Popular Cultures and Social Change: Case Studies from Rural Queensland. Two APAI students will study patterns of popular cultural participation and performance in rural/regional Queensland based on selected case studies. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the Queensland Museum and the State Library of Queensland. Two independent but complementary PhD topics will analyse contrasting forms of popular culture and contrasting rural/regional places across periods of major social cha ....Popular Cultures and Social Change: Case Studies from Rural Queensland. Two APAI students will study patterns of popular cultural participation and performance in rural/regional Queensland based on selected case studies. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the Queensland Museum and the State Library of Queensland. Two independent but complementary PhD topics will analyse contrasting forms of popular culture and contrasting rural/regional places across periods of major social change in the 1960s-70s and 1990s-present. The research will examine the major dynamics affecting old and new forms of popular culture in rural/regional Queensland and the role of popular cultures in identity and community building.Read moreRead less
Middle Classes, New Media and Indie Networks in Post Authoritarian Indonesia. The study shall deepen Australians' appreciation of a little-known but strategically-placed facet of Indonesian society. It shall enhance understanding of the opinions, worldviews and cultural productions of young Indonesians, and of the culturally specific character of their digital engagements. In its focus on urban middle class Indonesians, the project shall produce new and detailed knowledge about the cultures and ....Middle Classes, New Media and Indie Networks in Post Authoritarian Indonesia. The study shall deepen Australians' appreciation of a little-known but strategically-placed facet of Indonesian society. It shall enhance understanding of the opinions, worldviews and cultural productions of young Indonesians, and of the culturally specific character of their digital engagements. In its focus on urban middle class Indonesians, the project shall produce new and detailed knowledge about the cultures and lifestyles of one of Australia's most important higher education markets, and its role in the society. Finally, the project shall deepen the Australian public's understandings of Indonesia as an increasingly complex, disjunctive society.Read moreRead less
Australian television and popular memory: new approaches to the cultural history of the media in the project of nation-building. Despite its importance to our everyday lives since the 1950s, there is no history of television's role in Australian popular culture. This project will develop a series of collaborative histories that focus upon the popular experience of television and in particular its role in forming national culture. The research will not only involve conventional academic sources, ....Australian television and popular memory: new approaches to the cultural history of the media in the project of nation-building. Despite its importance to our everyday lives since the 1950s, there is no history of television's role in Australian popular culture. This project will develop a series of collaborative histories that focus upon the popular experience of television and in particular its role in forming national culture. The research will not only involve conventional academic sources, but also those connected with 'the people': memories, memorabilia, personal collections as well as the full range of popular and ephemeral publications which support the popular engagement with the medium. The project is the first to examine television's historical role in our national life.Read moreRead less
Photography and eugenics: an historical investigation of photography's role in the development and popularisation of the eugenics movement. This project analyses the uses of racial type photographs by the eugenics movement. Photography was used as a scientific tool by eugenicists but this project is primarily concerned with its role in popularising and legitimating a movement that won widespread acceptance between c.1870 and WW2. It will explore the techniques, media forms, aims and effects of B ....Photography and eugenics: an historical investigation of photography's role in the development and popularisation of the eugenics movement. This project analyses the uses of racial type photographs by the eugenics movement. Photography was used as a scientific tool by eugenicists but this project is primarily concerned with its role in popularising and legitimating a movement that won widespread acceptance between c.1870 and WW2. It will explore the techniques, media forms, aims and effects of British, American and German eugenic photography and compare eugenics photography with the use of photography in contemporary liberal anthropology. The project will result in a groundbreaking monograph on a topic which will make a major contribution to our understanding of the history of racism.Read moreRead less
Global Citizenship and the Agency of the Museum Sector in Climate Change Interventions. Australia plays an important role in the global response to climate change. This project will benefit Australian communities by building capacity to more effectively respond to and make informed decisions about climate change by looking to the museum sector as change-agents, well-equipped to operate as a global network. It will develop institutional capacity to communicate high-level state of the art knowledg ....Global Citizenship and the Agency of the Museum Sector in Climate Change Interventions. Australia plays an important role in the global response to climate change. This project will benefit Australian communities by building capacity to more effectively respond to and make informed decisions about climate change by looking to the museum sector as change-agents, well-equipped to operate as a global network. It will develop institutional capacity to communicate high-level state of the art knowledge about climate change to produce better informed citizens; provide forums where diverse interests can meet; and produce new avenues for Australian communities to interact and contribute to local and global debates and decision-making on climate change.Read moreRead less
Open Cities: urban citizenship in Sydney and Berlin. This collaboration will contribute directly to National Research Priority "Safeguarding Australia: Understanding our region and the world". By analysing the differential dynamics of cultural citizenship in global cities such as Sydney, researchers, community service providers and policymakers will be given contemporary knowledge to invigorate their efforts to create and maintain a shared sense of security and belonging in a highly diverse cont ....Open Cities: urban citizenship in Sydney and Berlin. This collaboration will contribute directly to National Research Priority "Safeguarding Australia: Understanding our region and the world". By analysing the differential dynamics of cultural citizenship in global cities such as Sydney, researchers, community service providers and policymakers will be given contemporary knowledge to invigorate their efforts to create and maintain a shared sense of security and belonging in a highly diverse context. Drawing upon the latest research from European contexts will add rigour and validity to the research program and open opportunities for connecting with emerging EU research priorities concerned with managing identity formation across national boundaries.Read moreRead less
The Art of Engagement: Exploring a contemporary arts -business collaboration. This project will promote an innovation culture and economy by developing new modes of creative collaboration between businesses, artists and local communities. It will provide new knowledge, relevant for arts/cultural policymaking, on how the creativity of contemporary artists can connect with and lead social, economic, community and regional development endeavours, thus enhancing the work, relevance and sustainabilit ....The Art of Engagement: Exploring a contemporary arts -business collaboration. This project will promote an innovation culture and economy by developing new modes of creative collaboration between businesses, artists and local communities. It will provide new knowledge, relevant for arts/cultural policymaking, on how the creativity of contemporary artists can connect with and lead social, economic, community and regional development endeavours, thus enhancing the work, relevance and sustainability of art museums and galleries in the twenty-first century.Read moreRead less
Pop Cultures in Indonesia: a New Asian Politics of Pleasure and Identity. The study addresses one of National Research Priorities (Goal 4 'Safeguarding Australia'), by better 'understanding our region and the world', and boosting Australia's 'soft power'. Recent changes in Indonesia render much of our knowledge about that society outdated. The study will deliver a significant contribution to the urgent revitalisation of Indonesian and cultural studies. It will hopefully elevate the quality of ou ....Pop Cultures in Indonesia: a New Asian Politics of Pleasure and Identity. The study addresses one of National Research Priorities (Goal 4 'Safeguarding Australia'), by better 'understanding our region and the world', and boosting Australia's 'soft power'. Recent changes in Indonesia render much of our knowledge about that society outdated. The study will deliver a significant contribution to the urgent revitalisation of Indonesian and cultural studies. It will hopefully elevate the quality of our public debate about the world's largest Muslim populated country and Australia's neighbour, by paying serious and overdue attention to the brightest sides of contemporary Indonesia that have occupied the minds of one hundred millions or so ordinary people there.Read moreRead less
Isolation, illness and the Internet: Exploring the possibility of a second life for sufferers of ME. Chronic illnesses affect not only the suffering parties but also the general population by draining the workforce and increasing the burden on our social support systems. This study addresses our national priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health by analysing the support structures that are available for those who face isolation resulting from chronic illnesses. It will strengthen this fa ....Isolation, illness and the Internet: Exploring the possibility of a second life for sufferers of ME. Chronic illnesses affect not only the suffering parties but also the general population by draining the workforce and increasing the burden on our social support systems. This study addresses our national priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health by analysing the support structures that are available for those who face isolation resulting from chronic illnesses. It will strengthen this fabric by creating and piloting a virtual forum which will have direct, meaningful effects beyond the reaches of the study. The transnational nature of the research will enhance Australia's international profile in the area, forging links and improving information sharing regarding the use of the Internet to manage chronic illnesses.Read moreRead less
Popular music and cultural memory: Localised popular music histories and their significance for national music industries. This project provides a public space for audience members in local communities in Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, UK and USA to share their memories of local popular music heritage. By privileging these voices, the project has the potential to develop and strengthen community cohesion and also raise questions of how these voices might be incorporated into the production ....Popular music and cultural memory: Localised popular music histories and their significance for national music industries. This project provides a public space for audience members in local communities in Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, UK and USA to share their memories of local popular music heritage. By privileging these voices, the project has the potential to develop and strengthen community cohesion and also raise questions of how these voices might be incorporated into the production and distribution practices of Australia's music industry. Our findings will feed into current debates about the importance of local histories in a national context and point to possible economic benefits through cultural tourism and leisure outlets, for example, community-based exhibitions and guided tours focusing on local popular music history and heritage.Read moreRead less