THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Post-Graduate & Research Department of English, University College here will organise an international conference on the topic 'Who Started The Bushfires?: Australian Culture, Economy and Polity in the Post-Truth Era' in virtual mode from September 15 to 17.
The primary objective of the conference is to provide an opportunity for academicians, professionals, researchers, students and policymakers from different fields to discuss issues related to the ecological disaster in Australia and to engage with the reality of climate catastrophe in the present times.
The conference is being organised in association with Centre for Australian Studies, University of Kerala, Littcrit - a literary biannual journal, Indian Association for the Study of Australia and the Internal Quality Assurance Cell of the college.
Higher Education Minister R Bindu will inaugurate the conference at the Senate Chamber of University of Kerala at 10 am on September 15. Kerala University Vice-Chancellor V P Mahadevan Pillai will preside over the function. Sarah Kirlew, Australian Consul-General for South India, will deliver the special address.
John C Ryan, Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Business. Law and Arts, Southern Cross University, Australia, will deliver the keynote address at 11.45 pm followed by paper presentations. The opening plenary at 3 pm will have Dr Debashree Dattary of Jadavpur University as the speaker with Prof Meena T Pillai, Dean, Faculty of Arts, the University of Kerala as the respondent.
The session on September 16 will begin with paper presentations from 8.30 am. Prof Padeep Trikha, General Secretary of the Indian Association for the Study of Australia will speak at the second plenary session at 10.30 am. Rajesh V Nair, Associate Professor, MG University, will be the respondent.
The third and fourth paper presentations sessions will be held at 12 noon and 2 pm respectively. Prof C A Lal, School of Distance Education, will address the third plenary session at 3 pm. Prof Nisha Venugopal of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit will be the respondent. This will be followed by the fifth paper presentation session at 4 pm.
The programmes on September 17 will begin with a paper presentation session from 8.30 am. This will be followed by the closing plenary at 10,30 am to be addressed by Prof S Armstrong of the Department of Canadian Studies, University Of Madras. Suja Kurup PL, Director, Centre for Australian Studies, University of Kerala, will be the respondent.
This will be followed by a paper presentation session at 12 noon. The valedictory session will be held from 3 pm. Dr P P Ajayakumar, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala and chief Editor, Littcrit, will deliver the valedictory address. Suja Kurup PL, Praveena Thompson, Head of the Department of English, University College, and Chitra VR, Organising Secretary of the conference will also speak on the occasion.