The Construction of Race and Racial Identity at the Antipodes of Empire, 1788-1840. The view that Australia was always a racially based society, pursuing racial policies to the detriment of indigenous Australians and our Asian neighbours, is subject to rancorous national debate. Polemical assertion by high profile journalists that race was never a driving force in Australian history is not conducive to understanding complex history, nor are derogatory attacks on historians helpful in explaining ....The Construction of Race and Racial Identity at the Antipodes of Empire, 1788-1840. The view that Australia was always a racially based society, pursuing racial policies to the detriment of indigenous Australians and our Asian neighbours, is subject to rancorous national debate. Polemical assertion by high profile journalists that race was never a driving force in Australian history is not conducive to understanding complex history, nor are derogatory attacks on historians helpful in explaining the past to our neighbours. Whether colonial Australia was a race-based society remains to be established. With indigenous uncertainty over the demise of ATSIC and rising antagonism among our Islamic neighbours, there is need, as never before, for dispassionate scholarship to provide a complex interpretation of Australia's past.Read moreRead less
Frank Hurley: The Making of a Modern Cultural Icon. I propose to write a book about Frank Hurley (1885-1962) dealing comprehensively for the first time with his photography, cinematography and writing from the perspective of the new humanities disciplines, and to make an original argument about the significance of his career for modern Australian culture in its international contexts. The book will exemplify a new theory and practice of interdisciplinary research. A second objective is to publis ....Frank Hurley: The Making of a Modern Cultural Icon. I propose to write a book about Frank Hurley (1885-1962) dealing comprehensively for the first time with his photography, cinematography and writing from the perspective of the new humanities disciplines, and to make an original argument about the significance of his career for modern Australian culture in its international contexts. The book will exemplify a new theory and practice of interdisciplinary research. A second objective is to publish an edition of Hurley's diaries. Melbourne University Press have formally expressed interest in both books. The text of the diaries will also be made available on the internet by the Mitchell Library and National Library of Australia. Read moreRead less
Recovered Lives as Windows on the Anglo Colonial World, 1750-1850. In the face of rancorous public debate about our past, there is an urgent need for dispassionate scholarship to provide a complex interpretation of Australia's early history. By considering the settlement of Australia as a process within an interconnected global empire, rather than an isolated event, the project will increase the understanding of our beginnings and inject Australian concerns into the burgeoning international scho ....Recovered Lives as Windows on the Anglo Colonial World, 1750-1850. In the face of rancorous public debate about our past, there is an urgent need for dispassionate scholarship to provide a complex interpretation of Australia's early history. By considering the settlement of Australia as a process within an interconnected global empire, rather than an isolated event, the project will increase the understanding of our beginnings and inject Australian concerns into the burgeoning international scholarship on the Anglo colonial world. By complicating our understanding of race in colonial Australia, the project will challenge the prevailing historical view that Australia has always been a racially-based white society, driven by racially determined policies.Read moreRead less
The child writer: an edition and critical study of Literary Juvenilia. The project will add significantly to the theorization and documentation of children's literary and cultural history. It will contribute to the establishment of Literary Juvenilia in the academy, making it a viable and recognized area of literary research. It will enlarge and alter the critical reception of childhood writings, in particular those of literary professionals. Such a study will also benefit approaches to liter ....The child writer: an edition and critical study of Literary Juvenilia. The project will add significantly to the theorization and documentation of children's literary and cultural history. It will contribute to the establishment of Literary Juvenilia in the academy, making it a viable and recognized area of literary research. It will enlarge and alter the critical reception of childhood writings, in particular those of literary professionals. Such a study will also benefit approaches to literature in schools (the study of juvenilia can be inspiring for young writers); will show-case Australian authors; and, in ranging across national boundaries,will make an innovative contribution to international relations.Read moreRead less
Reverse Diaspora: Australian Expatriate Writers in Britain since the 1830s. The changing relations between Australia and Britain are explored in this project through writers of literature and drama. Reverse Diaspora explores the aspirations, problems and achievements of eighty expatriate Australians who have chosen to live and work in Britain since the early nineteenth century. From one point of view they represent a 'brain drain'; from another they are exporters of Australian ideas, experience ....Reverse Diaspora: Australian Expatriate Writers in Britain since the 1830s. The changing relations between Australia and Britain are explored in this project through writers of literature and drama. Reverse Diaspora explores the aspirations, problems and achievements of eighty expatriate Australians who have chosen to live and work in Britain since the early nineteenth century. From one point of view they represent a 'brain drain'; from another they are exporters of Australian ideas, experience and talent. This study will increase knowledge and understanding of the lives, creative achievements and public impact of Australians abroad. It will enhance Australians' capacity to interpret their national culture in their region and the world.Read moreRead less
Banishing potentates: European colonialists and indigenous rulers in the British and French overseas empires. French and British colonial authorities often banished indigenous rulers in Asia and Africa who resisted foreign overlordship. This project studies the circumstances of their deposition and exile, the fate of exiled rulers and their entourages, and the place of banished 'potentates' in metropolitan and nationalist historiography.
The Young Writer in History. The project will add significantly to the theorization and documentation of children's literary and cultural history. It will contribute to the establishment of Literary Juvenilia in the academy, making it a viable and recognized area of literary research. It will enlarge and alter the critical reception of childhood writings, particularly in the nineteenth-century. It has the potential to radically alter the boundaries of Children's Literature. Such a study will a ....The Young Writer in History. The project will add significantly to the theorization and documentation of children's literary and cultural history. It will contribute to the establishment of Literary Juvenilia in the academy, making it a viable and recognized area of literary research. It will enlarge and alter the critical reception of childhood writings, particularly in the nineteenth-century. It has the potential to radically alter the boundaries of Children's Literature. Such a study will also benefit approaches to literature in schools (the study of Juvenilia can be inspiring for young writers); and will showcase Australian scholarship that is taking the lead in innovative research in international literary studies.Read moreRead less
The Spying Game: Australian Constructions of Espionage. The Spying Game will explore the human dimensions of espionage in the contexts of Australian history and culture. While technological aspects of spying and institutional histories of intelligence and security organisations have been prominent, very few scholarly investigations have been made of the cultures of espionage and the human dilemmas of spying. By investigating the ways in which spying has been understood and represented in Austral ....The Spying Game: Australian Constructions of Espionage. The Spying Game will explore the human dimensions of espionage in the contexts of Australian history and culture. While technological aspects of spying and institutional histories of intelligence and security organisations have been prominent, very few scholarly investigations have been made of the cultures of espionage and the human dilemmas of spying. By investigating the ways in which spying has been understood and represented in Australian society, and comparing these representations with international examples, I will contribute significant new knowledge and understanding of a burgeoning field of employment and activity during a period of crisis for the intelligence community and wider society.Read moreRead less