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Helen James is a specialist in Mainland Southeast Asia, especially Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). She took her PhD (1972) and M.A. (1970) from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and B. Oriental Studies (1966) from the Australian National University. She has held academic appointments in a number of universities including the University of Pittsburgh, Thammasat and Chulalongkorn Universities, Bangkok, as well as the University of Canberra, the Australian Catholic University and The Australian National University. She has also been a Visiting Scholar/Fellow at several international centres/universities including the Centre of International Studies, Cambridge University; the Swedish International Peace Research Institute, Stockholm; and the East-West Centre, Hawaii. In 2004 she was elected as a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. She was Executive Director of the Asia Research and Development Institute, and Director of the Thai Studies Centre, University of Canberra (1995-2000); and Head of Department at Thammasat University (1977-1980). She is also a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Anthropology, College of Asia and Pacific, ANU (2001-2010). She has also been a Director in several Australian government departments. In 1997 she was awarded the order of Benchamabhorn, Member of the Most Noble Order of the Kingdom of Thailand by H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej for services to Thai history, language, education and culture. Since 1996 she has taken a leading role in fostering the engagement policy with Burma/Myanmar of successive Australian governments.
Research fields/interests
Dr James researches civil society, governance, health, education, poverty alleviation and sustainable development in Southeast Asia with special attention to the political anthropology of religion, non-violence and state/civil society relations; health and social inclusion/exclusion, international development, gender and health, citizenship, human rights and human security, interfaith dialogue and transnational history. She is currently writing a book called Challenging the State: Civil Disobedience and Citizenship, a transnational history.
Teaching
She currently teaches and convenes in the graduate certificate in interfaith dialogue at the Australian Catholic University, a unit on 'Socio-cultural analysis and leadership in Interfaith Relations'; teaches in the Fourth Year History Honours program at the ANU, a seminar on 'Civil Disobedience and Citizenship', and from 2010 will teach in the Master of Social Research a unit (with Dr Adrian Hayes and Dr Rob Ackland) on Population, Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
Recent publications
Books, articles etc
Languages
Thai, French, Indonesian, Burmese
Interests
Tennis, Cricket, Classical Music, Asian cuisine and culture, Reading, Gardening, Early Civilizations. |
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