Cultural Transformations
This research theme area encompasses work on expressive culture (the arts, and in particular literature, music and theatre) and religious practices being done by a core group of four academics within the School of Arts.
Individual scholars in other Schools also work on related topics.
The core group comprises Associate Professor in Music, Hugh de Ferranti, Senior Lecturer in Chinese, Cuncun Wu, Senior Lecturer in Music, Andrew Alter, and Lecturer in Religious Studies, Mun-Keat Choong.
UNE is particularly strong in research on Asian music and performance, as both Associate Professor de Ferranti and Dr. Alter are internationally known for their work on Japanese and Indian musics, respectively, while Dr. Wu is a world expert on Chinese classical theatre history, in particular the institution of female role actors and the artistic and social milieu that surrounded them. Dr. Alter's work has also involved documentation of music and dance in ritual performance traditions of Himalayan regions of northern India. Dr. Choong's research concerns the textual sources of both liturgy and ritual in Chinese Buddhist traditions.
The importance of the research conducted by all four has been recognised in book publications by established academic presses in North America, Britain and Europe, and invitations to participate in international research events (for example, most recently Dr. Choong has been invited to a symposium at the University of Mainz on issues in translating early Chinese Buddhist sources, while in recent months Dr. Wu was a guest speaker at both Stanford University and the University of Michigan).
Contact person: Hugh de Ferranti
Phone: (02) 6773-6564
Email: hdeferra@une.edu.au