret-Canale was involved in the Resistance during the Second World War and tried to disentangle African history from its colonial bias.
Suret-Canale published some major volumes read by generations of African intellectuals and militants in the 1960's and the 1970's and many of them were translated into several languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, Japanese and even Chinese...) His correspondence reveals that he was in contact with some major intellectual and political figures from Africa (Ruben Um Nyobe, Sekou Toure, Mongo Beti, Mario de Andrade...) or with major academic figures working on Africa (Melville Herskovits, Walter Markov, Henri Brunschvig...).
Though Suret-Canale played a major role as a founding father in African studies, he was only appointed by a French university at the age of 57 and ended his academic career in the relatively junior position of assistant professor. This paradox is a major clue to a non-French audience about the reality of French African studies. Suret-Canale, in the interview he gave to Pascal Bianchini, (Suret-Canale. De la résistance à l'anticolonialisme) explained his setbacks in the French academe by his membership of the Communist Party (he was a member of the Central Committee and assistant director of Centre for Marxist Studies and Research in the 1960's) and his official status of geographer while his main work was in African history.
In addition, his personal story reveals that his consistent anti-colonial commitment had prevented him from making a career matching his international influence. Unfortunately, since the 1980's, he has been rejected and/or forgotten by contemporary French Africanists. He has also been criticized by African militants for his alleged support to Sekou Toure, the leader of independence in Guinea where Suret-Canale worked and lived from 1959 to 1963.
However, whatever criticism can be levelled at his political positions, his intellectual contribution to the decolonisation process is important and echoes through to the 'postcolonial debate' that occurred in recent years in France. Suret-Canale's name remains completely unknown to a new generation.
Attendance is free but contact Dr Leo Zeilig (leo.zeilig@sas.ac.uk) and Dr Mélanie Torrent (melanie.torrent@univ-paris-diderot.fr if you want to attend.
This seminar series arises from a double objective: to encourage research on transnational, transregional and international history, and to stimulate contacts between researchers across national spheres and academic disciplines. The history and current politics of the Commonwealth of Nations can only be fully understood when related to transformations occurring in other parts of the world and this seminar intends to focus on connections and encounters - be they governmental or non-governmental, open or secret, intentional or accidental, multilateral or bilateral, elite or grassroots.
This seminar series also arises from discussions held within the Commonwealth and Democracy Network, formed in June 2010 following the Round Table Centenary Conference on Democracy in the Commonwealth.
Investigating long-term evolutions, this seminar series hopes to generate debate on the processes of governance and regime change in the Commonwealth world from an international - but not necessarily strictly comparative - perspective. If national systems of governance and government institutions will be investigated, the scope of the seminar series is wider, also focusing on the governance at work in multilateral organisations (regional or international) and in non-governmental bodies.
The heart of the seminar series will be the Commonwealth of Nations, as an association of people, civil society groups and member governments which is open to the world and entertains constant discussion with non-members.
Papers presented at the seminar series will therefore be relevant for the study of Commonwealth history and politics but will not be solely focused on intra-Commonwealth affairs. Diplomacy, trade, migration or travel generate transnational networks and the formal and informal circulation of ideas which results from all this will have a central part in this seminar series. The Commonwealth of Nations spans all continents and the seminar series will intentionally have no geographic restrictions. Surveying transformations from the transitions to independence to current debates on democracy, development and human rights, the seminar series hopes to give prominence to new international and transnational insights into Commonwealth transformations.
In order to reflect this approach, this seminar series will be organised jointly by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies/Commonwealth Advisory Bureau at the University of London, and the Université Paris Diderot. This decision comes from the strong belief that relations between France and Britain, and between the French-speaking and English-speaking worlds in the post-independence era, have been rather neglected in the study of governance processes and resistance to oppression. This, however, does not restrict the seminar series to this dual approach - although papers will be presented in either French or English, for practical purposes. We are aware that attendance to both London-based and Paris-based seminars might be difficult and we intend to offer registered participants the possibility of accessing papers.
The inaugural seminar will be held at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies on 1 November, 12.30-14.30. Rm. ST275, Senate House, University of London. 'Anti-colonial scholarship: (re)discovering Jean Suret-Canale'
Pascal Bianchini. The joint organisers, Mélanie Torrent and Leo Zeilig, will also use the opportunity of the first seminar to present the series in further detail to the participants and exchange ideas.
The second seminar will be held at the Université Paris Diderot in the Spring of 2012 and will be followed by a discussion on future projects and areas of interest for the seminar series in 2012-2013.
Please find below the details of the seminar 'The Commonwealth in the world: governance, resistance and change', organised by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, the Commonwealth Advisory Bureau (CA/B) and the Université Paris Diderot. The first seminar will take place on 1 November 2011 in London and the second one in Spring 2012 in Paris.
The Commonwealth in the world: governance, resistance and change Occasional Seminar Series Institute of Commonwealth Studies Commonwealth Advisory Bureau (CA/B) and Université Paris Diderot
Pascal Bianchini: Anti-colonial scholarship: (re) discovering Jean Suret-Canale
Tuesday, 1 November, 12:30-14:30
Institute of Commonwealth Studies
Senate House - Room ST275
How is it possible to lead two extraordinary careers in a same life? Jean Suret-Canale was a politically committed intellectual and a pathfinder in African history (though he was in fact a geographer). He could be compared to Basil Davidson with whom he had epistolary exchange. As Davidson, Suret-Canale was involved in the Resistance during the Second World War and tried to disentangle African history from its colonial bias.
Suret-Canale published some major volumes read by generations of African intellectuals and militants in the 1960's and the 1970's and many of them were translated into several languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, Japanese and even Chinese...) His correspondence reveals that he was in contact with some major intellectual and political figures from Africa (Ruben Um Nyobe, Sekou Toure, Mongo Beti, Mario de Andrade...) or with major academic figures working on Africa (Melville Herskovits, Walter Markov, Henri Brunschvig...).
Though Suret-Canale played a major role as a founding father in African studies, he was only appointed by a French university at the age of 57 and ended his academic career in the relatively junior position of assistant professor. This paradox is a major clue to a non-French audience about the reality of French African studies. Suret-Canale, in the interview he gave to Pascal Bianchini, (Suret-Canale. De la résistance à l'anticolonialisme) explained his setbacks in the French academe by his membership of the Communist Party (he was a member of the Central Committee and assistant director of Centre for Marxist Studies and Research in the 1960's) and his official status of geographer while his main work was in African history.
In addition, his personal story reveals that his consistent anti-colonial commitment had prevented him from making a career matching his international influence. Unfortunately, since the 1980's, he has been rejected and/or forgotten by contemporary French Africanists. He has also been criticized by African militants for his alleged support to Sekou Toure, the leader of independence in Guinea where Suret-Canale worked and lived from 1959 to 1963.
However, whatever criticism can be levelled at his political positions, his intellectual contribution to the decolonisation process is important and echoes through to the 'postcolonial debate' that occurred in recent years in France. Suret-Canale's name remains completely unknown to a new generation.
Attendance is free but contact Dr Leo Zeilig (leo.zeilig@sas.ac.uk) and Dr Mélanie Torrent (melanie.torrent@univ-paris-diderot.fr if you want to attend.
This seminar series arises from a double objective: to encourage research on transnational, transregional and international history, and to stimulate contacts between researchers across national spheres and academic disciplines. The history and current politics of the Commonwealth of Nations can only be fully understood when related to transformations occurring in other parts of the world and this seminar intends to focus on connections and encounters - be they governmental or non-governmental, open or secret, intentional or accidental, multilateral or bilateral, elite or grassroots.
This seminar series also arises from discussions held within the Commonwealth and Democracy Network, formed in June 2010 following the Round Table Centenary Conference on Democracy in the Commonwealth.
Investigating long-term evolutions, this seminar series hopes to generate debate on the processes of governance and regime change in the Commonwealth world from an international - but not necessarily strictly comparative - perspective. If national systems of governance and government institutions will be investigated, the scope of the seminar series is wider, also focusing on the governance at work in multilateral organisations (regional or international) and in non-governmental bodies.
The heart of the seminar series will be the Commonwealth of Nations, as an association of people, civil society groups and member governments which is open to the world and entertains constant discussion with non-members.
Papers presented at the seminar series will therefore be relevant for the study of Commonwealth history and politics but will not be solely focused on intra-Commonwealth affairs. Diplomacy, trade, migration or travel generate transnational networks and the formal and informal circulation of ideas which results from all this will have a central part in this seminar series. The Commonwealth of Nations spans all continents and the seminar series will intentionally have no geographic restrictions. Surveying transformations from the transitions to independence to current debates on democracy, development and human rights, the seminar series hopes to give prominence to new international and transnational insights into Commonwealth transformations.
In order to reflect this approach, this seminar series will be organised jointly by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies/Commonwealth Advisory Bureau at the University of London, and the Université Paris Diderot. This decision comes from the strong belief that relations between France and Britain, and between the French-speaking and English-speaking worlds in the post-independence era, have been rather neglected in the study of governance processes and resistance to oppression. This, however, does not restrict the seminar series to this dual approach - although papers will be presented in either French or English, for practical purposes. We are aware that attendance to both London-based and Paris-based seminars might be difficult and we intend to offer registered participants the possibility of accessing papers.
The inaugural seminar will be held at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies on 1 November, 12.30-14.30. Rm. ST275, Senate House, University of London. 'Anti-colonial scholarship: (re)discovering Jean Suret-Canale'
Pascal Bianchini. The joint organisers, Mélanie Torrent and Leo Zeilig, will also use the opportunity of the first seminar to present the series in further detail to the participants and exchange ideas.
The second seminar will be held at the Université Paris Diderot in the Spring of 2012 and will be followed by a discussion on future projects and areas of interest for the seminar series in 2012-2013.
Monday, 3 October 2011
CFP: From Strangers to Partners? The Commonwealth of Nations and the European Union
From Strangers to Partners? The Commonwealth of Nations and the European Union
23 March 2012 - Strasbourg
One-day conference organised by the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (IEP), Strasbourg, and Université Paris Diderot
The early history of relations between the Commonwealth and Europe is to be read in the light of Britain's own relations with the European Economic Community. As Britain twice applied and twice faced the French veto in the 1960s, the Commonwealth of Nations evolved radically. From an association essentially defined through its relationship with the ex-imperial power, the Commonwealth expanded as decolonisation gathered pace, was given a Secretariat in 1965 and Arnold Smith, the first Secretary General, contributed greatly to the assertion of an independent Commonwealth voice, determined to mark its relevance in a rapidly changing world.
The Commonwealth of Nations issued its first declaration of principles in January 1971, as Britain finally progressed towards EEC membership and officially joined in January 1973. For British foreign policy, the Commonwealth and Europe had long represented conflicting attractions and the determination to conciliate both sets of partners had initially been a seemingly insoluble dilemma. While the two spheres retained their specificities, they now intersected, not only through Britain, but through the association of a number of ex-British territories in the 1975 Lomé Convention and the later joint membership of Cyprus and Malta. Is the EU one of the "strategic partners" of the Commonwealth in its actions for development and democracy? To what extent do values converge? To what extent does the Commonwealth have any influence on EU development policies? How can the past and present framework for consultation between the EU and the Commonwealth be understood - and is there scope for improvement? At a time when tensions between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat partners of the coalition government in London have hit the headlines on European issues, and when Foreign Secretary William Hague has called for the reinvigoration of the Commonwealth, understanding current cooperation networks and possible ventures seems an essential undertaking.
The work of the conference will be articulated around two major themes:
1) Connecting institutional pasts
Possible topics for papers include:
- British foreign policy and diplomacy in Commonwealth and European circles: mutual influences, evolving interests and shifting identities
- The impact of Britain's application to the EEC, and membership of the EEC/EU on Commonwealth ties
- The role of Cyprus and Malta in bringing both organisations closer together and as vehicles for common understanding
- Intra-Commonwealth divisions on European relations
2) Present Dynamics and Future Cooperation
Possible topics for papers include:
- Lobbying and co-operation in multilateral organisations
- The articulation of Commonwealth policies and EU policies outside Europe (in the Pacific and the Caribbean where some territories are part of the EU, but also in Africa)
- European and Commonwealth approaches to development
- The scope for cooperation in democratic processes, from election observation to institution building
- Commonwealth and La Francophonie cross-influences in the EU, and the impact of Britain and France's imperial past on EU policies in developing countries.
This conference follows two previous conferences held at Université Paris Diderot in 2009 (The Commonwealth of Nations: a force for democracy?) and 2010 (The Commonwealth@60: identity and relevance in perspective).
Proposals (max. 500 words) and a short biography should be sent to the organisers, Ron Leask, Virginie Roiron and Mélanie Torrent (cweu2012@gmail.com) no later than 15 November 2011.
Participants are expected to cover their travel and accommodation expenses.
23 March 2012 - Strasbourg
One-day conference organised by the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (IEP), Strasbourg, and Université Paris Diderot
The early history of relations between the Commonwealth and Europe is to be read in the light of Britain's own relations with the European Economic Community. As Britain twice applied and twice faced the French veto in the 1960s, the Commonwealth of Nations evolved radically. From an association essentially defined through its relationship with the ex-imperial power, the Commonwealth expanded as decolonisation gathered pace, was given a Secretariat in 1965 and Arnold Smith, the first Secretary General, contributed greatly to the assertion of an independent Commonwealth voice, determined to mark its relevance in a rapidly changing world.
The Commonwealth of Nations issued its first declaration of principles in January 1971, as Britain finally progressed towards EEC membership and officially joined in January 1973. For British foreign policy, the Commonwealth and Europe had long represented conflicting attractions and the determination to conciliate both sets of partners had initially been a seemingly insoluble dilemma. While the two spheres retained their specificities, they now intersected, not only through Britain, but through the association of a number of ex-British territories in the 1975 Lomé Convention and the later joint membership of Cyprus and Malta. Is the EU one of the "strategic partners" of the Commonwealth in its actions for development and democracy? To what extent do values converge? To what extent does the Commonwealth have any influence on EU development policies? How can the past and present framework for consultation between the EU and the Commonwealth be understood - and is there scope for improvement? At a time when tensions between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat partners of the coalition government in London have hit the headlines on European issues, and when Foreign Secretary William Hague has called for the reinvigoration of the Commonwealth, understanding current cooperation networks and possible ventures seems an essential undertaking.
The work of the conference will be articulated around two major themes:
1) Connecting institutional pasts
Possible topics for papers include:
- British foreign policy and diplomacy in Commonwealth and European circles: mutual influences, evolving interests and shifting identities
- The impact of Britain's application to the EEC, and membership of the EEC/EU on Commonwealth ties
- The role of Cyprus and Malta in bringing both organisations closer together and as vehicles for common understanding
- Intra-Commonwealth divisions on European relations
2) Present Dynamics and Future Cooperation
Possible topics for papers include:
- Lobbying and co-operation in multilateral organisations
- The articulation of Commonwealth policies and EU policies outside Europe (in the Pacific and the Caribbean where some territories are part of the EU, but also in Africa)
- European and Commonwealth approaches to development
- The scope for cooperation in democratic processes, from election observation to institution building
- Commonwealth and La Francophonie cross-influences in the EU, and the impact of Britain and France's imperial past on EU policies in developing countries.
This conference follows two previous conferences held at Université Paris Diderot in 2009 (The Commonwealth of Nations: a force for democracy?) and 2010 (The Commonwealth@60: identity and relevance in perspective).
Proposals (max. 500 words) and a short biography should be sent to the organisers, Ron Leask, Virginie Roiron and Mélanie Torrent (cweu2012@gmail.com) no later than 15 November 2011.
Participants are expected to cover their travel and accommodation expenses.
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Commonwealth Advisory Bureau
Last night I attended the UK Launch of the Commonwealth Advisory Bureau's Policy Briefing for the 2011 Commonwealth Summit and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), to be held in Perth, Western Australia in October this year.
The Commonwealth Advisory Bureau, based at the Institute of COmmonwealth Studies is the new name for what was known as the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, and is is the independent think-tank and advisory service for the modern Commonwealth of fifty-four nations and nearly two billion citizens. The Ccommonwealth Advisory Bureau (CA/B) specialise in issues of Commonwealth policy including globalisation, democracy, civil society and human rights and runs projects in numerous countries across the Commonwealth; produces quality research-based reports and briefings to inform and influence policy makers in over a quarter of the world’s countries; and seeks to put the policy choices before the Commonwealth into sharper focus, exploring options and suggesting new directions. CA/B also offers confidential and impartial advice to countries interested in applying to join the Commonwealth, and can help existing member countries make the most of Commonwealth membership for maximum impact at home and abroad.
The CA/B Briefing for the 2011 Commonwealth Summit is available online and presents chapters on key issues for discussion and debate within the Commonwealth meetings that will take place at and around the Commonwealth Summit. Chapters include an alternative (sustainable) vision for mining, a challenge to the economic model of consumerist culture; discussions of the situation in Zimbabwe and the Commonwealth relationship with that nation; a call for a more open, inclusive, transparent and meritocratic selection of the next Commonwealth Secretary General; and an interview with Albie Sachs on the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the South Africa experience of protection against unfair discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Albie Sachs spoke at the launch of South Africa's experiences and lessons and of the role of lesbians and gay men in the apartheid struggle, stressing the importance of debate and mutual respect in the dabates that it is hoped will continue at the Commonwealth Summit. In the chapter in the briefing is acknowledged the work of the Commonwealth Human Rights Institute and Commonwealth Lawyers' Association in highlighting the issue of LGBT rights in the Commonwealrth arena.
The Commonwealth Advisory Bureau, based at the Institute of COmmonwealth Studies is the new name for what was known as the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, and is is the independent think-tank and advisory service for the modern Commonwealth of fifty-four nations and nearly two billion citizens. The Ccommonwealth Advisory Bureau (CA/B) specialise in issues of Commonwealth policy including globalisation, democracy, civil society and human rights and runs projects in numerous countries across the Commonwealth; produces quality research-based reports and briefings to inform and influence policy makers in over a quarter of the world’s countries; and seeks to put the policy choices before the Commonwealth into sharper focus, exploring options and suggesting new directions. CA/B also offers confidential and impartial advice to countries interested in applying to join the Commonwealth, and can help existing member countries make the most of Commonwealth membership for maximum impact at home and abroad.
The CA/B Briefing for the 2011 Commonwealth Summit is available online and presents chapters on key issues for discussion and debate within the Commonwealth meetings that will take place at and around the Commonwealth Summit. Chapters include an alternative (sustainable) vision for mining, a challenge to the economic model of consumerist culture; discussions of the situation in Zimbabwe and the Commonwealth relationship with that nation; a call for a more open, inclusive, transparent and meritocratic selection of the next Commonwealth Secretary General; and an interview with Albie Sachs on the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the South Africa experience of protection against unfair discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Albie Sachs spoke at the launch of South Africa's experiences and lessons and of the role of lesbians and gay men in the apartheid struggle, stressing the importance of debate and mutual respect in the dabates that it is hoped will continue at the Commonwealth Summit. In the chapter in the briefing is acknowledged the work of the Commonwealth Human Rights Institute and Commonwealth Lawyers' Association in highlighting the issue of LGBT rights in the Commonwealrth arena.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Institute of Commonwealth Studies podcasts
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies has been recording and making available as podcasts a number of seminars, conferences and lectures.
These are available at http://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/events/videos-and-podcasts.html
Currently available podcasts include:
These are available at http://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/events/videos-and-podcasts.html
Currently available podcasts include:
- The 2009 conference "Reconstructing Rwanda: 15 Years After Genocide. A Tribute to Alison Des Forges"
- Presentations from the conference "Recovering Stolen Generations, Land, and Culture: Indigenous Rights & Transitional Justice"
- Dr Shirin Ebadi (2003 Nobel Peace Prize Winner) speaking on "The Human Rights Situation in Iran"
- Institute Director Philip Murphy on "The House of Windsor and the Modern Commonwealth"
- The Rt Hon Tony Benn's lecture "Serving the Next Generation - The Commonwealth in the 21st Century: The Movement for Colonial Freedom"
- The Rt Hon Peter Hain speaking to "Mandela: the man and his legacy", and
- The Rt Hon Lord Howell of Guildford, Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, giving the Inaugural Peter Lyon Lecture: "The Commonwealth - A Global Network for the 21st Century"
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Jubilee Time Capsule
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies Librarian recenlty met with staff from the Royal Commonwealth Society's Jubilee Time Capsule project.
With 2012 marking the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II also marking 60 years as Head of the Commonwealth, the project aims to build a unique time capsule of this time – and want to hear your story!
The project asks that you pick a day from the last 60 years and tell them what happened in your family, community or country. You could interview someone, write a poem, do a drawing, take a photograph or make a film. There are 21,915 days in the last 60 years (from 6th February 1952 until 5th February 2012) and they need stories for each of them!
The Time Capsule is open to people of any age but special prizes will be given to those under 25.
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library is currently assessing what material to contribute from our own collections, including potentially from the history of the Institute itself, as well as from some of the Commonwealth non-government organisations whose records and archives we hold. Some of the material from our photographic and political pamphlet collections may also be included.
Have a look and think about contributing to the Jubilee Time Capsule website
With 2012 marking the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II also marking 60 years as Head of the Commonwealth, the project aims to build a unique time capsule of this time – and want to hear your story!
The project asks that you pick a day from the last 60 years and tell them what happened in your family, community or country. You could interview someone, write a poem, do a drawing, take a photograph or make a film. There are 21,915 days in the last 60 years (from 6th February 1952 until 5th February 2012) and they need stories for each of them!
The Time Capsule is open to people of any age but special prizes will be given to those under 25.
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library is currently assessing what material to contribute from our own collections, including potentially from the history of the Institute itself, as well as from some of the Commonwealth non-government organisations whose records and archives we hold. Some of the material from our photographic and political pamphlet collections may also be included.
Have a look and think about contributing to the Jubilee Time Capsule website
Friday, 1 April 2011
ACU Titular Fellowships – 2011
Blog readers may be interested in, or interested in further promoting the following ACU (Association of Commonwealth Universities) Titular Fellowships for 2011.
The ACU Titular Fellowships provide opportunities for staff from member universities and employees working in industry, commerce or public service in a Commonwealth country to spend periods of time in other member universities or relevant institutions outside their own country. Preference will be given to workers in the following priority subject areas: agriculture, forestry and food sciences, biotechnology, development strategies, earth and marine sciences, engineering, health and related social sciences, information technology, management for change, professional education and training, social and cultural development and university development and management.
A summary of the awards is as follows:
• University of Wales Swansea Fulton Fellowship
Is tenable at the University of Wales Swansea. Awarded for any of the priority subjects listed above.
Country of Tenure: United Kingdom
• The Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Fellowship
at least one Fellowship open either to professionally qualified accountants or to established members of university faculties or related fields. Tenable at a Commonwealth university which either provides courses approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, or provides courses in, or closely allied to, business education. Section A of the nomination form may be completed either by the head of the candidate’s firm/company, or by the Executive Head of the proposed host university.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• Wighton Titular Fellowship in Engineering
Is open to full-time staff, academic or technical, of engineering departments in any of the developing country universities in membership of the ACU. Intended especially for the enhancement of laboratory teaching capacity.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The University of Manitoba Fellowship
tenable at the University of Manitoba. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: Canada
• The George Weston Limited, Canada, Fellowship
in agriculture, forestry, and food science/ food technology
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The University of Oxford Fellowship
Is tenable at the University of Oxford. Awarded in any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: United Kingdom
• The Jacky McAleer Memorial Fellowship
in memory of Jacky McAleer, a former member of staff of the ACU, and in recognition of her long and outstanding service to the ACU. Awarded in the field of information technology, with priority given to the computerisation of record systems or computer-assisted learning.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The Gordon and Jean Southam Fellowship
Is open to nominees of any of the Canadian universities in membership of the ACU. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
Applications will be considered ONLY if the applicant is approved by the Executive Head (Vice-Chancellor, President or Rector) of a university in ACU membership. The ACU will also consider applications approved by the chief executive officer of a Commonwealth inter-university organisation.. Fellowships will be tenable for up to a maximum of six months.
The closing date for applications is 1st July 2011.
For further information and details of how to apply, please visit the webpage at http://www.acu.ac.uk/member_services/fellowships_mobility/acu_titular_fellowships or email acuawards@acu.ac.uk
The ACU Titular Fellowships provide opportunities for staff from member universities and employees working in industry, commerce or public service in a Commonwealth country to spend periods of time in other member universities or relevant institutions outside their own country. Preference will be given to workers in the following priority subject areas: agriculture, forestry and food sciences, biotechnology, development strategies, earth and marine sciences, engineering, health and related social sciences, information technology, management for change, professional education and training, social and cultural development and university development and management.
A summary of the awards is as follows:
• University of Wales Swansea Fulton Fellowship
Is tenable at the University of Wales Swansea. Awarded for any of the priority subjects listed above.
Country of Tenure: United Kingdom
• The Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Fellowship
at least one Fellowship open either to professionally qualified accountants or to established members of university faculties or related fields. Tenable at a Commonwealth university which either provides courses approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, or provides courses in, or closely allied to, business education. Section A of the nomination form may be completed either by the head of the candidate’s firm/company, or by the Executive Head of the proposed host university.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• Wighton Titular Fellowship in Engineering
Is open to full-time staff, academic or technical, of engineering departments in any of the developing country universities in membership of the ACU. Intended especially for the enhancement of laboratory teaching capacity.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The University of Manitoba Fellowship
tenable at the University of Manitoba. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: Canada
• The George Weston Limited, Canada, Fellowship
in agriculture, forestry, and food science/ food technology
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The University of Oxford Fellowship
Is tenable at the University of Oxford. Awarded in any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: United Kingdom
• The Jacky McAleer Memorial Fellowship
in memory of Jacky McAleer, a former member of staff of the ACU, and in recognition of her long and outstanding service to the ACU. Awarded in the field of information technology, with priority given to the computerisation of record systems or computer-assisted learning.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The Gordon and Jean Southam Fellowship
Is open to nominees of any of the Canadian universities in membership of the ACU. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
Applications will be considered ONLY if the applicant is approved by the Executive Head (Vice-Chancellor, President or Rector) of a university in ACU membership. The ACU will also consider applications approved by the chief executive officer of a Commonwealth inter-university organisation.. Fellowships will be tenable for up to a maximum of six months.
The closing date for applications is 1st July 2011.
For further information and details of how to apply, please visit the webpage at http://www.acu.ac.uk/member_services/fellowships_mobility/acu_titular_fellowships or email acuawards@acu.ac.uk
Monday, 27 September 2010
New archives list - Sir Ivor Jennings - education and constitutional law across the Commonwealth
We're pleased to announce another handlist added to the ULRLS Archives Catalogue.
The Sir Ivor Jennings papers (ICS125) are a vaulable resource for the history of, and hiostory of education in, Sri Lanka, and for constitutional history across many nations within the Commonwealth.
Sir (William) Ivor Jennings, constitutional lawyer and educationalist, was born in Bristol on 16 May 1903 and died in Cambridge on 19 December 1965. Jennigs held academic appointments at Leeds University in 1925-1929, and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he was first lecturer, (1929-1930) and then reader in English Law (1930-1940). His publications in this period included works on the poor law code, housing law, public health law, town and country planning law and laws relating to local government. He also wrote on constitutional matters in The Law and the Constitution (1933), Cabinet Government (1936) and Parliament (1939).
Appointed principal of University College, Ceylon in 1940, he was its first Vice-Chancellor (1942-1955) when it became the University of Ceylon. He described his life there in Road to Peradeniya, an unpublished autobiography, which was posthumously published in 2005 (ref: C/14); see also Jennings' The Kandy Road (ed. H.A.I. Goonetileke, University of Peradeniya, 1993). He was frequently consulted on constitutional, educational and other matters and was Chairman of the Ceylon Social Services Commission (1944-1946), a member of the Commission on University Education in Malaya (1947), a member of the Commission on the Ceylon Constitution (1948), President of the Inter-University Board of India (1949-1950), Constitutional Adviser and Chief Draughtsman, Pakistan (1954-1955), a member of the Malayan Constitutional Commission (1956-1957), and Chairman of the Royal University of Malta Commission. He was also Professor of Political Science, University of British Columbia, in 1938-1939 and Visiting Professor, Australian National University in 1950.
As the colonial period ended, he became particularly interested in the Commonwealth and the newly independent nations and was valued as a commentator on the subject. He delivered the 1948-1949 Wayneflete lectures at Magdelen College, Oxford on `The Commonwealth in Asia', the 1950 George Judah Cohen Memorial Lecture at the University of Sydney on `The Commonwealth of Nations', the 1957 Montague Burton lecture on International Relations at the University of Leeds on `Nationalism, Colonialism and Neutralism' and a series on `Problems of the New Commonwealth' at the Commonwealth Studies Center at Duke University, North Carolina, USA in 1958. He re-published an earlier work on laws of the empire as Constitutional Laws of the Commonwealth (3ed. 1956) and published The Approach to Self-Government (1956) and works on Ceylon and Pakistan. In 1954 he became Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge and Downing Professor of the Laws of England in 1962, holding both posts until his death. In later life he returned to his study of the British constitution, with the publication of Party Politics (1960-62). He was knighted in 1948, made a QC in 1949, and awarded the KBE in 1955.
The collection of papers held at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies comprises of material relating to both the legal and educational career of Jennings.
A. Education: material collected by Jennings as Vice-Chancellor of Ceylon University, Chairman of the Royal University of Malta Commission and a member of other educational bodies in or relating to Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kuwait, Malaya and Uganda.
B. Constitutional issues: material on constitutional and legal issues in Australia, Canada, Ceylon, Cyprus, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Japan, Malaya, Maldives, Malta, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Singapore, South Africa, and Sudan;
C. Books and other writings: including material relating to British Commonwealth of Nations, Colonial Constitution Law, Laws and Liberties of England, Road to Peradeniya (unpublished autobiography);
D. Other material: material outside previous other categories, including British government publications and volumes of press cuttings.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Small States Digest
A free online newsletter published by the Commonwealth Secretariat, Small States Digest carries short articles on issues of concern to small states.
The Commonwealth defines small states as sovereign states with a population size of 1.5 million people or less. Larger member countries – Botswana, Jamaica, The Gambia, Lesotho, Namibia and Papua New Guinea are designated as small states because they share many characteristics of small states. Thirty-two of the 54 member countries of the Commonwealth member are small states.
Small States Digest Issue 2 has just been published and articles include:
The Commonwealth defines small states as sovereign states with a population size of 1.5 million people or less. Larger member countries – Botswana, Jamaica, The Gambia, Lesotho, Namibia and Papua New Guinea are designated as small states because they share many characteristics of small states. Thirty-two of the 54 member countries of the Commonwealth member are small states.
Small States Digest Issue 2 has just been published and articles include:
- Transforming Guyana’s economy while combating climate change: a low-carbon development strategy
- Globalisation at a crossroad? , and
- Monetary Policy Transmission Work in Pacific Islands: A Study of Vanuatu
- Caribbean economic expansion, trade and investment: an innovative process for exploiting opportunities arising from the economic partnership agreement: implications for CARIFORUM member states
- From monocrop to diversification: The success story of Mauritius
- Natural disasters and small states: Impact of September 2009 tsunami on Samoa
Monday, 14 June 2010
New archives catalogue available in PDF format - Colin Legum
As part of our rolling project to add PDF attachments of existing finding aids to the online archives catalogue we're pleased to announce that we have drawn together a number of lists for the Colin Legum collection.
Colin Legum was born in 1919. In 1934 Colin Legum began working at the Sunday Express in Johannesburg. Later he became the newspaper's political correspondent. He joined the South African Labour Party and, in 1942, was elected to the Johannesburg City Council. From the mid-1950s to the mid 1980s he reported on foreign affairs for the UK's Observer. In 1960 he married Margaret Jean Roberts. In 1964 Colin and Margaret Legum published South Africa: Crisis for the West, in which they argued for economic sanctions against the South African government to bring an end to apartheid. In 1968 Colin Legum became editor of the annual Africa Contemporary Record. Legum was the author of over 20 books including Pan-Africanism: A Brief History (1962), and Africa: A Handbook of the Continent (1962).
In 1991, the Legums returned to South Africa from Great Britain. In 1999 Colin Legum authored and published Africa Since Independence.
Colin Legum died on 8 July 2003, aged 84. He was survived by his wife (who died in 2007), three daughters and grandchildren.
The collection of papers held at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library comprises of papers acquired by Colin Legum on Cyprus, Aden, Malta, and Commonwealth matters, 1950-1977, and include research material, newspaper clippings, articles, notes and correspondence covering the three countries listed as well as Commonwealth discussions on Rhodesia. The material covers an important period in the history of decolonisation. A complete list of material held in this collection, can now be found attached within the ULRLS archives catalogue entry for this collection.
The bulk of Colin Legum's papers were later donated to and are available at Edinburgh University Library.
Colin Legum was born in 1919. In 1934 Colin Legum began working at the Sunday Express in Johannesburg. Later he became the newspaper's political correspondent. He joined the South African Labour Party and, in 1942, was elected to the Johannesburg City Council. From the mid-1950s to the mid 1980s he reported on foreign affairs for the UK's Observer. In 1960 he married Margaret Jean Roberts. In 1964 Colin and Margaret Legum published South Africa: Crisis for the West, in which they argued for economic sanctions against the South African government to bring an end to apartheid. In 1968 Colin Legum became editor of the annual Africa Contemporary Record. Legum was the author of over 20 books including Pan-Africanism: A Brief History (1962), and Africa: A Handbook of the Continent (1962).
In 1991, the Legums returned to South Africa from Great Britain. In 1999 Colin Legum authored and published Africa Since Independence.
Colin Legum died on 8 July 2003, aged 84. He was survived by his wife (who died in 2007), three daughters and grandchildren.
The collection of papers held at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library comprises of papers acquired by Colin Legum on Cyprus, Aden, Malta, and Commonwealth matters, 1950-1977, and include research material, newspaper clippings, articles, notes and correspondence covering the three countries listed as well as Commonwealth discussions on Rhodesia. The material covers an important period in the history of decolonisation. A complete list of material held in this collection, can now be found attached within the ULRLS archives catalogue entry for this collection.
The bulk of Colin Legum's papers were later donated to and are available at Edinburgh University Library.
Friday, 28 May 2010
Movement for Colonial Freedom
Institute of Commonwealth Studies
Serving the Next Generation ‐ The Commonwealth in the 21st Century Lecture Series
The Movement for Colonial Freedom
Rt Hon Tony Benn
Wednesday 9th June 2010
Lecture to start promptly at 5.30pm and to be followed by a wine reception
Beveridge Hall, South Block, Senate House
Malet Street, University of London
London WC1E 7HU
Founded by the Labour MP Fenner Brockway in 1954, the Movement for Colonial Freedom was one of Britain’s most prominent anti‐colonial pressure groups in the 1950s and ‘60s. The Movement championed the cause of nationalist movements around the world and worked to expose human rights abuses perpetrated in the counterinsurgency campaigns that preceded the end of colonial rule. It was also a fierce critic of the racist policies of Rhodesia and South Africa. As the Movement’s Treasurer, Tony Benn, witnessed these
struggles at first hand. His lecture promises to provide unique insights into this fascinating chapter in the history of decolonization and to offer important lessons for today’s campaigners against racism and oppression.
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library holds a number of Movement for Colonial Freedom publications, including documents on Rhodesia and Swaziland. Material in the archives collection includes pamphlets relating to British Guiana and South Africa.
RSVP to Troy Rutt (troy.rutt@sas.ac.uk or 020 7862 8853)
http://www.commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/
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