School of Culture, History & Language
Source: https://chl.anu.edu.au/ Parent: https://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/
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We believe in creating a transformative educational experience focused on cultural immersion, intellectual and personal wellness, deep multidisciplinary knowledge; and real-world problem solving.
Our academics and teachers from diverse walks of life serve as a hub of Australian knowledge and expertise on the Asia and Pacific region. They promote a learning culture defined by advanced scholarly discussion and inquiry, creative thinking, and entrepreneurship.
From Anthropology and Pacific Studies to Asian Studies and less commonly taught languages, CHL's culturally and historically rich portfolio has something for everyone.
Award-winning teaching
Anthropology ranked #8 globally and #1 in Australia
Expertise in 16 Asian and Pacific languages
Tok Pisin: the world's first Pacific creole program offered entirely online
Archaeology: Ranked #8 globally
Image: Original Artwork by Associate Professor Peter Friedlander
### Our Subject Areas and Disciplines
### CHL: An essential cog of the College of Asia & the Pacific
CHL is one of the four constituent schools that make up the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific (CAP). With more than 100 academic and professional staff, a large cohort of distinguished professors emeriti and researchers, over 100 higher degree researchers and postgraduate students, and scores of academic visitors and affiliates, the School is a key arena of humanistic enquiry, including the study of languages within the College.
As such, we think of ourselves as a significant pillar for CAP, anchoring it in the study of the cultures, histories, environments and languages of the Asia and Pacific regions.
As a community, we at CHL take pride in our dedication to collaborative, interdisciplinary learning and teaching. We believe in the real-time contextualisation and application of subject matter, be it in the past, present or future.
Our researchers investigate and learn with and about the people, languages, and lands of Asia and the Pacific. In doing so, we create knowledge that is specialised, critical, engaged with current discourses and debates within the many disciplines incorporated into our structure.
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CHL has the best and broadest Asian and Pacific language instruction in Australia. The disciplines of Anthropology, Archaeology, History and Languages are ranked as the best in Australia and within the top global rankings tables.
[Workshop at Immersia
Undergraduate Programs
Our undergrad programs draw on elite expertise to provide leading programs in Asia-Pacific Studies. Learn learn an Asian or Pacific language and understand the region's context and its relationship to Australia.](https://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/students/undergrad/asian-studies)
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Postgraduate Programs
Combine disciplinary expertise with regional focus for the best training and in-depth knowledge in the Asia-Pacific region with our host of signature postgraduate programs.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/study/postgraduate/chl-postgraduate-programs)
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Asian and Pacific Languages
Learning a language is the best way to understand a culture, and knowing an Asian or Pacific language is the best way to engage with the region. We offer more Asian and Pacific Languages than any other institution in Australia.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/chl-languages-another-language-another-life)
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PhD Programs
Join our vibrant graduate research community and receive outstanding support from our world leading academics as you pursue your doctoral studies.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/chl-hdr-program)
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Professional Development and Mobility Programs
Broaden your horizon and gain memorable experiences through our range of mobility and professional development programs.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/fieldwork-short-intensives-and-mobility-programs)
## Research Expertise and Initiatives
Unique in the world, the school's departments bring together over 100 academics dedicated to investigating and learning with and about the people, languages, and land of Asia and the Pacific region. Their work, conducted in collaboration with partners throughout the world and the region, contributes uniquely Australian perspectives and insights.
\ Learn about our disciplines, themes, and key research projects and initiatives.
Research Expertise and Initiatives
## Associated Journals, Publications and Podcasts
### Journal of Pacific History
### The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology (TAPJA)
### SUPP Info (Supplementary Information): CABAH
## In Focus: Our Annual Showcase of Research Excellence
CHL's In Focus is the School's annual showcase of research, engagement, initiatives and impact.
As a cultural and linguistic hub of Australia’s national university, Indigenous engagement is at the heart of everything we do and want to do. The exchange of cultural knowledge and skills forms the cornerstone of our research, education and cultural growth.
Off
[26 February 2026
Opening Doors for Papuan Languages
The 7th Workshop on the Languages of Papua: 17 researchers, nine countries, relationship-building](https://chl.anu.edu.au/news/opening-doors-papuan-languages)
[Photo credit: Lindi Heap (assisted by Kate Burge), National Library of Australia
11 February 2026
From Trash to Treasure: Dr Justin Lau’s Award-winning Anthropological Deep Dive into Waste, Society, and Sustainability
Meet Dr Justin Lau...](https://chl.anu.edu.au/news/trash-treasure-dr-justin-laus-award-winning-anthropological-deep-dive-waste-society-and)
[10 February 2026
Natsukashii: A Master’s, Memories, and a Medal
For Lewis Tremayne, his journey through Japanese Studies at ANU is filled with warm, nostalgic memories of friendships, learning, and academic achievement.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/news/natsukashii-masters-memories-and-medal)
[Professor Shun Ishihara with our latest Summer Scholars
11 December 2025
Two summer scholars at CHL
Meet our latest Summer Scholars](https://chl.anu.edu.au/news/two-summer-scholars-chl-0)
[06 December 2025
Preserving Indonesian Language Studies in Australian Schools
Students in Canberra have few opportunities to study foreign languages. The decline in Indonesian language study in Australia is not just an educational issue; it is a strategic risk.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/news/preserving-indonesian-language-studies-australian-schools)
[Justine in Mongolia
01 December 2025
Finding Home in a Ger: Discovering Mongolia Through Study and Language
A student experience in the Steppes](https://chl.anu.edu.au/interview/finding-home-ger-discovering-mongolia-through-study-and-language)
[Bollywood: Where Dreams Dance on Screen
27 November 2025
Bollywood: Where Dreams Dance on Screen
Bollywood unites tradition and modernity, weaving India’s culture into stories that resonate across the world.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/news/bollywood-where-dreams-dance-screen)
[Haifuki kara daija: a snake emerges from the ashes (from Volume 12 of the Sketchbooks of Hokusai)
26 November 2025
A Story in 15 Volumes: The Lumbers Family and the Sketchbooks of Hokusai
From a family home to the University archive, the gifted Hokusai sketchbooks open new doors for understanding Japanese visual culture](https://chl.anu.edu.au/interview/story-15-volumes-lumbers-family-and-sketchbooks-hokusai)
Subscribe to our newsletter, Crosscurrents, to stay up to date on the latest news, events opportunities, and a diverse range of research stories and people profiles. Access previous editions here, and submit any stories, news or content here.
Off
Mon, 23 Feb - Mon, 25 May 2026
[### Anthropology Seminar Series 2026
This popular cross-campus seminar series in anthropology is back!\ ](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/anthropology-seminar-series-2026)
Sat, 28 Mar 2026
[### ANU Open Day
Explore your future in Asia and the Pacific — meet CAP at ANU Open Day to learn about our degrees, languages and overseas study opportunities.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/anu-open-day)
Fri, 17 Apr 2026
[### 'Thingyan' or the Myanmar New Year Water Festival Celebration
A Splash of Culture and Tradition
---](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/thingyan-or-myanmar-new-year-water-festival-celebration)
Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat
Tue, 21 Apr 2026
[### 2026 ST Lee Lecture - Judicial independence in modern society: The Malaysian experience
The 2026 ST Lee Lecture will be delivered by Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Malaysia’s first female Chief Justice.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/2026-st-lee-lecture-judicial-independence-modern-society-malaysian-experience)
A casino on the banks of the Mekong River photo by Greg Raymond
Wed, 6 May 2026
[### Mekong Update 2026: Cross-cutting challenges in mainland Southeast Asia
This event is a collaboration between the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Thailand's Chulalongkorn University and The Asia Foundation.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/mekong-update-2026-cross-cutting-challenges-mainland-southeast-asia)
Mon, 23 Nov - Wed, 25 Nov 2026
[### Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU) Colloquium 2026
Languages at the Crossroads: Imagining Futures, Bridging Divides](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/languages-and-cultures-network-australian-universities-lcnau-colloquium-2026)
On
Thu, 19 Mar 2026
[### Terry Kleeman - "Daoism as a New Religious Movement"
The 86th George E. Morrison Lecture in Ethnology](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/terry-kleeman-daoism-new-religious-movement)
Thu, 19 Mar 2026
[### Beyond the Archive: Ancient Wisdom for Inner Calm in the Age of Uncertainty
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and interact with the revered Geshe Lhakdor**](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/beyond-archive-ancient-wisdom-inner-calm-age-uncertainty)
Mon, 23 Feb - Mon, 25 May 2026
[### Anthropology Seminar Series 2026
This popular cross-campus seminar series in anthropology is back!\ ](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/anthropology-seminar-series-2026)
Image: Taj mahal, India, People by JungR via Pixabay
Thu, 19 Feb 2026
[### Voices of the Thar Desert: Words, Worlds, and Ways of Telling in Rajasthan
This lecture introduces the distinctive cultural and textual world of Rajasthan through three interconnected dimensions: language, literature and narrative practices.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/voices-thar-desert-words-worlds-and-ways-telling-rajasthan)
Thu, 19 Feb 2026
[### Book Launch: Women, Indenture, and Resistance
Exploring the lived experiences of Indian indentured (girmitiya) women in the Fiji Islands from 1879 to 1920](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/book-launch-women-indenture-and-resistance)
Myanmar Street Image by Dave Hopkins
Tue, 17 Feb 2026
[### Does Myanmar’s Potemkin poll change anything?
ANU Myanmar Research Centre Dialogue Series 2026
Timezone:5.30–6.30pm AEDT, 1–2pm MMT, 7.30-8.30am CET](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/does-myanmars-potemkin-poll-change-anything)
Thu, 11 Dec 2025
[### International Human Rights Day: The Evolution of Human Rights Activism in Indonesia
Join the ANU Indonesia Institute for the annual online seminar on International Human Rights Day.](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/international-human-rights-day-evolution-human-rights-activism-indonesia)
Fri, 5 Dec 2025
[### Reimagining Faith, Feminism, and Nationhood: The Literary Worlds of Helvy Tiana Rosa
Balai Bahasa Indonesia Canberra, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, and Attaché of Education and Culture Office, proudly present this special semi](https://chl.anu.edu.au/event/reimagining-faith-feminism-and-nationhood-literary-worlds-helvy-tiana-rosa)
The ANU School of Culture, History & Language is a treasure trove of research and knowledge-rich ethnographic material, art, manuscripts, maps, souvenirs and excavated findings. These have been preserved over decades of field research, as well as global and regional collaborations.
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