27 AUGUST - 2 SEPTEMBER 2000
MONTREAL, CANADA
ICANAS XXXVI
From 27 August to 2 September 2000, the Thirty-sixth International Congress of Asian and North African Studies (ICANAS) was held in Montreal, Canada. Actually, it was only the fifth congress under this name, as from 1873 to 1973 these meetings were organized with the title International Congress of Orientalists and from 1973 to 1976 they were called International Congress of Human Sciences in Asia and North Africa.
By HUUB DE JONGE
Ever since the hausse in publications about the apparent stains of Orientalism in art, literature, and science, the term 'orientalists' possibly elicited too many negative connotations. It remains to be seen whether such political correctness has enhanced the identity of the organization, because two name changes in such a short period hardly give the impression of a steady course.The general theme of the Montreal congress was 'Oriental and Asian Studies in the Era of Globalization: Heritage and Modernity Opportunities and Challenges'. The conference was held in the Palais de Congres, which is so large that quite a few participants wandered around lost. Of course it was difficult to reach Montreal by air in that period, and the conference had to compete with a well-attended international film festival, but a large number of registered people may ultimately have stayed away as a result of information about the conference having been so scantily supplied between the moment of registration and the opening.
Only after arrival were the participants informed about the subjects of the panels, in which sessions one was placed, and at which time presentations had to be given. Many participants only learned at the site itself that they were supposed to chair a session. Although the organization of the conference had evidently been contracted out to a professional bureau, there was no hint of professionalism.
This applied in particular to the way the panels were composed. Except for a regional affinity (Iranian Studies, Turkish and Ottoman Studies, Chinese Studies, etc.), the division in sessions, in which the most diverse topics were combined, was simply illogical. Thus, in one session the audience would hear something on greatly varying topics such as Persian music, marriage contracts, and miniature painting, and in another on the Mongolian revolution of 1921 and horsehair violin strings in that country. By the same token, related presentations were often spread out over three or four panels. As a result of the absence of many announced speakers as well as the peculiar division into groups some sessions consisted of only one or two lectures, while others had to be cancelled altogether. Thus some members, on their own initiative, joined panels where they felt themselves more at home. Next time it would be a good thing if the organization is left, as it should be, to experts in the field. Too rigid an organization is not recommendable, but the reverse also leaves much to be desired. This is not the way to treat participants who have prepared themselves thoroughly.
New ideas
These demerits, of course, did not prevent interesting presentations being given during the conference, by participants from both the West and East. In almost every field of attention, new ideas based on fieldwork, the study of literature, and archival research, were presented. The largest number of panels related to Asia; China and India were especially prominent. It was striking to see that there was only slight interest in the new Central Asian countries, which have experienced such drastic changes during the last few years. The conference was enlivened by a symposium on 'good governance in Asia'- organized in close co-operation with the Canadian International Development Agency in which plenary sessions were devoted to topics as 'women and human security' and 'civil society and democracy'. As at every conference the exchange of ideas about current events in the countries studied, taking place in the corridors was of great importance. The consequences of the Asian crisis were an important topic in and outside the sessions.
It was a pity that only a small number of publishers showed an interest in this prestigious meeting. The organization should do its utmost to ensure that the presence of university presses will be much larger next time.
Dr Huub de Jonge is senior lecturer in economic anthropology at the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
He has done fieldwork on Madura and Java.
E-mail: h.dejonge@maw.kun.nl