Lietuvos studijos po Pietų Kryžium

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Australija (Australia); Australija, Lietuvos studijos, lituanistika, paklausa, sistemų teorija, Tasmanija; Lietuvos studijos Australijos universitetuose; Sistemų teorija, Tasmanija; Universitetas; Australia, Lithuania studies, demand, systems theory, Tasmania; Australia, University; Lithuanian Studies in Australian Universities; Systems theory; Tasmania.

ENAustralia is the furthest continent from Lithuania. As a self-governing modern state, the Commonwealth of Australia is among the world's younger countries: it is barely 226 years old. During the first one and a half centuries of its existence, the number of Lithuanians migrating to Australia was too insignificant to leave a lasting mark. After the Second World War, however, about 10,000 Lithuanian displaced persons came to Australia as indentured labourers. They made an important contribution to the country's economy and culture. During the same period, Australian universities grew at an unprecedented pace. The 1939 prewar enrolment of 14,236 students in Australia's six universities jumped to 25,585 by 1946; and student numbers have kept rising rapidly to the present day. This has called for a hurried expansion of the existing universities and the creation of new ones. Today, Australia has about a million university students. For many years, the Australian Lithuanian Community (ALB) has hoped that this growth of tertiary education would open up new possibilities for Lithuanian Studies at the tertiary level.Despite the extensive lobbying by the ALB for almost 40 years (1948-1986), no Australian university took the initiative of starting up Lithuanian courses or introducing any other programmes about Lithuania and its people. In 1947, Lithuanian Studies were finally launched at the University of Tasmania. These studies were introduced in an innovative way, based on systems analysis and a fresh solution of the traditional problems created by low-demand courses. Lithuanian Studies have been functioning successfully at the University of Tasmania ever since. Quite a lot has been achieved to date (2014). The valuable experience Lithuanian Studies have accumulated in Australia during the 20th century should provide a valuable resource for future globalization. [From the publication]