5. Practitioners activities 2: The War Up Close Virtual Reality Exhibition, 27 November 2023, 11am–5pm (0.5 day)

The event featured the virtual reality exhibition The War Up Close, presentations by the exhibition founders and curators Yulia Matiash and Oleksiy Syvak, and talks by the representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy and the Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko. The exhibition was supported by the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations.

The exhibition uses immersive virtual reality to showcase the harsh realities of the war in Ukraine. The War up Close Project unveils the details of the genocide against the Ukrainian nation to the global community using 360° panoramic photos, drone footage, and 3D modeling.

The event showed how using state-of-the-art technologies (incl. laser scanning, photogrammetry, VR goggles and immersive exhibitions) can enable the world community to experience the reality happening in a distant part of the world, examine the situation and environment in great details, as well as help the architects and builders with the restoration. It also highlighted the role of public diplomacy during times of war.

Website: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/events/virtual-reality-exhibition-war-close

6. Practitioners activities 3: Raising children in more than one language, 14 August 2021, 1–5pm (0.5 day) online

The event aimed at reaching families, early childhood educators, teachers and others with an interest in bilingual education. Discussions were divided into several panels led by educators and academics involved in bilingual education as well as parents and young adults who have grown up bilingually. The event commenced with a presentation on bilingual education by Dr Mandy Scott. The panel discussions were followed by cross-panel discussions and Q&A. Comments and questions from the audience were addressed in detail in open sessions and/or in breakout rooms. There were opportunities for informal networking after each panel.

Due to the ACT covid-related lockdown (announced on 12 August 2021) the event was held entirely on Zoom, with over 50 participants.

Duration: 0.5. day, incl. 1-2pm preparatory discussions (changes due to covid restrictions); 2-4pm core activities – online sessions; 4-5pm organizers and main stakeholders briefing & feedback.

7. Practitioners activities 4: Celebration of Languages, 16 October 2021, 10.30am-3:30pm (0.5 day), online

Due to the Covid-related restrictions, the event was held online, with over 100 people registered. After the opening session, six different panels featuring over 20 presenters delivered their presentations. One session was devoted entirely to the languages of Europe (involving German, Greek and Polish language communities). Notable speakers included Ngunnawal elder Caroline Hughes and ACT Minister Tara Cheyne. Each session had a different zoom link, so that attendees could continue the discussion with panel members after the session formally wrapped up. Edited recordings of the sessions are available upon request.

Website: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/news/celebration-languages

Program: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/news/celebration-languages

8. Practitioners activities 5: Inaugural Congress of the French Laureates of Australia, 2 March 2023, 10-3pm (0.5 day)

The event was organized in collaboration with the Australian-French Association for Research and Innovation (AFRAN) to actively promote the development of cooperation between France and Australia in the areas of research and innovation.

The program included: Welcome by Prof Jacqueline Lo, Congress Convenor; Speech by M Boris Toucas, Head of Culture, Education, Science & Technology, Embassy of France in Australia; and two Panel Discussions.

Panel Discussion 1: Culture & Education, consisted of the following speakers: Prof Veronique Duché Gavet, University of Melbourne; Professor Robert Aldrich, University of Sydney; Ms Kerrie Blain, Telopea Park School; Prof Jim Watterston, University of Melbourne; Prof Jacqueline Lo, Murdoch University.

Panel Discussion 2: Science and Innovation, consisted of the following speakers: Ms Nancy Pritchard, Australian Academy of Science; Mr Cameron Slatyer, CSIRO; Prof Katharine Danielle, President AFRAN & ANU; Ms Elizabeth Yuncken, CSIRO

The event was followed by a reception at the As You Like It Café, 15 Childers Street City West, Canberra.

The event was not opened to public and thus was not publicly advertised.

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Graduate seminars

9. Graduate seminar 1: European Foreign Policy Seminar for DFAT, 23 October 2023, 12.00-4.00pm (0.5 day), the DFAT Diplomatic Academy & ANU campus

European Union foreign policy is significant for Australia given the EU’s influence on a wide range of multilateral, economic and security issues. The EU is also an increasingly important actor in the Indo-Pacific. However, the EU’s unique structure, function, and supranational status mean that it is often misunderstood. This lunchtime seminar gave Australian public servants (Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Home Affairs) to hear from two visiting experts who work at the heart of EU foreign policy and from ANU Centre for European Studies experts.

This was an opportunity for Australian policy-makers to get an insight into how EU foreign policy is developed, through interactions between different EU institutional players and the Member States, and coordination of policy positions vis-a-vis third states. It was also an opportunity for identifying areas of common interest for strengthening EU-Australia cooperation and assisting Australian policy makers in engaging with the EU. Since the attendance was not collected, this event is not included in the budget.

The speakers provided an overview of the current issues in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy; focused on the external dimension of the European Green Deal; explained the intricacies of the foreign policy making process at the EU level, including the role of different institutions. The presentations were followed by a lively Q&A session and discussion. A lunch roundtable (by invitation only) offered an opportunity to discuss feedback with a view of developing a brief on the areas of common interest and strengthening EU-Australia cooperation.

Speakers included Mr Serge Joseph, Policy Coordinator at the Directorate for External Relations in the Secretariat-General of the European Commission; and Dr Xavier Gros, Senior Adviser at the European Parliament (Luxemburg).

Duration: 12.00 welcome at DFAT Diplomatic Academy; 12.30-1.30 presentations; 1.30-2pm networking at DFAT; 2-4pm lunch roundtable and discussion of feedback.

Website: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/news/seminar-european-foreign-policy-seminar

10. Graduate seminar 2: Lectures for diplomacy students, Sociology Department, University of Wroclaw, 25 January 2024, 8am-12pm (0.5 day)

The two lectures were delivered to diplomacy studies students at the University of Wroclaw. The lectures covered an overview of the culture of Australia and its unique identity asserted through Australia’s diversity, languages and Indigenous heritage. It discussed the importance of Australian Indigenous culture and its diversity. The lectures were followed by Q&A and a discussion which focused on the tools and effectiveness of public and cultural diplomacy, and diplomacy related activities such as nation branding. Students were requested to reflect on potential effective public diplomacy strategies between Europe and Australia.

The lectures were delivered to two groups of students enrolled in a diplomacy course and thus were not advertised publicly.

11. Additional student-focused activities

Eight intern students worked with the project team members on shorter and longer research projects focused on various areas of cultural relations between the EU and Australia. Select research outcomes are published on the project’s website.

The project also contributed to establishing research relations with a prospective visiting scholar (working on her PhD project) at ANUCES:

· Liuye Pan, “Production and Reception of Judge Dee Stories in the English-speaking World: An Intertexual Perspective”.

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Policy Forum

12. Policy Forum: The 2022 Schuman Lecture Strengthening Relationships in Challenging Times, 8 November 2022, 5.30pm start (0.5 day)

The ANU Centre for European Studies was honoured to have the EU Ambassador-Designate to Australia, His Excellency Mr Gabriele Visentin present the 2022 Schuman Lecture.

The transborder impact of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine together with crises in global health and climate change require states and societies alike to work together towards global peace, stability and the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. To that end, the EU and Australia continue to deepen their relationship, working with other, like-minded states and communities, to promote, protect and defend the rules-based international order and the rule of law. His Excellency Mr Gabriele Visentin, Ambassador-Designate of the EU to Australia will address these themes in his lecture. He will comment on the ways in which the EU and Australia, working with our neighbours and friends, continue to cooperate, engaging in dialogue and developing mutual understanding and support for new strategies to promote the rule of law, global peace, security and stability for future generations.

This was a high-profile event that attracted interest of policy makers from diverse departments, academics and students, and a broader public.

Duration: 5pm doors open & networking; 5.30-6.30pm introductory remarks & lecture; 6.30-7.00 conclusion & networking; 7-9pm official dinner.

Website: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/events/schuman-lecture-strengthening-relationships-challenging-times

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Additional events

These additional events are not reported on in the budget.

13. World Portuguese Language Day, 7 May 2021, 4–6pm

The ANU Centre for European Studies collaborated with the Embassies of Portugal, Brazil and Timor-Leste on the event focused on celebrating and promoting Portuguese language. The speakers included Anne McNaughton, Director, ANU Centre for European Studies; Dr Caroline Schuster, Director, Australian National Centre for Latin American Studies; Dr Fabrico Tocco, Convenor of Portuguese language.

Website: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/events/world-portuguese-language-day

14. Exhibition Living Culture of Three Writing Systems of the Georgian Alphabet, 17-30 June 2023

The ANU Centre for European Studies in partnership with the Embassy of Georgia organized the exhibition Living Culture of Three Writing Systems of the Georgian Alphabet which presents the letters and historical texts featuring the Mrgvlovani, Nuskhuri and Mkhedruli writings.

In 1978, the Soviet government attempted to change the constitution and abolish the status of Georgian as the state language. However, due to mass protests that reached climax in Tbilisi on 14 April, the government decided not to proceed with the amendment. Since 1990, 14 April has been celebrated as the Day of the Georgian Language and the occasion to commemorate the events that eventually led to Georgian independence. Georgian alphabet was recognised by UNESCO as cultural heritage and included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.

The exhibition was launched at the ANU on 17 June 2023 with an address by H.E. Mr Beka Dvali, Ambassador of Georgia. It was displayed for two weeks at the CASS Student Office at the Beryl Rawson Building, 13 Ellery Crescent, Acton, Canberra. It was open to staff, students and a broader public.

Website: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/news/living-culture-three-writing-systems-georgian-alphabet-1

15. Roundtable with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023, 3.00pm

Guests from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania: HE Mr Traian Hristea, State Secretary for Global Affairs, Ms Diana Tase, Assistant Secretary, Asia Pacific Branch; Mr Bogdan Aldea, Assistant Secretary, Asia Pacific Branch. Also in attendance: HE Mr Radu Gabriel Safta, Ambassador and Mr Dragos Calcan, Deputy Head of Mission. Overall, 13 attendees participated in the roundtable.

The event was closed for the public and not advertised.

16. Multilingual Story Walk, 14 March 2022, 11am-6pm

This was a community event which was organized by the ANU Centre for European Studies in collaboration with the ACT Bilingual Education Alliance as part of the celebrations of Canberra Day. It took place in one of the major Canberra’s parks.

Multilingual Story Walk featured fragments of The Adventures of Sindbad illustrated by an artist Julia Konieczna, and printed on 9 foam boards displayed in a public space. Text’s fragments were selected and translation organized by Dr Mary Besemeres and Dr Katarzyna Williams. The Multilingual Story Walk had nine stops; each stop had an illustrated section of the story written in English and one other language. Participants were invited to identify the non-English language at each stop. Those who correctly identified at least 6 languages went into a draw for a prize.

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Presentations at conferences – dissemination activities:

These activities are not included in the budget.

· presentation to the Faculty and students of International Relations at the University of Warsaw, 6 June 2024

· presentation “Diaspora’s perspectives on Europe and the EU: views from Australia” at Extra-European perspectives on Europe and the European Union, conference Instituto de Filosofia da Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, September 2022

 

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Publications and other resources

CIR produced a permanent project website at the ANU platform, one extensive background paper and 6 briefing papers (student-focused activities), several peer-reviewed academic papers and contributed to ANUCES Newsletters.

Background paper

Lucy Hanks, “Cultural Diplomacy between Australia and Europe,” 2024. Available at the CIR project website and the ANUCES Briefing Papers website https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/briefing-paper.

Briefing papers

Selected briefing papers are publicly available at https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/briefing-paper or https://www.theeuromonitor.com/. The remaining papers are available upon request.

Quin McKeown, “The Reparation of Indigenous Human Remains as a Tool of Post-Colonial Politics between Australia and Europe,” 2023

Caitlin Johnstone, “Euro-Australia Climate Change Cooperation through Indigenous Diplomacy,” 2023

Ansheng Lin, “Interpreting Populism in Europe by Chinese and European think tanks,” 2023

Lucinda Antcliff, “German Immigration and the Dynamics of the German Language in Australia,” 2022

Ezabell Kong, “Multiculturalism and Integration: Heritage Language Maintenance Amongst Secon-Generation Migrants in Australia,” 2021

Rabia Yagmur Çogalmis (Istanbul Bilgi University), “Istanbul Convention Keeps You Alive,” 2021

Academic papers – selected publications

· Williams, Kwapisz Katarzyna (2024) “‘The story is part of the success’: Narrating climate change”, Implementing Climate Policies, eds. Ottavio Quirico, Walter Baber, Cambridge UP, June 2024.

· Williams, Kwapisz Katarzyna (2023) “Culture and trade”, The Evolving Architectures of International Economic Agreements, eds. O. Quirico and K. Kwapisz Williams, Springer.

· Quirico, Ottavio, Katarzyna Kwapisz Williams, John R. Morss, Xiang Gao (2022) “Right to Life v. Right to Health? Disability and Selective Abortion”, Inclusive Sustainability: Harmonising Disability Law and Policy, ed. Ottavio Quirico, Springer, pp. 51-79.

Newsletters

The Centre’s Update Newsletters showcase the activities and achievements of the ANU Centre for European Studies: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/newsletter

· ANUCES Newsletter, December 2020: https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/2021/5/ANUCES_newsletter_December2020_WEB.pdf

· ANUCES Newsletter, December 2021:

https://ces.cass.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/2021/12/ANUCES_newsletter_December2021_WEB.pdf