Professor  Ien Ang
University of Western Sydney, Australia

Professor Ien Ang, one of the leaders in cultural studies worldwide, will be visiting the Centre in October 2007.  She comes to CCIE from the University of Western Sydney, where she is an Australian Research Council Professorial Fellow (ARC) and the founding director of the Centre for Cultural Research, one of the most dynamic research centres in its field.   Professor Ang’s research focuses on cultural difference and diversity in a globalising world, migration and ethnicity, and popular culture in Australia and Asia.  She is the author of several highly acclaimed books, including Watching Dallas, Desperately Seeking the Audience and On Not Speaking Chinese.   Currently, as an ARC Professorial  Fellow, Professor Ang is exploring the theoretical and practical implications of notions of ‘cultural complexity’, in a research program entitled ‘Cultural Research for the 21st Century: Building Cultural Intelligence for a Complex World’.   She also currently is collaborating with Associate Professor Gay Hawkins (UNSW) on an ARC Linkage project with the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), entitled ‘SBS and Australian Cultural Democracy’.

Dr. Jody Berland
York University

Dr. Jody Berland will be taking up residence as a visiting scholar at the Centre this upcoming Fall.  Dr. Berland is an Associate Professor and a member of the graduate programs in Communication and Culture, the Humanities, the Department of Music, and the Graduate Programme of Social and Political Thought.  Her teaching and research interests include cultural theory; Canadian communication theory; cultural studies of nature, science, technology and the environment; music and the media; space and place.  In addition to publishing on such a wide range of topics, Dr. Berland is also one of three North American representatives to the international board of the Association of Cultural Studies. She also serves as editor of Topia: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies, published by University of Toronto Press and edited at York. Currently, she is completing a book-length manuscript on culture, technology and space, entitled North of Empire: Culture and the Technologies of Space.

Professor George Dei
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
April 2007

Professor Dei gave the keynote address at the day-long symposium Multiculturalism With(out) Guarantees: The Anti-Racism Alternative, which took place on April 2, 2007.   Professor Dei is professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.  His teaching and research interests include  anti-racism education, development education, indigenous knowledge and anti-colonial thought. In addition to his scholarly contributions, he serves on the boards of a number of organizations, including the Ghanaian-Canadian Union where he serves as president, the Harry Jerome Scholarship Awards of Canada, the Central Neighbourhood House and the Black Secretariat. He is also a member of Tractors for Our Daily Bread, Unemployed Professional Men, Black Educators Working Group, Cross-Edge Network and Uhuru Collective at OISE, University of Toronto. 

Dr. Siri Gamage
University of New England, Australia
October 2006

Professor Gamage, an Associate of CCIE, was a visiting scholar at the Centre in October 2006. During his tenure, Dr. Gamage gave a presentation entitled "Changing Nature of Australian Multiculturalism and its implications for Ethic Minorities and Education: Critical Reflections." In Australia, Dr. Gamage is cross appointed between the School of education and the School of Professional Development and Leadership at the University of New England, where he teaches multiculturalism and multicultural education, immigrant studies, and the social context of schooling. His research interests range from globalization, intercultural studies, critical multicultural and race theory to social context of education and multiculturalism across countries.

Professor Michael Singh
University of Western Sydney, Australia
March 2006

Professor Singh was a visiting scholar at CCIE in March 2006. During his tenure, he participated in Centre events and gave a presentation, entitled "Identity Conversion, Citizenship, and Social Studies: Asian-Australian Perspectives on Indigenous Reconciliation and Human Right."  Professor Singh undertakes comparative cultural studies research in the interdependent areas of education and training, and the multiple levels for effecting reform, so as to explore the intersections of urban, regional and international relations, and is interested in issues of meta-learning. In addition to his research contributions, Professor Singh has worked as a primary school teacher, teacher-librarian and curriculum consultant, as well as providing leadership as head of initial teacher education, head of a school of languages and international studies, and pro-vice chancellor for research and academic affairs. Professor Singh is an associate of CCIE.