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Charles Coppel: A Brief Biography, Contributors, Glossary
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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X CHARLES A. COPPEL Charles Coppel A Brief Biography Charles Antony Coppel was born in Melbourne on 6 July 1937, the son of Elias Godfrey “Bill” Coppel (1896–1978) and Marjorie Jean Service (1900–70), both of whom had strong links with the University of Melbourne, recognized by their inclusion in the university’s 150 Years: 150 People sesquicentenary publication. Charles was educated at Caulfield Grammar and Geelong Grammar. In 1955 he became the first (and, perhaps, the only!) male student to study at Merton Hall (Melbourne Girls Grammar), attending French classes with other students, as well as additional classes with a private tutor in the Botanical Gardens. After matriculating in 1954 in classical European languages, pure and applied mathematics, and English expression and literature, he matriculated again at the end of the following year, this time in modern European languages (French and Italian) and British History. During this second year Charles travelled to Europe, where he studied at the University of Grenoble and the University for Foreigners in Perugia, and travelled more widely in France, Italy, England, and Wales. On his way to and from Europe in 1955, he stopped over very briefly in Jakarta, his first contact with Indonesia. In 1956 Charles commenced studies at the University of Melbourne for his undergraduate degree in Law. As one of his first year non-law subjects, he chose Economic Geography where he made his first Indonesian friend, Zainu’ddin, later an academic colleague. In 1960 Charles graduated with his Honours LLB degree, in the company of future Supreme Court judges, Stephen Charles and John Batt. Soon after, he commenced articles with Phillips Fox and Masel, a prominent Melbourne firm of solicitors. In 1961 Charles was called to the Victorian Bar and became one of the first tenants of the new building for barristers, Owen Dixon Chambers. As counsel, Charles appeared in a range of courts, from Petty Sessions (now the Magistrates Court) to the High Court, twice led by his father. During his student years, Charles was called up for compulsory National Service training. While he was still a member of the Citizens Military Force, an appeal was made for volunteers to study the Indonesian language. Charles volunteered, thinking that this would be more INTRODUCTION: RESEARCHING THE MARGINS XI useful than shouldering a rifle, but abandoned this idea when compulsory National Service was abolished. In 1963, however, Charles joined the University of Melbourne’s Summer School Indonesian language programme, taught by Pieter Sarumpaet. The following year, he commenced Indonesian studies in earnest in the Department of Indonesian and Malayan Studies and in 1965, under Jamie Mackie’s guidance, began to research the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia for the first time. He was commencing more than three decades of research in this field. By the end of 1965, Charles found that Indonesian studies had become more interesting than the practice of the law and so he left the Bar. He supported himself and his family by tutoring in the Monash Law School (Teaching Fellow, 1966; Senior Teaching Fellow, 1967), while undertaking an M.A. (Prelim) in Political Science at Monash (1966–67). At the same time he studied Indonesian language and literature with Idrus, Harry Aveling, Rabin Hardjadibrata, and others. His closest academic relationship then was, however, with his supervisor Herb Feith who in 1968 persuaded him to convert what was by then a full M.A. candidature into a Ph.D. candidature. Charles was inspired by Mary Somers’ seminal work on peranakan Chinese politics to do more in this area. Over 1968–69 he spent a full year doing fieldwork in Indonesia. This was still a tumultuous and difficult time in Indonesia. Soeharto had just been confirmed as President and the New Order was being created in the wake of violence and killings. The ethnic Chinese felt themselves to be in a precarious position and Charles’ work focused on their ethnic and political identities. After his return to Monash in 1969, he worked on his contribution to The Chinese in Indonesia: Five Essays, edited by Jamie Mackie, followed by another four months’ fieldwork in Indonesia in 1970. In 1971 he tutored in Politics and then, in 1972, lectured in Indonesian Politics, during Herb Feith’s absence on study leave. In 1973 Charles was appointed to a continuing position at the University of Melbourne as Lecturer in Indonesian Studies in the Department of East and Southeast Asian Studies (a merger of the former departments of Indonesian and Malayan Studies and Oriental...