Asia Research Institute
Singapore
Deadline: 1 September 2011

Applications are invited for Senior Research Fellowships, One-Year Visiting (Senior) Research Fellowships and Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Asia Research Institute (ARI) for commencement between April 2012 and September 2012.

The positions are intended for outstanding active researchers from around the world, to work on an important piece of research in the social sciences and humanities. Interdisciplinary interests are encouraged. Up to three months of a 12-month fellowship may be spent conducting fieldwork in the Asian region.

A majority of the positions will be allocated to the more specific areas listed below. However some will be reserved for outstanding projects in any area outside of those listed. Applicants should mention which category they are applying to or if none, indicate “open category”. Applications which link more than one field are also welcome.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

(Senior) Research Fellowships
* The appointment will be tenable for a period of two years at the first instance, with the possibility of extension for another term of two years (ie. up to a total of a four-year term). Interested applicants should have at least a PhD with a few years of postdoctoral research experience.
* The fellowship comes with a competitive remuneration and benefits package, depending on seniority.
* Support for research and fieldwork, and conference attendance (on application and subject to approval).

One-Year Visiting (Senior) Research Fellowship
* The appointment will have a normative tenure of one year, though shorter periods may be negotiated. Interested applicants should have at least a PhD with a few years of postdoctoral research experience.
* The fellowship comes with a competitive remuneration and benefits package depending on seniority.

Postdoctoral Fellowships
* Contract is tenable for a period of one year in the first instance with a possibility of extension to two years.
* An all-inclusive and a fixed monthly salary of S$4,000 and a monthly housing allowance of S$500 will be provided (applicable to non-Singaporeans only).
* Support for research and fieldwork, and conference attendance (on application and subject to approval).
* Candidates must have fulfilled all requirements of the PhD within the last 2 years. If you are a PhD candidate at the point of application, you may also apply provided that you are confirmed for graduation between April to September 2012. A letter from your university will be required to confirm that you have successfully completed all degree requirements for the conferment of a PhD degree before your proposed start date.

The benefits that the University provides and other information about working in NUS and living in Singapore are available at http://www.nus.edu.sg/careers/potentialhires/index.html. Terms and conditions, according to university guidelines, are subject to changes without prior notice.

AREAS OF RESEARCH FOCUS

Asian Migration
The Asian Migration cluster explores the issues arising from increased levels of human mobility in the region, both within and across national borders. Mobility of high-level professional and managerial personnel, unskilled labour migration (both documented and undocumented) and human trafficking all raise methodological and theoretical questions, and major policy issues, as does the role of migration in urban change.

Within this larger frame, the current focus for the cluster prioritises Transnational Migration and Global Cities. This research theme draws attention to the material processes and discourses of globalisation and transnationalism as they intersect in Asian cities. It includes transnational flows (including both ‘migration’ and ‘return migration’) of the skilled, professional, managerial and entrepreneurial elites to the low-waged contract migrant workers filling unskilled and low-skilled niches in the urban economy (other groups include students and ‘middling transnationals’), and examines questions of transnational-local tensions, societal faultlines and fissures, spatial politics, social, economic and political integration, and the management of the ‘multicultural’, ‘cosmopolitan’ and/or ‘creative’ cities.

Asian Urbanisms
The Asian Urbanisms cluster examines Asia’s urban diversity. In addition to empirical analysis of urban forms, phenomena and experiences, the cluster seeks to take regional urban diversity as a resource for wider theorisation. The theoretical orientation of the cluster is towards research which: (1) speaks in transformative ways to urban studies debates beyond Asian area studies; and (2) resists the ingrained impulse to refer back to antecedents in North America or Western Europe. Of particular interest are forms of relational, comparative research which de-centre the West as the supposed leading edge of urban transition, innovation and influence. Avenues for such work include (but are not limited to): intra-Asia city models and emulation; sustainability and urban lifestyles; natural disasters, conflict and urban resilience; multisensory experiences of the city; cyber-urban institutions and social movements; and religion-related urbanisms.

Changing Family in Asia
The Changing Family in Asia Cluster explores the dimensions of family change in the region, their causes and implications. These dimensions include rising ages at marriage and decreasing non-marriage, declining fertility and declining size of the nuclear family, increase in one-person households and alternative family forms, changing gender roles within families, and changes in family structures consequent on population ageing. These dimensions of family change have implications for gender relations, inter-generational relations, the life patterns of the post-adolescent unmarried, the role of the elderly in the family, child-raising patterns and social policy. Increasing cross-border marriage and transnational householding also raise policy issues at both national and international levels.

Cultural Studies in Asia
Cultural Studies in Asia is a field of academic research which challenges conventional disciplinary boundaries to rethink received knowledge on existing issues and/or to address new topics and concerns thrown up by the rapid changes and impact on cultural practices, brought about by new technologies and the new phase of global capitalism. Focusing on the popular cultural practices in contemporary Asia, practitioners in Cultural Studies have reexamined these practices from new angles engendered by multidisciplinary perspectives. They have questioned the very idea of Asia and its current reconfiguration in view of the intense traffic of cultural products and cultural practices, crisscrossing national and cultural boundaries within the continent and beyond. The Cultural Studies in Asia programme at ARI seek to add scholarly research and publishing to this emerging field by hosting outstanding researchers, workshops, conferences and publications.

Religion and Globalisation in Asian Contexts
The Religion and Globalisation cluster is dedicated to exploring global reconfigurations of religion and its diverse manifestations in Asian contexts. Our work focuses on the dynamic interactions of secularisation and religious revival in the modern period, as well as to related issues of authority and tradition in contemporary religious discourse and practice. The Cluster’s research deals with major established religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, as well as new religious movements in all parts of Asia, broadly conceived. The Cluster’s wide range of research projects is organised around a shared commitment to critically examine the diverse ways in which processes of modernisation and globalisation have re-framed the ways in which religion is experienced and understood in contemporary Asia.

In our work we strive to move beyond established paradigms of secularisation developed for discussions of modern Europe to engage in more meaningful and nuanced ways with the different historical trajectories of religious developments in Asia. This line of approach is reflected in such cluster events as recent workshops on ‘Secularisation, Religion and the State’ (co-organised with the University of Tokyo) and ‘Proselytisation and the Limits of Pluralism in Contemporary Asia’. Over the coming year the cluster will continue its work on issues of religion, law and society while also expanding into new areas including studies of religion and NGOs.

Science, Technology, and Society
The Science, Technology, and Society (STS) cluster studies the inter-relationships between those three domains, especially in the context of Asia. STS is a research programme which began in the late 1960s, and is now conducted at more than a hundred institutions around the world. NUS has one of the largest concentration of faculty in Asia researching STS themes, and working on both global and regional scales. Some of our strengths lie in the history and philosophy of science and technology, interactive and digital media studies, the social and cultural study of biotechnology and biomedicine, and urban technologies, although we are not restricted to these interests. We are grant-active and our largest single project, “Asian Biopoleis: Biotechnology and Bioscience as Emergent forms of Life and Practice” will engage a dozen collaborators through 2013, including staff at A*STAR, and at overseas institutions such as MIT and JNU. We work in close cooperation with the STS research cluster in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Tembusu College at NUS, and individual researchers in most other NUS faculties.

Open Cluster
While any research institute must focus its work on certain particular frontiers on which it hopes to make a difference, ARI has also kept its doors open to talented people, exciting ideas and worthwhile projects across the whole spectrum of the social sciences. Many of our most exciting visitors have been in what we call the ‘open’ cluster, to ensure this openness to ideas remains.

ABOUT THE ASIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE (ARI)

The Asia Research Institute (ARI) was established as a university-level institute in July 2001 as one of the strategic initiatives of the National University of Singapore (NUS). It aims to provide a world-class focus and resource for research on the Asian region, located at one of its communication hubs. ARI engages the social sciences broadly defined, and especially interdisciplinary frontiers between and beyond disciplines. Through frequent provision of short-term research appointments it seeks to be a place of encounters between the region and the world. Within NUS it works particularly with the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Business, Law and Design, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and other Asian institutes to support conferences, lectures, and graduate study at the highest level.

Home to a strong team of full-time researchers, the ARI provides support for doctoral and postdoctoral research, conferences, workshops, seminars, and study groups. It welcomes visiting scholars who wish to conduct their research on Asia in Singapore, and encourages collaboration with other Asian research institutes worldwide.

INVITATION TO APPLY
Interested applicants are invited to email/post their applications, consisting of:
* Application form (please click here to download the application form)
* Curriculum Vitae;
* Synopsis of the proposed research project (no restriction on the number of pages);
* At least one sample of published work;
* Ensure that a minimum of three letters of reference are sent to us in confidence via email or post reporting on the applicant’s academic standing and on the applicant’s research project by 1 September 2011.

Closing date for applications is 1 September 2011.

To note for applications via email:
* You will receive an auto-reply acknowledging receipt of your email/application.
* If you have already sent in your application via email, kindly do not send the same application via post and vice versa. However, if you wish to send in hard copies of your sample publication(s) you may do so via post but indicate in your email application that the sample publication(s) will be sent via post. Please note that sample publication(s) will not be returned.
* Please keep your email and attachments below 10MB by zipping any large files as emails larger than 10MB will be rejected by our email system.

We regret that only successful candidates will be notified (via email). Candidates who do not hear from the University within 10 weeks after closing date of the advertisement may assume the position has been filled.

Address for submission of applications, reference letters and/or queries:
1. Email: joinari@nus.edu.sg
OR
2. Human Resources
Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
469A Tower Block
Bukit Timah Road #10-01
Singapore 259770

Visit the NUS website here

Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Location: 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace,
Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore
Deadline: 24 July 2011

The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies is a regional research centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment.

Responsibilities

* Provides technical administrative support to the ISEAS’ Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre (NSC), its research projects and fellows;

* Works with the NSC fellows and the ISEAS administrative staff to help organize NSC conferences and seminars;

* Coordinates the work of NSC with local and foreign organizations and institutions;

* Assists in proofreading/editing NSC publications

Requirements

* Candidate must possess at least a Degree (preferably Masters) in Asian Studies, Religious Studies, History, Sociology, Anthropology or related fields.

* Knowledge of Asian history.

* Capacity for research and coordination work.

* Good command of English and Mandarin, both written and spoken.

If you are shortlisted for the position(s), you should hear from us within 30 days of the closing date of the advertisement.

Visit the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies website

7th Annual Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference
THE POLITICS, PRACTICES, AND POETICS OF THE ARCHIVE
Singapore
Conference dates: 19 – 22 June 2012
Deadline: 30 November 2011

Eight years since the first Annual Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference which heralded the resurgence of cinematic new waves in the region, we turn our eyes to the state of film archiving and the relationship between cinema and the archives. Filipino film critic Alexis Tioseco’s 2009 open letter to the Film Development Council of the Philippines mentions current holdings stored in ‘deplorable conditions’. In his letter, Tioseco praises the National Film Archive of Thailand for its work in doing so much with so little. In Indonesia, the Sinematek Indonesia which was established in the early 1970s has also seen cuts that make the archive a shadow of its former glory. It is only in Singapore that a young Asian Film Archive (est. 2005) has taken root.

The 7th Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference (2012) emphasizes the politics, practices, and poetics of the archive. How does one define an archive? And who can be said to do archival work? Might DVD pirates, private collectors, cinephiles, film bloggers and film societies be considered film archivists of a sort when governments do not or no longer perceive the need to fund national film archives? If so, how does this change the public nature of an archive, and what implications does it have on the production of knowledge? What might film curators take into consideration when they select and preserve films for the archive? What are the social, political, aesthetic, and scholarly roles of the archive? How does the archive negotiate issues of power and accessibility? What is the role of the archive in the digital age of new media?

At the same time, in interrogating the relationship between film and the archive, might film itself as a socio-cultural text not be regarded as an archive and as a necessary site to re-think temporalities and the reasons for nostalgia? As Derrida reminds us, “The question of the archive is not a question of the past” but rather “a question of the future itself.” Where does the archive lie in creating, defining, and constructing cultural memory or cultural heritage? This conference then invites papers that comment not only on the nature of what an archive is and the role it plays in South East Asia, but also how films and film archives ask us to think about the timeliness of cultural work.

Each year, the conference has included film practitioners in recognition of the crucial role they have played in increasing film education and discourse in the region. We have previously provided space for independent filmmakers and screenings of their works, focused on curriculum development, and highlighting alternative cultures of cinema. This year, the conference seeks to include workshops that bring together film archivists from within the region.

We invite panels that address this theme, particularly questions concerning:

Film Archival Materials as Intertexts
Comparative Studies of Archives or Case Studies of Specific Archives
Role of the Academic / Film Critic / Filmmaker in Relation to the Archive
Technology / New Media
Production of Temporalities and Spatialities
Politics of Taste
Preservation and Dissemination
Archival Research Methods
Intellectual Property
The Relationship between Southeast Asian Archives and the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF)
Historiography
Scholarly Accessibility
Subtitling and the Archive
Film Policy and the Archive
The State and the Archive
Short Films and the Archive

We also welcome submissions for the open call. Please check ourwebsite archives and conference programs for past paper topics as we are less likely to accept topics that have been covered before:
http://seaconference.wordpress.com/conference-program/

Please send an abstract (max. 500 words) and short bio (max. 100 words) to: Sophia Siddique Harvey (soharvey@vassar.edu), Khoo Gaik Cheng (gaik.khoo@gmail.com) and Jasmine Nadua Trice (jntrice@gmail.com). We are currently attempting to get funding for travel subsidies and accommodations but cannot offer any as of yet.

Sunday, May 15 at 11:00 AM
The Doris Duke Theater
Playing with: WE WERE HERE & WE ONCE WERE TIDE

Ticket Information

The 9-minute long production is about a comic-crazy boy who befriends an Indian convenience store owner, traditionally called a “mama” shop owner, and ends up having his own superhero-inspired adventure. The film, which cost a solid $14,000 to make, gave Director Kam a good amount of grief.

“I had to shoot the film twice. The first filming was too rushed, and the mama shop owner didn’t really understand his part, “ he said, at a screening of his film at Ngee Ann Polytechnic on May 5.

Here’s a shocker for you – the Singaporean-made film has clear homosexual elements. It even qualified for the Teddy Awards, a film competition catering specifically to queer cinema.

The Indian mama shop owner is discernibly effeminate in his acting – something that was planned all along by Kam. “The film is based largely on my childhood experiences,” he explains. “I had a few homosexual friends when I was growing up, so that queer element makes the film more authentic.”

Kam had previously completed 3 short films. His first short film, Twilight Rose, was also screened at several film festivals internationally.

What can we expect from this filmmaker in the near future? “I’ve just applied for a grant from the Singapore Film Commission for another short film,” he said. “I’m not going to reveal its content to you, though, I normally wait for it to be finished.”

Giving some valuable tips on getting into international film festivals, Kam listed out a number of qualities that a budding filmmaker needs to strike it big.

“Aspiring filmmakers who are starting out need to develop a good sense of storytelling, find a pool of talented people to collaborate with, and have the perseverance to keep practising to make better and better films,” he said. “Berlin and other A-list festivals are not easy to get into. While there are some 6,000 shorts that are submitted for consideration, only some 200 plus short films get screened there.”

“Rejections are part and parcel of the process of filmmaking. But with passion, perseverance and some luck, filmmakers can create short films with compelling story ideas that are well told. Then, doors will open and film festivals will beckon.” (from theurbanwire.com)

IMDB | Moviefone | Rainbow Film Festival | Sinema.sg Review

Many credited the band for reviving the Singapore local indie music scene. They’re proud of that, too. After all, it’s for the love of music they started this journey in 2003. It’s a blessing to bring together a group of people who share the same passion and this was what they got – So Much More Inside (2004), Hip City (2006) and their latest effort We Satellites in 2008. Always challenging and exploring new sounds with each new project, their rewards include 3 acclaimed albums, two no.1 hits and numerous top 20s -that showcase their evolution, and a whole lot of fans.

Props to the music channels for believing in and helping Electrico, also know as ECO spread their music beyond our shores and kudos to the band for working their asses off touring the Asian circuit, and flying the Singapore flag at the coveted South By Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Texas in 2007 while spreading some of their magic to Los Angeles at the same time.

Electrico became the first Singapore band to receive a nomination at the 2005 MTV Asia Awards and a second in 2008 which culminated in awards for the Top Local Pop Song (for Runaway) at the 13th annual COMPASS (Composers & Authors Society Of Singapore) awards – the 3rd time in as many years – which also saw Dave taking the honors for the Young Composer of the Year.

With recognition came responsibility, and the lads gave back- undertaking a community project for troubled teens in the same year. The online single Everybody’s Here – a child of the project.

Veterans in the local music scene, but definitely still learning. It helps that these self-confessed music and stage junkies, are friends before musicians. And perhaps that’s what keeps their sound evolving, adding new dimensions to their music and taking their fans along for the ride.

Electrico are – Dave Tan (vocal & guitar), Desmond Goh (bass guitar) and William Lim Jr (drums). (Taken from bands bio page)

Official Website | Facebook Page | Twitter | MySpace | Youtube | Last.fm

Click play to listen to this mp3. Please note sound files are not playable on mobile devices.

Internship experience at the National University of Singapore Central Library

Friday, March 4th, 12:00 pm, Tokioka Room (Moore 319)
Presented by Erenst Anip, Masters Student in the Department of Library Information Services (LIS)

In July 2010, Erenst went to Southeast Asia to be the LIS program’s first intern at the National University of Singapore Central Library where he was introduced to the inner workings of a premier university library in Asia. There, he learned about a different library system and organization. In this second talk story session, he will share his experience in ‘finding a missing librarian’ and being a ‘junior operative’, the library’s outreach and social media initiatives, KPIs and PMS, and Singapore’s favorite past time of ‘makan’. Update from the first talk includes internship experience and relevancy with our own library system.

Mr. Erenst Anip is a 2nd year LIS student from Indonesia. As a future academic librarian, he focuses on digital technologies and social media features to enhance the library’s appeal to the users while keeping abreast of (Southeast) Asia area studies. He is also the project manager of Hawaii’s Digital Newspaper Project, part of Library of Congress’ National Digital Newspaper Project (NDNP).

Hady Mirza (born January 28, 1980) (Jawi: حدي ميرزا) is a Singaporean singer of Bugis descent, with his grandparents hailing from Sulawesi. He is the winner of the second season of the reality TV show Singapore Idol. He was crowned the winner on 25 September 2006 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium after garnering 70% of about one million votes cast by television viewers.

He was also the winner of the world’s first Asian Idol competition held on 16 December 2007 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Asian Idol is a competition between six Idol winners from several different Asian countries, namely Singapore Idol, Malaysian Idol, Indonesian Idol, Indian Idol, Philippine Idol and Vietnam Idol.

Hady is most known for his smooth R&B voice and charming personality. He is the second male winner, following in the footsteps of his favourite idol, Taufik Batisah.

Hady started singing at the age of 18 and instantly fell in love with it because of the variety of genres he could get involved in. On the show, Hady was known for his diverse versatility, singing not only R&B hits, but Pop, Emo Rock and Heavy Metal.

Hady studied engineering at the Temasek Polytechnic. He was a pub performer but wanted to be a professional club entertainer when he was growing up. The song that would describe him best is “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen because of the conflicting themes present in the lyrics.

His favourite singers include Michael Jackson, Babyface, Boyz II Men and Jamie Cullum.

Hady’s debut album, self-titled Hady Mirza, was released in Singapore on 13 November 2006 and achieved Platinum status within 4 days of its release. The album is due to be re-released in 2008 with additional material.

In June 2007, Hady was awarded with two major awards in Anugerah Planet Muzik 2007, a yearly Malay music award show awarding the best musicians in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Hady was voted “Most Popular Artiste (Singapore)” and his self-penned Malay single Merpati was voted “Most Popular Song (Singapore)”.

Hady was also chosen to sing an exclusive song You and I for the Police Week 2007 which was held in conjunction with the Police Day Parade 2007. In October 2007, to coincide with the grand opening of the KPE Tunnel, a special compilation album Sounds of the Underground was recorded, and Hady was featured on the track Jangan Memandu di Pinggir Jalan (Don’t Drive on the Side of the Road).

One year after his Singapore Idol win, Hady won the world’s first-ever Asian Idol, featuring Idol winners from six countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and India. With his unique soulful voice and charming looks, Hady will now represent Asia to promote the diversified Asian music to the world. Hady’s two performance choices were: Berserah (Surrender), composed by Taufik Batisah, and Beautiful Day by U2.

Official Website | Singapore Idol Profile | Facebook Fan Page | Twitter Feed

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