The African Diaspora and Pentecostalism in Australia. This project aims to investigate the new African Diaspora in Australia and its embrace of Pentecostalism. The African community in Australia has often been associated with poor settlement outcomes, and has also been subject to racialised moral panic regarding so-called ‘African gangs.’ This project will use new methods to understand the role of Pentecostal translocal and transnational networks in supporting African communities to overcome the ....The African Diaspora and Pentecostalism in Australia. This project aims to investigate the new African Diaspora in Australia and its embrace of Pentecostalism. The African community in Australia has often been associated with poor settlement outcomes, and has also been subject to racialised moral panic regarding so-called ‘African gangs.’ This project will use new methods to understand the role of Pentecostal translocal and transnational networks in supporting African communities to overcome the challenges of settlement. The project expects to contribute to policy efforts to improve outcomes for new African arrivals in Australia.Read moreRead less
Objects of possession: artefact transactions in the wet tropics of North Queensland, 1870 -2013. The project's research into artefact collecting will provide Indigenous peoples, museum curators and other community members with important insights into the history of Indigenous cultures in the Wet Tropics region. Our project will contribute to the development of innovative ways of presenting Indigenous peoples' connections with their cultural heritage.
Social geographies of youth action in India. This project aims to examine the nature and effectiveness of pre-figurative action among youth in north India. Over the past decade, social movements have risen in which young people try to prefigure their desired better society, while “being the change you want to see in the world” to try to alter social life is common. This project will examine how young people’s efforts to “be the change” in education, health, infrastructure and work might be chang ....Social geographies of youth action in India. This project aims to examine the nature and effectiveness of pre-figurative action among youth in north India. Over the past decade, social movements have risen in which young people try to prefigure their desired better society, while “being the change you want to see in the world” to try to alter social life is common. This project will examine how young people’s efforts to “be the change” in education, health, infrastructure and work might be changing the social landscape. It expects to contribute to scholarly and public understanding of youth and development in Australia and globally.Read moreRead less
The Commercialization of Ritual and Transformation of Kinship in Urban China. This project analyses transformations in the practice of kinship in urban China by examining the commercial enterprises that conduct funerals and weddings. Through a focus on the imagination of kinship performed in these rituals, it will address major scholarly debates on three topics: the relationship between urbanisation and practices of kinship; the wider social ramifications of the commercialisation of ritual; and ....The Commercialization of Ritual and Transformation of Kinship in Urban China. This project analyses transformations in the practice of kinship in urban China by examining the commercial enterprises that conduct funerals and weddings. Through a focus on the imagination of kinship performed in these rituals, it will address major scholarly debates on three topics: the relationship between urbanisation and practices of kinship; the wider social ramifications of the commercialisation of ritual; and how to theorise Chinese modernity. In addition to contributing to theoretical debates, the project will make a major empirical contribution to China studies by providing the first systematic depiction of contemporary urban funerals.Read moreRead less
Epigenetics and Indigenous Australia. This project aims to investigate how epigenetics is being received by Indigenous Australians, and to identify the potential risks and opportunities that narratives of biosocial damage entail. Epigenetics is a rapidly evolving science concerned with how life experiences, such as trauma or stress, can modify DNA and be passed on to negatively affect children's (and possibly grandchildren's) health and development. This project will offer an understanding of th ....Epigenetics and Indigenous Australia. This project aims to investigate how epigenetics is being received by Indigenous Australians, and to identify the potential risks and opportunities that narratives of biosocial damage entail. Epigenetics is a rapidly evolving science concerned with how life experiences, such as trauma or stress, can modify DNA and be passed on to negatively affect children's (and possibly grandchildren's) health and development. This project will offer an understanding of the relationships between Indigenous health and epigenetics that will help Indigenous researchers, policymakers, and government bodies make well-informed decisions about the application and direction of this new science. The research will make a significant contribution to understanding how the interplay of biology, race, and society unfold at the intersection of different knowledge systems and at the forefront of technological progress.Read moreRead less
Reconciling biological and social Indigeneity in the genomic era. Advances in genomics are expected to have profound impacts on contemporary identities, including Indigeneity. A focus on social processes since the 1970s has left scholarship on Indigenous identity ill-equipped to grapple with the consequences of the genomic era. Drawing on multidisciplinary expertise, Indigenous and non-Indigenous investigators intend to examine biological and social influences on Indigeneity in narratives of sel ....Reconciling biological and social Indigeneity in the genomic era. Advances in genomics are expected to have profound impacts on contemporary identities, including Indigeneity. A focus on social processes since the 1970s has left scholarship on Indigenous identity ill-equipped to grapple with the consequences of the genomic era. Drawing on multidisciplinary expertise, Indigenous and non-Indigenous investigators intend to examine biological and social influences on Indigeneity in narratives of self-presentation and in two fields currently being transformed by genomics: ancestry testing and repatriation. The project is expected to develop and test a biosocial model of Indigeneity to enhance existing knowledge of Indigenous identification as a critical factor in monitoring and improving the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people.Read moreRead less
Digital Commemoration. This project investigates the interrelated commemorative practices, technology platforms, and social formations associated with digital commemoration. The urgency of this project arises as diverse forms of digital commemoration are increasingly used to express grief, solidarity and community, but are also a source of public and often personal disquiet. Digital commemoration is an emerging and often controversial practice with important implications for social institutions, ....Digital Commemoration. This project investigates the interrelated commemorative practices, technology platforms, and social formations associated with digital commemoration. The urgency of this project arises as diverse forms of digital commemoration are increasingly used to express grief, solidarity and community, but are also a source of public and often personal disquiet. Digital commemoration is an emerging and often controversial practice with important implications for social institutions, cultural conventions and personal values. This study makes a timely evidence-based contribution to an understanding of changing commemorative practices, their digital mediation, and the interactions between them.Read moreRead less
Connecting Indigenous Community Photographies: a transnational case study. The project aims to conduct the first transnational comparison of Indigenous community-controlled photography, exploring Indigenous peoples’ ways of seeing and documenting their worlds. The project seeks to significantly advance Australian and global understanding of Indigenous vernacular photography through investigating formerly unexplored private collections of images created by Indigenous photographers during the mid ....Connecting Indigenous Community Photographies: a transnational case study. The project aims to conduct the first transnational comparison of Indigenous community-controlled photography, exploring Indigenous peoples’ ways of seeing and documenting their worlds. The project seeks to significantly advance Australian and global understanding of Indigenous vernacular photography through investigating formerly unexplored private collections of images created by Indigenous photographers during the mid 20th Century in four communities across three countries. One of the outcomes of the project is a nuanced visual history that cannot be excavated from other sources. The benefits of this project include public exhibitions, a book, symposiums, and a scholarly anthology that encourages the public’s connection with the past.Read moreRead less
Male sex workers and their clients. This project aims to study male sex workers’ relationships with their clients to evaluate how individual agency mitigates risks and dangers. Developments in biomedical HIV prevention can prevent infections but may also change sexual norms and the sexual marketplace for male sex workers and their clients. These changes align with rising rates of crystal methamphetamine use and online technologies in commercial sex encounters. As male sex work changes, a gap exi ....Male sex workers and their clients. This project aims to study male sex workers’ relationships with their clients to evaluate how individual agency mitigates risks and dangers. Developments in biomedical HIV prevention can prevent infections but may also change sexual norms and the sexual marketplace for male sex workers and their clients. These changes align with rising rates of crystal methamphetamine use and online technologies in commercial sex encounters. As male sex work changes, a gap exists in understanding how men negotiate commercial sex encounters. This project expects to inform policies and practices to protect male sex workers’ health and safety, and provide public health information about HIV prevention and illicit drug use in sex work.Read moreRead less
Faith in Development: Religion, Gender and Resource Extraction in PNG. Australia’s neighbour, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in PNG, is about to become the world's newest nation. The proposed reopening of a highly divisive copper mine to finance its independence raises pressing economic and political issues for Australia. Both in Bougainville and its diaspora in Australia, people are passionate about Bougainville's future. But what kind of development do they aspire to and why? This coll ....Faith in Development: Religion, Gender and Resource Extraction in PNG. Australia’s neighbour, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in PNG, is about to become the world's newest nation. The proposed reopening of a highly divisive copper mine to finance its independence raises pressing economic and political issues for Australia. Both in Bougainville and its diaspora in Australia, people are passionate about Bougainville's future. But what kind of development do they aspire to and why? This collaborative, interdisciplinary and multi-sited project aims to examine the neglected roles of religion and gender in shaping people's 'faith' in development. The expected outcomes will improve understanding of Bougainvillean notions of development, facilitating better frameworks for development practices and outcomes.Read moreRead less