Professor Pal Ahluwalia

Professor Ahluwalia has always had a deep interest in the complexities of identity formation, yet his own upbringing and professional career reflects a myriad of cultural influences. He was born in Kenya, schooled in Canada, received a Bachelors degree and a Master of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan, and then completed his PhD at Flinders University here in Adelaide. He was subsequently at Adelaide University for 14 years, finishing as Professor of the Politics Department, then Visiting Professor with the University of California, and Professor with the Goldsmiths College at the University of London, where he was also Director of the Centre for Postcolonial Studies.

Prior to commencing as Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Ahluwalia was Research SA Chair and Professor of Post-Colonial Studies in the Hawke Research Institute and Director of the Centre for Post-Colonial Studies. At the same time he was a Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California. His main research interests lie in the areas of African studies, social and cultural theory, in particular, postcolonial theory and the processes of diaspora, exile, and migration.

On 14 October 2008, Professor Ahluwalia was appointed a UNESCO Chair in Transnational Diasporas and Reconciliation Studies.

The aim of the Chair is to promote and emphasise research in the areas of transnational diasporas and reconciliation studies. This will be accomplished by holding masterclasses, workshops and conferences, and inviting international scholars especially from the post-colonial world. These activities are aimed most specifically at capacity building and the facilitation of the exchange of knowledge. The UNESCO Chair in Transnational Diasporas and Reconciliation Studies will complement UNESCO's work in the field of social transformations and will provide a valuable contribution to international dialogue and policy development on international migration and social integration.

Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA)

BA (Adv), MA, PhD

Books

Violence and Non-Violence: African Perspectives, (London Routledge, 2006).

Idward Said: mufaraqat al-hawiyyah, (Damas: Ninawi, 2002). With Bill Ashcroft. Translated by Tarjamat Suhayl Najm.

African Identities: Contemporary Political and Social Issues, (Aldershot: Ashgate Publications, Ltd., 2002). With Abebe Zegeye.

Politics and Post-colonial Theory: African Inflections, (London: Routledge, 2001).

Edward Said, (London: Routledge, 2001). With Bill Ashcroft. This book launched the series entitled, Routledge's Critical Thinkers and is a new edition with two new chapters.

Imperial Ghetto, (Cape Town: Kwela Books, 2001). With Omar Badsha and Abebe Zegeye. This is a book of photographs about the Grey Street area in Durban by South Africa's leading photographer, Omar Badsha. I have co-authored a detailed analytical text that accompanies the photographs.

Editorial Works Journals

"Derrida", a Special Issue of Theory, Culture and Society, 2006.

Social Identities, Vol. 11 No. 1-6. (Routledge, 2005).

Sikh Formations, Vol 1, Nos. 1-2, (Routledge, 2005)

African Identities, Vol. 3, No. 1 and 2. (Routledge, 2005).

African Identities, Vol. 2, No. 1 and 2. (Oxford: Routledge, 2004).

African Identities, Vol. 1, No. 1 and 2. (Oxford: Routledge, 2003).

Race and Racism, a Special Issue of Social Identities, Vol. 7, No. 3, (Oxford: Carfax, 2001).

Refereed Journal Articles - Sole Author

"Negotiating Identity: Post-colonial Reflections on Transnational Adoption", Journal of Global Ethics, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2007.

"Inventing Home: (Re)Membering the Nation", Sikh Formations, Vol.2, No.2, 2006.

"Delivering Freedom: Australia's witnessing of Abu Ghraib" Journal of Visual Cultures, Vol. 5, No. 1, April 2006, pp. 93-96.

"Race" in special issue on the New Encyclopedia of Knowledge, Theory Culture and Society, 2006.

"Origins and Displacement: Working Through Derrida's African Connections", Social Identities, 2006.

"Out of Africa: Post-structuralism's Colonial Roots", Postcolonial Studies, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2005, pp. 137-154.

"Empire or Imperialism: Implications for a "New" Politics of Resistance", Social Identities, Vol. 10, No. 5, 2004, pp. 629-645.

"The Wonder of the African Market: Post-colonial Inflections", Pretexts, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2003, pp. 133-144.

"Fanon's Nausea: The Hegemony of the White Nation", Social Identities, Vol. 9, No. 3, September 2003, pp.341-356.

"'With Words We Govern Men': Orientalism and the Question of Translation", Stockholm Journal of East Asian Studies, Vol 13, 2003, pp. 7-26.

"The Struggle for African Identity: Thabo Mbeki's African Renaissance", Asian and African Studies, Vol. 1, No. 4, 2002, pp. 265-277.

"When Does a Settler Become a Native? Citizenship and Identity in a Settler Society", Pretexts, Vol. 10, No. 1, July 2001, pp. 63-73.

"Towards (Re)Conciliation: The Post-Colonial Economy of Giving", Social Identities, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2000, pp. 29-48.

"Uganda: Movement Politics or One-Party State?", Africa Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 3, 2000, pp. 67-84.

Refereed Journal Articles - Joint Author

"Introduction" Social Identities, Vols. 11-12, Nos. 1-6, 2005-2006. With Toby Miller.

"Introduction" African Identities, Vols. 1-4, No. 1 and 2, 2003-2006. With Abebe Zegeye.

"Introduction" Sikh Formations, Vols. 1-2, Nos. I and 2, 2005-2006. With Arvind Mandair and Gurharpal Singh.

"The Subject of Sikh Studies", Sikh Formations, Vol. 1, No.1, 2005, pp. 1-11. With Arvind Mandair and Gurharpal Singh.

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline:

• African studies
• Social and cultural theory
• Post-colonial theory