All areas of expertise are welcome to address transnational and transcultural matters, whether economic, social, political, technological, linguistic, ethical or ethnological. Yet, as "interfaces" are set forward, Australia's dealings with the US and the South-Asia Pacific region are of particular relevance.

Also, Australia's will to create for itself a unique identity in between its Asian and American neighbours may well have had an impact on domestic and socio-political policies. Multiculturalism comes immediately to mind in that respect, but the conference topic refers to pluralism in its broader sense, and includes the reflexion provided by Australian Indigenous peoples issues.

Speakers may thus want to communicate on issues such as :

• Australia's foreign policy, regional relationships and multilateral agreements
• Australia's attitude towards globalization (trade, immigration and protectionism)
• Australia's current role in the political and economic development of the Pacific islands
• Australia's policies and attitudes with regards to fast-growing Asian countries
• Australia's political and military alliance with the US, its causes, consequences and limits
• The impact of Australia's regional relationships on its links to Great-Britain
• Australia's dilemmas as a Western nation in the Asia-Pacific region

In the Australian context, speakers may want to address the relationship between Self and Other in answering such questions as:

• Are the settled South-East and the empty North-West two nations in one?
• How are socio-economic, racial and gender differences accommodated in rhetoric and in practice?
• What is the representation of the Other in political discourse and media campaigns?
• Does the Australian revisionist movement challenge or fuel the diverse racist tendencies?
• What does the debate on a treaty say about Australia's relationship to its indigenous people?

Of course, these topic suggestions are in no way exhaustive; the theme may be interpreted as creatively as necessary with these general guidelines in mind. Of particular interest will be the confrontation of viewpoints between observers and scholars from different fields and countries, between the 'self' and the 'other'.

This conference will be honoured to host:

• Paul Patton (Professor of Philosophy, University of New South Wales)
• Tim Rowse (Senior Fellow in History, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National Univ.)
• Ghassan Hage (Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Sydney)

Funds for this conference have been kindly provided by the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne, the Australian Embassy in Paris and Francaustralia Education.

The event will be hold at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne (Paris, France) on 9 and 10 December 2005. Deadline for submissions is 1 June 2005.