Co-convened by the Hawke Research Institute, University of South Australia and the Herbert and Valmae Freilich Foundation, Humanities Research Centre, The Australian National University

Art Gallery of South Australia, 6-7 December 2002

Migrants and refugees arriving in Australia have consistently been subject to ridicule, vilification and abuse at least as often as they have been welcomed by what some have called 'mainstream Australia'. Over the years, terms like 'wogs', 'refos' and 'illegals' have entered our language as people from around the world have entered Australian society.

This conference will respond to recent events by bringing together considerations of Australian refugee policy and the popular representation of migrants to Australia from the 1930s until the present. It will feature screenings of the Film Australia documentary "Mike and Stefani" (1952) and the Powell and Pressburger feature "They're a Weird Mob" (1966). Apart from questions of policy, speakers could address autobiographical and biographical narratives of migration; representation of migrants and refugees in the popular newspaper and periodical press, television and film; gender and the representation of the migrant experience; the patterns of language surrounding migration; and visual representations of refugees and migrants; among many other possible topics.

Please direct a short 200-word abstract to Sanjugta Vas Dev at sanjugta.vasdev@unisa.edu.au by 30 June 2002.

Expressions of interest are especially encouraged from junior scholars.