Anthony Garnaut - A Short biography*
Anthony Garnaut is a Melbourne-based historian who is interested in the interaction between Chinese and Islamic cultures. He has recently completed a biography of an early twentieth century Chinese sheikh named Ma Yuanzhang Siddiq Allah. Some of his published research on Sino-Islamic cultural history can be found in the fifth issue of the online journal China Heritage Newsletter (March 2006): read this article online on www.MuslimHeritage.com: Anthony Garnaut, The Islamic Heritage in China: A General Survey (published 4 September 2008). He is currently engaged in a collaborative project on the establishment of Communist rule over the Muslim peoples of Central Asia and China. Please direct any comments to: anthony.garnaut@gmail.com. As a further reading, see Anthony Garnaut, Soul of Islam Lecture #7: Islam in Beijing [iLecture] (at Asia link, University of Melbourne): click in the web page for video streaming.
Outline: Seven centuries ago, the Mongol emperors drew on Islamic urban culture as a model to establish the cosmopolitan city that would become the capital of their Chinese empire - Beijing. Today, amongst the hidden gems and forgotten histories of this great city, Chinese Muslims' contribution to the buzzing atmosphere and appearance of Old Beijing can still be found. From the architecture and culinary delights of up-market restaurants to the recent memories of camel teams from Mongolia and the quintessential deep-fried bread and lamb stew of Beijing street-life, the influence of Muslim culture is ever-present.
Anthony Garnaut has lived in China and recently returned to Beijing as a graduate scholar of the ANU to study the life and work of an ancient Chinese Sufi sheikh. An expert on Chinese Muslims, Anthony will provide us with a glimpse of his extraordinary experiences as he takes us on a journey through the fascinating history of the Muslims of Beijing. This is the final Soul of Islam lecture for 2006. The Soul of Islam lecture series has been presented by AEF with support of the Islamic Council of Victoria and Asialink. See also Anthony Garnaut, "Islam in Beijing: A Foreign Presence in the Cultural Heart of China" (transcript of slide presentation delivered at the Sydney Myer Asia Centre, 16 November 2006). * This short biography was provided by Anthony Garnaut and enriched by the editorial board of www.MuslimHeritage.com.
by: FSTC Limited, Tue 26 May, 2009
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