Biographical Statement

I was educated at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada (BA, 1967) and the University of Sussex in the UK (D.Phil., 1973). I first worked as a journalist on the Daily Colonist in Victoria, BC (1963-7). I taught school in Chandigarh in north India for the Regional Institute of English and the Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) from 1967-9 before doing a doctorate in modern Indian history at Sussex. I came to the ANU as a research fellow from 1973-8 and taught in the Politics Program at La Trobe University in Melbourne from 1979-2005.

My special interest is in the modern history and politics of India. I have written about both Punjab in the north and Kerala in the south and have most recently worked on the Indian newspaper industry and on Indian media more generally.

Research Interests

I maintain an interest in matrilineal societies, particularly in Kerala in south India, which arose from my doctoral thesis, later published as The Decline of Nayar Dominance. Having worked as a teacher in Punjab, I was driven to try to understand the Khalistan secessionist movement that arose from 1981. This resulted in What's Happening to India? and a continuing interest in ethnicity, nationalism and identity formation. My two other interests are "development" in a wide sense (Politics, Women and Well-Being) and newspapers and media (India's Newspaper Revolution).

My current substantial project is an account of India in the second half of the twentieth century, based on portraits of the six years in which the great Kumbh mela was held (1942, 1954, 1966, 1977, 1989 and 2001). Provisionally entitled "Slices of India," the project tries to capture the drama of change by drawing attention to the contingencies that decide what paths are followed and what paths, though apparently promising, are ultimately ignored.

Teaching

I taught Years 6 and 7 in a government school in Chandigarh from 1967-9. I learned a lot and came to enjoy teaching. (Hockey with a mango seed for a ball and tree branches for sticks is pretty captivating when you're 22). I tutored in the Faculty of Asian Studies at the ANU from 1973-7 and have taught first-year classes at La Trobe every year I've been on duty since 1980. I have taught in broad introductory "study of Asia" courses, as well as courses about India and its neighbours, peasants and politics, nationalism and state formation and media and politics.

Outreach

I have tried to work with school teachers (partly through the Asia Education Foundation) and with media people. I try to accept invitations to teacher professional-development activities. As an ex-sportswriter, I enjoy trying to write for periodicals about issues that I feel are important and that I know something about. At La Trobe University, we founded a La Trobe Politics Society in 1993, which involves staff, students, ex-students and the community and had run more than 60 events with more than 100 speakers by the end of 2005.

Activities

I attended the foundation meeting of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) in the Coombs Lecture Theatre of the ANU in January 1975, edited ASAA's early newsletter, was organizing secretary for the 1996 conference at La Trobe University and have been an office bearer in 1988-92 and 2000-04. I have been on the advisory board of the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) since its inception in 1992. I am a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and of the Academy of the Social Sciences of Australia.

Publications

Books

Jeffrey, R. (2005) indiayute patraviplavam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Languages Institute. [Malayalam translation of India's Newspaper Revolution]

Jeffrey, R.(2004) Hindi edition, Bharat-ki samacharpatra kranti, New Delhi, Indian Institute of Mass Communications, 215 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (2000) India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-Language Press, 1977-97, London, C. Hurst; New Delhi, Oxford University Press; New York, St Martin's Press, 234 pp. Second edition with new introductory chapter, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2003.

Jeffrey, R. (1994) What's Happening to India? Punjab, Ethnic Conflict and the Test for Federalism, 2nd edition, London, Macmillan/New York, Holmes & Meier, 249 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (1992/1993) Politics, Women and Well-Being: How Kerala Became 'a Model', London, Macmillan; New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 285 pp. Second edition, with new introductory chapter, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2001.

Jeffrey, R.(coordinating editor) (1990) India: Rebellion to Republic: Selected Writings, 1857-1990, New Delhi, Sterling, 510 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (1986) What's Happening to India? Punjab, Ethnic Conflict, Mrs Gandhi's Death and the Test for Federalism, London, Macmillan/New York, Holmes & Meier, 249 pp.

Jeffrey, R.(ed.) (1981) Asia - The Winning of Independence: The Philippines, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaya, London, Macmillan; reprinted 1987, 320 pp.

Jeffrey, R.(1979) nayar medhavitvattinte patanam [the decline of Nayar dominance], Malayalam translation by Puthuppalli Raghavan and M.S. Chandrasekhara Warriar, Kottayam, D.C. Books, 414 pp. Second edition with new introductory remarks, Kottayam, D.C. Books, 2003.

Jeffrey, R. (ed.) (1978) People, Princes and Paramount Power: Society and Politics in the Indian Princely States, Delhi, Oxford University Press, 396 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (1976) The Decline of Nayar Dominance: Society and Politics in Travancore, 1847-1908, London, Chatto & Windus for Sussex University Press, 376 pp.

Articles in Refereed Journals

Jeffrey, R. (2004-05) "Legacies of Matriliny: the Place of Women and the 'Kerala Model'," Pacific Affairs, vol. 78, no. 1, Winter, vol. 77, no. 4, pp.647-64.

Jeffrey, R. (2002) "Communications and Capitalism in India, 1750-2010," South Asia, vol. 25, no. 2, August, pp.61-76.

Jeffrey, R. (2002) "Grand Canyon, Shaky Bridge: Media Revolution and the Rise of 'Hindu' Politics," South Asia, vol. 25, no. 3, December, pp.281-300.

Jeffrey, R. (2001) A[Not] Being There: Dalits and India's Newspapers,@ South Asia, vol. 24, no. 2, December, pp.225-38.

Jeffrey, R. (with Peter Friedlander and Sanjay Seth) (2001) A 'Subliminal Charge': How Hindi-language Newspaper Expansion Affects India,@ Media International Australia, No. 100, August, pp.147-66.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Bengali: 'Professional, Somewhat Conservative' and Calcuttan," Economic and Political Weekly, 25 January, pp.141-3.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Gujarati: 'Chequebook Journalism in Reverse ...'," Economic and Political Weekly, 15 February, pp.319-22

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Hindi: 'Taking to the Punjab Kesari Line'," Economic and Political Weekly, 18 January, pp.77-83.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Kannada: 'We Fake It There Is Competition'," Economic and Political Weekly, 22 March, pp.566-70.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Malayalam: 'The Day-to-Day Social Life of the People ...'," Economic and Political Weekly, 4-11 January, pp.18-21.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Marathi: Big Newspapers Are Elephants," Economic and Political Weekly, 22 February, pp.384-8.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Oriya: 'Identifying ... with Newspapers'", Economic and Political Weekly, 15 March, pp.511-14.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Punjabi: the Subliminal Charge," Economic and Political Weekly, 1-8 March, pp.443-5.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Tamil: 'Dominated by Cinema and Politics'," Economics and Political Weekly, 8 February, pp.254-6.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Telugu: Ingredients of Growth and Failure," Economic and Political Weekly, 1 February, pp.192-5.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Urdu: Waiting for Citizen Kane?", Economic and Political Weekly, 29 March, pp.631-6.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Advertising and Indian-Language Newspapers: How Capitalism Supports (Certain) Cultures and (Some) States, 1947-96," Pacific Affairs, vol. 70, no. 1, Spring, pp.57-83.

Jeffrey, R. (1995) "The Right Stuff: Leadership, Representation and India's Parliamentary System," Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, vol. 33, no. 2, July, pp.257-75.

Jeffrey, R. (1994) AKerala's Story: Review of Kerala: Radical Reform as Development in an Indian State,@ Economic and Political Weekly, 5 March, p.549.

Jeffrey, R. (1994) "Monitoring Newspapers and Understanding the State: India, 1948-93," Asian Survey, vol. 34, no. 9, September, pp.748-63.

Jeffrey, R. (1993) "Indian-Language Newspapers and Why They Grow," Economic and Political Weekly, 18 September, 2004-11.

Jeffrey, R. (1991) "Jawaharlal Nehru and the Smoking Gun: Who Pulled the Trigger on Kerala's Communist Government in 1959," Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, vol. 29, no. 1, March, 72-85.

Jeffrey, R. (1991) "Matriliny, Women, Development - and a Typographical Error," Pacific Affairs, vol. 63, no. 4, Fall, 85-9.

Jeffrey, R. (1989) "Women and the 'Kerala Model': Four Lives, 1870s-1980s", South Asia, vol. 12, no. 2, 13-32.

Jeffrey, R. (1987) "The Culture of Daily Newspapers in India: How It's Grown, What It Means", Economic and Political Weekly, 4 April, 607-11.

Jeffrey, R. (1987) "Grappling with History: Sikh Politicians and the Past", Pacific Affairs, LX, 1, Spring, 59-72.

Jeffrey, R. (1987) "Culture and Governments: How Women Made Kerala Literate", Pacific Affairs, LX, 4, Fall, 447-72.

Jeffrey, R. (1984) "'Destroy Capitalism!' The Growing Solidarity of the Alleppey Coir Workers, 1930-1940", Economic and Political Weekly (Bombay), 21 July, 1159-65.

Jeffrey, R. (1981) "India's Working-Class Revolt: Punnapra-Vayalar and the Communist 'Conspiracy' of 1946", Indian Economic and Social History Review, XVIII, 2, 97-122.

Jeffrey, R. (1980) "What the Statues Tell: The Politics of Choosing Symbols in Trivandrum", Pacific Affairs, LIII, 3, Fall, 484-502.

Jeffrey, R. (1978) "Matriliny, Marxism and the Birth of the Communist Party in Kerala, 1930-40", Journal of Asian Studies, XXXVII, 1, November, 77-98.

Jeffrey, R. (1977) "The Malayali Origins of Anti-Brahminism in South India", Indian Economic and Social History Review, XIV, 2, April-June, 255-68.

Jeffrey, R. (1977) "Bureaucratic Politics in an Imperial System: the Rivalry between Two Indian Dewans, 1936-41", Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, XV, 3, November, 166-85.

Jeffrey, R. (with David Arnold and James Manor) (1976) "Caste Associations in South India: A Comparative Analysis", Indian Economic and Social History Review, XIII, 3, July-September, 353-73.

Jeffrey, R. (1975) "The Politics of 'Indirect Rule': Types of Relationship among Rulers, Ministers and Residents in a 'Native State'", Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, XIII, 3, November, 261-81.

Jeffrey, R. (1974) "The Punjab Boundary Force and the Problem of Order: August 1947", Modern Asian Studies, VIII, 4, 491-520.

Jeffrey, R. (1974) "The Social Origins of a Caste Association, 1875-1905: The Founding of the SNDP Yogam", South Asia, 4, 1974, 39-59.

Jeffrey, R. (1974) "The Temple-Entry Movement in Travancore, 1860-1940", Social Scientist (Trivandrum), 44, March, 3-27. Reprinted in Social Compass, Louvain, special issue on religion and caste, XXVIII, 2-3, 1981, 269-91.

Articles in Books

Jeffrey, R. (2005) "The Public Sphere of Print Journalism," in Nalini Rajan (ed.) Practising Journalism: Values, Constraints, Implications, New Delhi, Sage, pp.257-66. [Published as "Breaking News," The Little Magazine, vol. 4, no. 2 (2003), pp.6-10].

Jeffrey, R. (1996) "The Decline of Nayar Taravads," in N. Jayaram and Satish Saberwal (eds) Social Conflict, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp.63-78.

Jeffrey, R. (1994) "The Prime Minister and the Ruling Parties," in James Manor (ed.) Nehru to the Nineties: the Changing Office of Prime Minister in India, London, C. Hurst, pp.161-85.

Jeffrey, R. (1990) "Anthikad, a Village in Kerala, 1947-87," in Jim Masselos (ed.) India: the Making of the Modern Nation, New Delhi, Sterling, pp.54-73.

Jeffrey, R. (1990) "The Perils of Prosperity: India's Dilemma in Punjab," in R. Jeffrey (coordinating editor) India: Rebellion to Republic, New Delhi, Sterling, pp.364-82.

Jeffrey, R. (1987) Articles on "Kerala", "Nairs", "Ezhavas" and "E.M.S. Namboodiripad", totalling 2,000 words in Ainslie T. Embree (ed.) Encyclopaedia of Asian History, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons for the Asia Society.

Jeffrey, R. (1981) "Introduction: The Setting for Independence," in R. Jeffrey (ed.) Asia - The Winning of Independence, London, Macmillan, pp.1-22.

Jeffrey, R. (1981) "India: Independence and the Rich Peasant," in R. Jeffrey (ed.) Asia - The Winning of Independence, London, Macmillan, pp.71-112.

Jeffrey, R. (1978) "Peasant Movements and the Communist Party in Kerala", in D.B. Miller (ed.) Peasants and Politics, Melbourne, Edward Arnold, pp.130-48.

Jeffrey, R. (1978) "Introduction," in R. Jeffrey (ed.) People, Princes and Paramount Power, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, pp.1-31.

Jeffrey, R. (1978) "Travancore: Status, Class and the Growth of Radical Politics, 1860-1940," in R. Jeffrey (ed.) People, Princes and Paramount Power, New Delhi, OUP, pp.136-69.

Jeffrey, R. (1977) "A Sanctified Label - `Congress' in Travancore Politics", in D.A. Low (ed.) Congress and the Raj, London, Heinemann, pp.435-72.

Lectures, Booklets and Reports

Jeffrey, R. (2003) Education, Multi-Culturalism and Globalization: Australia, India and Asia. Fourth Dr S. M. Luthra Memorial Lecture, Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, 14 February, 15 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (convenor and a principal writer) (2002) Maximizing Australia's Asia Knowledge. Report commissioned by the Asian Studies Association of Australia, Inc. on the study of Asia in universities, Melbourne, ASAA, 72 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (co-author with 5 others) (1991) National Strategy for the Study of India and Indian Languages. Report commissioned by the Asian Studies Council from the Melbourne South Asian Studies Group, May, 86 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (1990) Asia Across the Curriculum. Report and Recommendations of the First National Conference on Asian Studies in Schools. Melbourne, 8-10 November. Report commissioned by the Asian Studies Council, Department of Education, Employment and Training, 15 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (1985) The Perils of Prosperity: India's Dilemma in Punjab, Adelaide, Flinders University, 16th Asian Studies Lecture.

Jeffrey, R. (1985) "South Asia Changes ...", background paper written for and distributed at the National Conference of the Association of People Interested in Asia (APIA), Canberra, 5-7 December.

Jeffrey, R. (with Rhonda Weinand) (1976) Asia: a Bibliography for Secondary Schools, vol. III, South Asia, Canberra, Australian Government Publishing Service, 45 pp.

Miscellaneous Publications

Between July 1979 and February 1982 I wrote more than two dozen pieces on Indian politics for "The World" section of the Saturday Age in Melbourne. This ended when the Age changed the Saturday format and abolished "The World."

I have done ABC Radio interviews on current events in India frequently. Since 2000, I have written frequently in the Australian press about the need to renew Australia's capacity in its universities to study and teach about Asia.

Jeffrey, R. (forthcoming 2005) Foreword to What Makes News?, Uday Sahay (ed.), New Delhi, Oxford University Press (1,300 words).

Jeffrey, R. (2004) Introduction to Chandra Bhan Prasad, Dalit Diary: 1999-2003: Reflections on Apartheid in India, Pondicherry, Navayana Publishing, pp.ix-xiv (1,500 words).

Jeffrey, R. (2003) "Need to know basis," Eureka Street, April, pp.18-21.

Jeffrey, R. (2003) "Breaking news," The Little Magazine, vol. 4, no. 2, pp.6-10.

Jeffrey, R. (2002) "'No Party Dominant': India's New Political System," Himal, March, pp.38-41.

Jeffrey, R. (2002) "Slicing India: new perspectives on India since 1947," Himal, July, pp.48-55.

Jeffrey, R. (2001) A Media Revolution and 'Hindu Politics',@ Himal, vol. 14, no. 7, July, pp.32-41.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Passages from India", The Australian's Review of Books, August, pp.6-8.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Making News", India Magazine, vol. 17, June-July, pp.8-14.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "The Future of Indian-Language Newspapers", Seminar, No. 458, October, pp.24-8.

Jeffrey, R. (1997) "Notes" for the politics section of The India Connection, a teaching kit for high schools, Melbourne, Curriculum Corporation.

Jeffrey, R. (1996) "Ad-men of India," Asia-Pacific Magazine, June, pp.26-9.

Jeffrey, R. (1996) INDBIO. CD-ROM database of Indian national parliamentarians, published by INFORMIT (work done in collaboration with Ian Dawes, now of Australian Volunteers International, and Cornelia Lenneberg, now of World Vision).

Jeffrey, R. (1995) "South Asia: Future Directions of Australian Research", 3rd National Roundtable on Libraries and Asia. Issues Papers, Canberra, National Library of Australia, 5 pp.

Jeffrey, R. (1994) "Press Gangs Curry Favour," Good Weekend, 29 January, pp.36-40.

Jeffrey, R. (1994) "Democracy in South Asia," History Today, vol. 44, May, pp.43-49.

Jeffrey, R. (1992) "India after the Dynasty," Modern Times, June, pp.6-7.

Jeffrey, R. (1991) "India's new prime minister," Australian Society, January-February, pp.16-17.

Jeffrey, R. (with Meg Gurry) (1991)"Indo-Australian Relations," India Perspectives (Journal of Indian Ministry of External Affairs), vol. 3, no. 10, April, pp.29-33.

Jeffrey, R. (1991) "Back to the Indian future," Australian Society, July, pp.23-3.

Jeffrey, R. (1991) "Why Teach About India?" Ethos, Journal of the Victorian Association of Social Studies Teachers.

Jeffrey, R. (1990) "The churning sub-continent," Australian Society, May, pp.33-5.

Jeffrey, R. (1990) "Prolonged birth pains in Kashmir," Australian Society, June, pp.6-7.

Jeffrey, R. (1990) "The Senators' Indian odyssey," Australian Society, September, pp.7-9.

Jeffrey, R. (1988) "The mystery of the Urdu dailies", Vidura, Press Institute of India's Mass Media Magazine, 25, 1, January-February, pp.38-40.

Jeffrey, R. (1987) "Indian Democracy and Development", ASAA Review, X, 3, April, pp.18-22.

Jeffrey, R. (1986) "Old and new images collide head-on in Punjab", Far Eastern Economic Review, 10 July, pp.47-9.

Jeffrey, R. (with Lesley Jeffrey and Frances Wood) (1986)"A distant vision: television in India", Study of Society, XVII, 2 November, 6-9 (unit of work for secondary schools).

Jeffrey, R. (1986) "The Punjab meltdown: three factors (and some fallout)", ASAA Review, X, November, pp.137-44.

Jeffrey, R. (1984) "Learning Is Sold ... in India's Most Literate State", Far Eastern Economic Review, 19 July, pp.78-9.

Jeffrey, R. (1982) "India's Changing Electorate", Australian Foreign Affairs Record, June, pp.359-63.

Jeffrey, R. (1982) "India, 1982: 'Productivity', Centralization and Opposition Disarray", Dyason House Papers, VIII, 3, March, pp.1-7.

Jeffrey, R. (1978) "'A Strange Vanguard for Conquerors'", Hemisphere, XXII, 1, January, pp.17-20.

Jeffrey, R. (1975) "Modern Kerala History - Sources and Subjects", Indian Archives, XXIV, 2, July-December.

Jeffrey, R. (1972) "Sources for Modern Kerala History", Indian Archives, XXI, 2, July-December.

Recent Conferences and Seminar Papers

(2004) "The Three Stages of Print: testing ideas of 'public sphere,' 'print-capitalism' and 'public action' in Kerala, India," refereed conference paper, Asian Studies Association of Australia, biennial conference, Canberra, 30 June, on the web at: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/ASAA/conference/proceedings/asaa-2004-proceedings.htm [recognized by DEST as a "publication"]

(2004) "Political Possibilities in India: Speculations, 2004-21," paper for Department of Education, Science and Training on educational possibilities in India, 10 November, on the web at: https://aei.dest.gov.au/aei/mip/currentmarketinformation/india/otherinformation/india05oi01.htm

(2003) Puthuppalli Raghavan Memorial Lecture, Thiruvananthapuram, 2 February.

(2003) S.M. Luthra Memorial Lecture, New Delhi, 14 February.

(2003) "Legacies of matriliny in Kerala, " paper, Association for Asian Studies conference, New York, 30 March.

(2003) "Changing the Question: Print, Capitalism, Public Action and the 'Kerala Model'," paper, International Convention of Asia Scholars, Singapore, 29 August.

(2003) "Does Bowling for Asia Mean Bowling Alone? Public Policy and Cultural Change in Australia," plenary lecture, 15th NZASIA Conference, University of Auckland, 23 November.

(2003) "Why Study Asia?", presentation to Asia at the Crossroads conference, Canberra, 27 November.

Research Grants

(2003-2004) Linkage (Infrastructure Equipment) Fund, 'Digitizing Seminal Colonial Documents', with Curtin, New England and Sydney Universities.

(2002-2004) Large ARC, 'Slicing India' project.

Research Projects

Legacies of matriliny in Kerala – small project to discover state of knowledge; essay coming on Pacific Affairs later in 2004 or early 2005

Indian-language newspapers – continuing interest.

'Slicing India' – account of India from 1942-2001, based on the 11-12 yearly intervals marked by the great festival, the Kumbh Mela, at Allahabad

Professional Involvements

President, Asian Studies Association of Australia, 2002-04

Member, advisory board, Asia Education Foundation

Member, committee, La Trobe Politics Society, Inc.

Co-editor, South Asia Publications Series, Asian Studies Association of Australia

Fellow, Academy of Humanities of Australia (FAHA) and International Secretary, 2001-4

Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences of Australia (FASSA)