Oral Tradition, Memory and Social Change: Indigenous Participation in the Curation and Use of Museum Collections. This project addresses concerns about how museums meet their charter in a diverse society. It will engage museums in a process of brokering and negotiation with indigenous Australians in relation to specific museum collections. There is little formal recognition of how such processes occur within museums and contribute to the creation of shared meanings about ourselves as a nation. I ....Oral Tradition, Memory and Social Change: Indigenous Participation in the Curation and Use of Museum Collections. This project addresses concerns about how museums meet their charter in a diverse society. It will engage museums in a process of brokering and negotiation with indigenous Australians in relation to specific museum collections. There is little formal recognition of how such processes occur within museums and contribute to the creation of shared meanings about ourselves as a nation. It is part of the role of museums as places of learning to engage and fascinate, and this project brings together traditional knowledge and expertise in three fields of study to pass on our national heritage to future generations. Read moreRead less
Swidden Cultivation and the Agrarian Transition on the Forest Frontiers of Southeast Asia. Challenges to rural sustainability increase as swidden farmers adjust to the uneven impacts of agrarian change such as social conflict, material poverty and environmental decline. However, little is known about how swidden farmers engage with the causes and consequences of agrarian change in different political economic contexts. This research will generate a multi-scale comparative assessment (local-regi ....Swidden Cultivation and the Agrarian Transition on the Forest Frontiers of Southeast Asia. Challenges to rural sustainability increase as swidden farmers adjust to the uneven impacts of agrarian change such as social conflict, material poverty and environmental decline. However, little is known about how swidden farmers engage with the causes and consequences of agrarian change in different political economic contexts. This research will generate a multi-scale comparative assessment (local-regional) of how swidden farmers adjust livelihoods and social relations in response to agrarian change in Laos, Philippine and Malaysian frontiers. It will offer new insights to Australian donors, international academic networks and resource practitioners on how agrarian change affects swidden farmers and local landscapes. Read moreRead less