The Australia and New Zealand Shakespeare Association (ANZSA)
Established in 1990, the Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association (ANZSA) is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to fostering Shakespeare scholarship and performance in the region[1]. It offers a forum to showcase national and international research in Shakespeare studies, bringing together academics and theatre practitioners[1][2]. ANZSA is a cornerstone of the literary academic community in Australasia, and its biennial conference is the highlight of the association’s activities. These conferences attract leading scholars and delegates from across Australia, New Zealand, and abroad to present new research on a chosen theme[3], underscoring ANZSA’s vital role in connecting regional scholars with global conversations in Shakespeare studies.
“Shakespeare in Spirit”: The 2025 ANZSA Conference
ANZSA’s 2025 conference was held in person from 2–4 July 2025 at the University of Queensland’s downtown Brisbane campus[4]. The event’s theme, “Shakespeare in Spirit,” invited participants to explore spiritual, religious, and supernatural dimensions of Shakespeare’s works. This broad theme spanned topics from Shakespeare and religion to adaptation, the uncanny, and even ghostly hauntings in early modern literature[5]. The conference featured a diverse program of panels and papers aligned with these themes, reflecting current scholarly interest in how Shakespeare and his contemporaries engage with matters of faith, mysticism, and the unseen.
Simon Haines’ Participation and Broader Significance
Among the conference presenters was Simon Haines, who delivered a paper as part of the Shakespeare in Spirit program. Haines, formerly CEO of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation and Professor of English at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is a distinguished literary scholar with a broad humanistic background[7]. His presentation engaged with the conference’s central theme, bringing his unique perspective to discussions on Shakespeare’s work and its deeper moral-spiritual contexts. Haines’s involvement exemplified the collaborative spirit of ANZSA’s community, where scholars from various institutions and disciplines convene to share insights. His contribution also underscored the strong presence of Australasian scholarship in Shakespeare studies, reinforcing how ANZSA enables local and international voices to jointly enrich understanding of Shakespeare in the wider academic and cultural context[3].
[1] [2] [3] ANZSA | Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association
[4] [5] [6] Shakespeare in Spirit – ANZSA Conference, 2–4 July 2025