As a member of the conference committee I’ve been busy organising a number of the spotlight sessions over the past few months, but have yet to organise my own paper and panel! Eek!

If anyone is thinking of going and would like to be part of a panel on labour politics and online work cultures, please get in touch ASAP… very keen to hear from people near and far for what promises to be an exciting and genuinely international conference with work and labour at the fore!

Since establishing itself in 1990, the CSAA has run an annual conference in various cities around the country, as well as Christchurch, New Zealand, since the official name change to incorporate “Australasia”. From my understanding, this makes the CSAA the longest running cultural studies association worldwide, so it’s a shame that the current scenario has emerged, although it does point to questions a number of prominent scholars are raising about the ongoing utility of the term.

Various justifications and explanations were given for the lack of volunteers for holding the conference this year, including

- administrative changes to institutional groupings at various universities (cultural studies departments, divisions and courses are on the decline almost everywhere except where I work)

- arguments about cultural studies and its connotations, particularly due to media coverage during the “culture wars”

- what cultural studies means in contrast to “cultural research” – and the impact of the ARC Cultural Research Network on conference attendance in recent years

There were also wider issues, such as how the economic climate affects university funding prospects, and a general lack of time and incentive for potential organisers.

Nothing was said that explicitly addressed whether the quality of the conference is an issue in whether people want to come, or what exactly the association stands for beyond the conference itself.

The Professors who attended agreed that it was a shame that the CSAA wouldn’t be held “because of what it offers postgrads” and junior scholars.

This made me wonder, has anyone actually asked postgrads and early career researchers whether they value this annual conference? What do postgraduates and recent PhD graduates of cultural studies think about the fate of the CSAA?

From talking to some of my peers in recent weeks–those who, even when they have graduated with cultural studies PhDs, face limited prospects of ongoing employment in their field of qualification–it seems little wonder that there is a lack of interest in the association, since it has done very little to prepare graduates for this reality.

But, since there wasn’t much opportunity to say this last night, and since the invitation was only extended to a small group of people, I’m interested to hear others’ thoughts on whether there are factors contributing to the CSAA’s current situation. If this blog is read by anyone, I figure it is people who have some opinions on cultural studies

So, do you think Australian cultural studies is obsolete as a movement? What should happen to the annual conference? And if you are an early career researcher, what should the CSAA do to make itself useful for you? Are there other conferences and disciplines that matter more?

We’ll be able to announce more specifics soon, but I already want to suggest that people plan to be in Hong Kong from June 17-21 next year. Apart from the speakers and spotlight sessions that are proposed – which is one of the strongest line-ups I’ve seen for a cultural studies event – one of the best practical things this time is the range of accommodation options. There are literally hundreds of student dorm rooms availabe on site at Lingnan at very cheap rates with free wifi, and even the 4/5 star hotels either side of the campus home at Tuen Mun will be relatively affordable for academics. The schedule planned will also give people a chance to look around the city in the middle of the conference so that we can all have a break and relax without being too worn out from back to back papers.

Hong Kong is such an interesting city, geographically, socially, politically; and its economic transformations are a great place to be witnessing and discussing wider issues. What continues to excite me about ACS is that it can provide the opportunity for cultural studies to see its relevance contextualized and revitalized in different geographical contexts. I think this conference will do that and more. Can’t wait!