The Formation and Development of Chinese Philosophy as an Academic Discipline in Twentieth Century China. It is in Australia's national interest to pay close attention to the orientation of intellectual and political currents in China and to how these currents are increasingly merging and interacting. This project will enhance our capacity to interpret and engage with our regional environment by contributing to a clearer understanding of the changing relationship between Chinese intellectual tra ....The Formation and Development of Chinese Philosophy as an Academic Discipline in Twentieth Century China. It is in Australia's national interest to pay close attention to the orientation of intellectual and political currents in China and to how these currents are increasingly merging and interacting. This project will enhance our capacity to interpret and engage with our regional environment by contributing to a clearer understanding of the changing relationship between Chinese intellectual traditions and cultural identity. A commitment to understanding what Chinese philosophy means to China's educated elite also demonstrates a willingness to foster dialogue and communication that is sensitive to the intellectual and cultural traditions which are a source of pride and identity for several of our major regional partners. Read moreRead less
Community and identity in post-war European philosophy. This project will evaluate the political notions of community and identity in post-war European philosophy. Recent developments in international political relations have challenged accepted Western understandings of politics as the business of nation states. This project contends that there is much to be learnt in this regard from post-war European political philosophy. A notion of community has been developed that is irreducible to a polit ....Community and identity in post-war European philosophy. This project will evaluate the political notions of community and identity in post-war European philosophy. Recent developments in international political relations have challenged accepted Western understandings of politics as the business of nation states. This project contends that there is much to be learnt in this regard from post-war European political philosophy. A notion of community has been developed that is irreducible to a politics of identity and the anonymity of the global. In exploring this notion, the project aims to expand the intellectual instruments available to academic and public discussion in Australia.Read moreRead less
A philosophical examination of how bodies support communal bonds and how these bonds can be disrupted. By explaining how bodies support open senses of belonging with others and to places, this project accounts for a key element of the social fabric that is usually overlooked in cognitive models of social and political interaction. This grounding of community in the corporeal and affective exposes a range of ways that communal bonds can be threatened or weakened which would be otherwise left out ....A philosophical examination of how bodies support communal bonds and how these bonds can be disrupted. By explaining how bodies support open senses of belonging with others and to places, this project accounts for a key element of the social fabric that is usually overlooked in cognitive models of social and political interaction. This grounding of community in the corporeal and affective exposes a range of ways that communal bonds can be threatened or weakened which would be otherwise left out of account. The study thereby points to the political conditions necessary to foster vibrant, healthy, and ethical community.Read moreRead less
The Concept of Innocence and the Political Community: Australian identity and social health. In recent years, dispute, and even violence, has erupted in Australia between cultural groups and interests. By analysing the import of 'innocence' in Western social thought, and the cultural values corresponding to it, the project promotes a rethinking of the assumptions that underpin (and often undermine) relations between different cultures that make up the Australian community. In so doing, the proje ....The Concept of Innocence and the Political Community: Australian identity and social health. In recent years, dispute, and even violence, has erupted in Australia between cultural groups and interests. By analysing the import of 'innocence' in Western social thought, and the cultural values corresponding to it, the project promotes a rethinking of the assumptions that underpin (and often undermine) relations between different cultures that make up the Australian community. In so doing, the project addresses urgent questions posed by contemporary philosophy, and implicitly within Australian society, regarding the negotiation of differences between citizens and communities. The project thereby contributes to Australia's reputation in the field of social philosophy, particularly concerning cultural difference.Read moreRead less
Between the Outback and the Sea: The Place of Cosmopolitanism in Contemporary Australia. 'Place' is an increasingly contested and problematic notion. In contemporary Australia, it arises as a central issue in relations between the indigenous and the 'settled'; between the refugee and the citizen; between the regional and the international. By focusing on the idea of the 'cosmopolitan' as it arises in the Australian context, and particularly with respect to the built environment (often neglected ....Between the Outback and the Sea: The Place of Cosmopolitanism in Contemporary Australia. 'Place' is an increasingly contested and problematic notion. In contemporary Australia, it arises as a central issue in relations between the indigenous and the 'settled'; between the refugee and the citizen; between the regional and the international. By focusing on the idea of the 'cosmopolitan' as it arises in the Australian context, and particularly with respect to the built environment (often neglected in favour of the concepts of 'land' or 'wilderness'), the project will enable a reconfiguration of the significance and meaning of place for ideas of citizenship and identity.
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