UNEAC Affiliated Fellow
| Dr. Laurence Tamatea School of Education Studies University of New England Armidale NSW 2351 Australia Tel: 02 6773 2661 Fax: Int. + 61 02 6773 3350 Email : ltamatea@metz.une.edu.au |
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UNEAC Affiliated Fellow
| Dr. Laurence Tamatea School of Education Studies University of New England Armidale NSW 2351 Australia Tel: 02 6773 2661 Fax: Int. + 61 02 6773 3350 Email : ltamatea@metz.une.edu.au |
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Dr. Laurence Tamatea is a lecturer in the School of Education where he teaches in units, which explore issues informing the context of education. He holds a BA in Asian studies, an MLitt in Australian history and a PhD in the sociology of Indonesian language education. He is also a speaker of Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), as a second language. His theoretical perspective is largely informed by theory drawn from the fields of postcolonial and globalization studies.
Reflecting this interest in globalization and post-coloniality, his present research focus is upon the experiences of Muslims in Western contexts, with a specific focus upon Islamic school education as well as the experiences of converts to Islam in Australia and the USA.
Research interests and current research projects related to Asia:
My research interests principally concern the experiences of Muslim communities in Western contexts. Given the increased visibility of Islam in the West, my research constitutes a response to the need to facilitate the construction of improved maps of intelligibility and translation so that Islam might more easily be understood in various Western contexts.
Doctoral thesis completed in 2001. The thesis explored the discursive construction of Indonesians and other ‘Asians’ by teachers and learners involved in an Indonesian language education program at a number of Australian schools.
Small Research Grant - Projects completed in 2001.
The first project explored some of the populist discourses related to the establishment of Islamic school education in Australia and compared them with data generated at an Islamic school in Sydney. The project also explored populist media representations of Muslim womens’ clothing as worn by teachers at an Australian Islamic school.
Center for Research in Aboriginal and Multicultural Studies (CRAMS) small grant – Current project 2002
The project explores the approaches to Islamic da’wah taken by Muslims in Sydney and Brisbane. Although da’wah is also undertaken by larger organizations, the project has as its specific focus that which is undertaken by grass roots activists. The project is currently in the data collection phase.
Editorial Representations of Muslims in the USA and Australia in the Year following September 11.
This project is being undertaken collaboratively with a number of colleagues in the USA. It explores similarities and differences in editorial responses to local Muslim communities following September 11.
Other relevant information:
Personal Web page URL: http://fehps.une.edu.au/f/s/edu/ltamatea/lt.html
Recent publications:
Tamatea, L. (2001). Environment Discourse and the ‘Other’: Implications from a Study of Indonesian Language Education. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, vol. 17, pp. 55- 62.
Tamatea, L. (2002). Indonesian Language Education and the Limits of Tolerance, in M.G. Singh (ed.). World of Learning: Globalisation and Multicultural Education. Sydney, Common Grounds Publishing.