Petition: Save Australian Literature

Dear EASA members,

As you may have heard, following the retirement of Professor Robert Dixon, Chair in Australian Literature, the University of Sydney has decided not to replace the chair. This is very worrying news for the field of Australian literature and more broadly for Australian culture. You may have also heard that the University of Western Australia was to close its press, UWA Press, and finally backed down (for now?) following a variety of responses and an online petition.

We would be very grateful if you could sign the online petition asking the University of Sydney to maintain the Chair in Australian Literature. It is essential that we, scholars from all over Europe, express our concern about a decision which will affect the development of Australian arts and culture.

The online petition can be accessed through the following URL: https://www.change.org/p/australian-minister-for-education-the-hon-dan-tehan-save-australian-literature

We do thank Antonella Riem and Sue Ballyn for the online petition and hope that you will all sign it.

Best wishes,

Maarten Renes and Salhia Ben-Messahel