By Antoine Vanhemelrijk

 
This year it will be seventeen years ago since the founding of the Centre for Australian and Oceanic Studies (Centrum voor Studies van Australië en Oceanië), leading to the establishment of the Centre for Pacific Studies in 1991. Now, as the Centre for Pacific and Asian Studies (CPAS), it continues to retain a strong reputation on national and international platforms of research. Although focus is still mainly on the Oceania region the co-operation of Oceania and Asia scholars under the flag of the CPAS is a fruitful one.
The Pacific teaching programme has become more balanced and is being rewarded by fair amounts of students attending the courses. The Asia cluster is extending its teaching programme and undoubtedly will mature over the years. An 'Asia research programme' is not in sight yet, but hopes are high that in due course it will be developed and become an equal partner to the Pacific programme. After the official expiration of the successful research programme of the Pacific cluster, "Changing Pacific: a comparative research project of processes of cultural transformation in South Pacific societies", a new programme will get its inauguration this year. With this once again we expect to solidify the future.

1. Board
The board of the CPAS meets about four times a year. In these meetings policy issues (research, staffing, co-operation etc.) are discussed as well as practical issues. The board consists of eleven members and represents different academic disciplines (Anthropology, Law, Environmental Science, Psycho-linguistics) and regional specialisations (Polynesia, Melanesia, Australia, South-east Asia). At present its members are: Ad Borsboom, Ien Courtens, Paul van der Grijp (ended membership by the end of 2000), Frans Hüsken, Sjoerd Jaarsma, Huub de Jonge, Luuk Knippenberg, Toon van Meijl, Gunter Senft, Herman Slaats and Eric Venbrux. Also present at board meetings are René van der Haar (documentation centre) and Antoine Vanhemelrijk (secretary).

2. Research Programme
The new Research programme of the Pacific cluster is entitled "Identity Formation in the Age of Globalisation: Cultural Production and Creativity in the Contemporary Pacific".

Regrettably Silvia Broeke, who started on the research project "Maori Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights: An Anthropological Approach of Indigenous Rights and International Law" in 1999, decided not to go through with this project. In her place we are happy to welcome Tamara Boeleé who will step in and continue on the project. The research project that was taken on by Ms. Mohkamsing-den Boer in 2000, entitled "Dreams and transitions: the use of dream-space in individual and social maturation among Australian Aboriginal women" has been adjusted so as to incorporate a comparative study with Caribbean Indian communities in Surinam.
Over the last few years there have been a number of national and international gatherings of scientists focusing on Pacific issues. Representatives of the CPAS have attended these conferences to be able to exchange information, vent ideas and to stimulate co-operation in the area of scientific research. Some of these meetings have resulted (or will result) in publications.

3. Teaching Programme
The Centre's teaching programme has been extended. Two additional courses have been developed for second and third year's students: Anthropology of the Pacific (CA2069) and Aboriginal Australia (CA2070). Overall the programme has become more balanced with courses on the Pacific in the first year and more specialist follow-ups in the second and third year. All courses on Pacific Studies do attract a considerable number of students which in itself is very rewarding. Next year's official introduction into the academic educational system of the Bachelor-Master system will not lead to structural differences or adaptations in the Centre's teaching programme.
An integrated teaching programme on the Asia and Pacific regions has been maintained, both at graduate and undergraduate levels, while the Centre also supervises MA and PhD research. It should be noted that all courses are given in Dutch, although students may write essays and exams in English.

For the academic year 2001-2002 these courses are:

• First Year:
  Anthropological regional issues: the Asia-Pacific region (CA1010)
  Developmental regional issues: the South Asia region (OS1002)

• Second/Third Year:
  Aboriginal Australia (CA2070)
  Anthropology of the Pacific (CA2069)
  Southeast Asia Region (CA2044)
  Social problems in the contemporary Pacific (CA2050)
  Globalized religion and local identity in Southeast Asia (CA2073)

• Third Year:
  Advanced seminar Pacific studies (CA2034)
  A special exam on the basis of literary studies in preparation for individual research projects

• Fourth Year:
  Individual research projects and supervision of Master thesis based on field research within the Asia-Pacific region or on library research.

More information on the Centre's activities and its research and teaching programmes can be obtained through the documentation centre, where an extensive brochure with more detailed course descriptions is available, although only in Dutch.

4. Seminar Series
In the past year and a half the 'Brown Bag Seminar Series', an integration of the Post-Fieldwork Seminar Series for Master Students into the seminar series of the Centre for Pacific and Asian Studies, the Nijmegen Department of Cultural and Social Anthropology and the Anthropological Students' Union Quetzalcoatl, has been continued. The tradition of staff and students' performances in alternate weekly sessions has definitely become a routine feature in each semester's programme. Over the past three semesters speakers included Martin Ramstedt (International Institute for Asian Studies), Gerben Nooteboom (CPAS), Annemarie van Mechelen (CPAS), Silvia Broeke (CPAS), Marina de Regt (Amsterdam School for Social Scientific Research, University of Amsterdam), Agnes Schreiner (Faculty of Law, University of Amsterdam), Cor Hoffer (Trimbos Institute), Oane Visser (Nijmegen), Nick Enfield (Maxc Planck Institute), Toon van Meijl (CPAS), and Henk Driessen (Nijmegen).
The Brown Bag Seminar Series thus continues to provide a useful platform for discussion on ongoing research in the Pacific, Asia and other regions.

5. Documentation
The documentation centre of the CPAS is a frequently consulted information source for a varying audience. Primary and secondary school students ask for (general) information to write essays, independent researchers request specific, mainly bibliographical information, travellers ask for information on addresses and book titles etc..
The online bibliographic database on the Pacific, maintained and continuously being updated by our documentationalist René van der Haar, at present contains more than 7600 references to recent publications on the Pacific. This makes it a very useful source for bibliographical research. Accessibility to the database is provided through our homepage . Since everyone can search our bibliographical database free of charge for references to publications in relation to his or her specific research interests, the number of visitors to the Centre's internet site is impressive.

6. Oceania Newsletter
Two issues of the Oceania Newsletter are being published each year. Next to articles on field research, reviews, conference calendar etc. the bibliographical section remains a constant source of accurate and detailed information on publications about the Pacific. In this the invaluable work of our documentationalist is reflected.
More and more people consult the Oceania Newsletter via the Internet. Consequently the number of Oceania Newsletters printed in hardcopy form has decreased. The accessibility via hyperlinks on our homepage < http://www.kun.nl/cps/> is good and it enables a multivariable search in the Oceania Newsletter's bibliographical database.
Work continues to digitise the first four issues of the Newsletter to complete the list of online available Oceania Newsletters.

7. Exhibitions
The Nijmegen Ethnological Museum, associated with the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology and the Centre for Pacific and Asian Studies, organised the exhibition Krissen, pamor en grepen from January 31st 2000 until April 7th 2000. Many Krissen, Indonesian daggers with a typical curving blade, from the museum's own collection and from specialist-collector Duncan Reeder were on display as well as a large number of kris-handles from Reeder's collection. The typical pattern in a kris-blade or pamor, the result of the forging of the metal, was the inspiration for artist Pascal de Caluwe to imitate this technique in clay and artificial materials. From June 26th until August 25th 2000 the exhibition Ernabella, Batikkunst uit Centraal Australië (Ernabella, Batik Art from Central Australia) was held. Works of Aboriginal artists from the Anangu Pitjatjara Lands were on show. The female artists are united in a co-operation, Ernabella arts, founded in 1948 for the purpose of providing work for Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara women. It provided them with wool to use in their spinning techniques. Motifs are very recognisable as Ernabella designs. In 1971 some artists visited Yogjakarta (Java, Indonesia) to study batik-techniques and from then on non-traditional Aboriginal motives were introduced.