Another view of Asian Studies

Sirs,—" Disagreement in Asian Studies." Under this heading your issue of June 15 gave the disquieting news that Mr. W. J. Hall is leaving the staff of Victoria through "total disagreement" with the future policy of the Asian Studies Centre as recommended to the Professorial Board.

It appears that Honours students wishing to continue their researches in wider fields are to be advised to transfer to such institutions as the East-West Centre in Hawaii, and that Mr. Hall objects to the consequent "Amerlcanisation" of their Asian studies.

Professor Brookes, while agreeing with Mr. Hall that the student "must do his research in the appropriate country" raises certain problems: "For instance, a student interested in the development of a Chinese commune may encounter difficulties in getting into China. He would have to work from Hong Kong, or perhaps Taiwan."

It is surprising that you, Salient, fully aware that your own students were lately welcomed in Chinese communes, could accept and publish such a statement without question or comment. To anyone following the discrepancy between Hong Kong "news" of the Chinese "Red Guards" and the reports of recent visitors to China, it's a bit like accepting "Time" or "Reader's Digest" for an objective study!

Professor Brookes Is further quoted as saying that if a student wanted a "Western-type degree" he would go to Anu or perhaps the East-West Centre. (By the way, Salient, what the devil is Anu, anyway?) But the Swedish researcher, Myrdel, whose "Report from a Chinese Village" tin Swedish. 1963: English hardcover, 1965: paperback, 1967) is obtainable locally for 14/6, went to China to collect scarce information, not cheap degrees.

Further, this report to the Professorial Board, in recommending for undergraduates a course of Asian language studies which would "enable those in relevant faculties to acquire some informed awareness of the major cultures of Asia." proposes as first choice the study of Indonesian or of Malay. It makes no recommendation of Chinese, language of the most numerous and potentially the greatest nation on earth, chief medium of culture, finance and trade throughout the East, in Indonesia an object, consequently, of the most horrible and least publicised pogrom of modern times, and in New Zealand no way to present favours.