Ancient DNA from cave sediments: a new horizon in the archaeology of Aboriginal Australia. Archaeological cave deposits at Devil's Lair and nearby sites in south-west Western Australia document 48,000 years of occupation by the first Australians. Using ancient DNA isolated from cave sediment the project will identify the diversity of plants and animals, thereby providing new insights into past environments and Aboriginal hunter-gatherer practices.
Breaking Down Tradition: Women in male-dominated work, 1840-2000. Using historical analysis, this project aims to illuminate the endurance of sex-segregated work over more than 150 years. It plans to focus on particular occupations in Britain and Australia to identify the processes and agents of change and document the experiences of women. The project aims to trace the origins of workplace cultures which excluded women, and the circulation of ideas about occupations subsequently designated as ‘ ....Breaking Down Tradition: Women in male-dominated work, 1840-2000. Using historical analysis, this project aims to illuminate the endurance of sex-segregated work over more than 150 years. It plans to focus on particular occupations in Britain and Australia to identify the processes and agents of change and document the experiences of women. The project aims to trace the origins of workplace cultures which excluded women, and the circulation of ideas about occupations subsequently designated as ‘non-traditional’ for them. Expected outcomes are new insights into the history of women's experience of work and the factors that shape contemporary pay inequities, which may recast current understandings of gender in the workplace.Read moreRead less
Ochre archaeomicrobiology: a new tool for understanding Aboriginal exchange. This project aims to identify the origins and movements of Australian archaeological ochre through the development of a novel tool combining genomic and chemical analysis. The geographic distribution of Australian ochre is closely linked to Aboriginal creation stories, while its physical distribution by people is evidence of cultural cooperation. Using this new archaeomicrobiological technique, the project aims to answe ....Ochre archaeomicrobiology: a new tool for understanding Aboriginal exchange. This project aims to identify the origins and movements of Australian archaeological ochre through the development of a novel tool combining genomic and chemical analysis. The geographic distribution of Australian ochre is closely linked to Aboriginal creation stories, while its physical distribution by people is evidence of cultural cooperation. Using this new archaeomicrobiological technique, the project aims to answer significant questions about past human behaviour, in terms of trade, cultural interactions, territoriality and colonisation. The method also has the potential to benefit traditional owners by contributing to repatriation projects. The collaborative detailed recording, sampling and analysis of ochre sources on traditional lands will also assist Aboriginal communities to manage this important aspect of their cultural heritage.Read moreRead less
Homelessness and the homeless people: an Australian history. This project aims to analyse understandings of and practices for homeless people in their shifting contexts to explore the changing profile and experience of people who were homeless, including the women, young people and Indigenous people. Australia will be used as a case study. The project expects to generate new knowledge of the long history of modern homelessness. The expected benefits will be both in public policy and in improving ....Homelessness and the homeless people: an Australian history. This project aims to analyse understandings of and practices for homeless people in their shifting contexts to explore the changing profile and experience of people who were homeless, including the women, young people and Indigenous people. Australia will be used as a case study. The project expects to generate new knowledge of the long history of modern homelessness. The expected benefits will be both in public policy and in improving the quality of life and workforce participation of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming so.Read moreRead less
Bold Experiment: an historical evaluation of the Australian Assistance Plan. Australia and similar western democracies continue to wrestle with growing citizen disengagement with political processes and declining levels of active participation in society. This project is expected to provide the first historical examination of the Australian Assistance Plan (AAP), an innovative yet forgotten program from the 1970s. The AAP sought to reframe participation at a local level, stimulate voluntary orga ....Bold Experiment: an historical evaluation of the Australian Assistance Plan. Australia and similar western democracies continue to wrestle with growing citizen disengagement with political processes and declining levels of active participation in society. This project is expected to provide the first historical examination of the Australian Assistance Plan (AAP), an innovative yet forgotten program from the 1970s. The AAP sought to reframe participation at a local level, stimulate voluntary organisations and provide a framework that engaged with all levels of governments. Using archival sources and oral history methods, the project seeks to offer a new interpretation of an important initiative in Australian history and demonstrate how historical analysis can inform policy and shape debates in government and non-profit sectors in the future.Read moreRead less
The Irish in colonial Australia: race, representation and repression. This project analyses depictions of poor Irish Catholics as a threatening and uncivilised 'race' in the early years of Australian settlement and how they overcame this stigma to be seen as part of the founding British white 'race'. Outcomes will advance our understanding of how marginalised migrant groups become included in Australian society.
The development of Australian community psychiatry. This project aims to analyse recent developments in Australian psychiatry by considering their broader social, cultural, and political contexts. In the 1970s, Australian psychiatry, primarily based in mental hospital care, came under sustained critique by psychologists, psychiatrists interested in developing alternative treatment methods, and broader social movements. This project will investigate how psychiatrists, psychologists, and other men ....The development of Australian community psychiatry. This project aims to analyse recent developments in Australian psychiatry by considering their broader social, cultural, and political contexts. In the 1970s, Australian psychiatry, primarily based in mental hospital care, came under sustained critique by psychologists, psychiatrists interested in developing alternative treatment methods, and broader social movements. This project will investigate how psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals aimed to change mental hospital care and develop community psychiatry to provide alternatives. The project will examine the initiatives of the pioneers in Australian community psychiatry and its relationship to the broader deinstitutionalisation movement. The project will also analyse the resulting changes in research and practice.Read moreRead less
The dynamics of human environment interactions in late Pleistocene and Holocene highland New Guinea: a study of the Ivane valley. The project will investigate how access to starchy plant foods facilitated the movement of colonizing peoples into new environments, and was critical to survival in Sahul (Ice Age Australia/New Guinea). It will aid in understanding the dynamics of human responses to the impacts of climate change.
Remaking Wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin, 1800 to the Present. Focusing on four case study sites, this project aims to provide in-depth histories of key Australian wetlands with a particular focus on the changing and diverse uses, knowledge and values that have shaped these places. The Murray–Darling Basin is one of the key sites in which Australia’s agricultural, environmental and social future is taking shape, often through drawn-out process of contestation. Within this vast area, wetland ....Remaking Wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin, 1800 to the Present. Focusing on four case study sites, this project aims to provide in-depth histories of key Australian wetlands with a particular focus on the changing and diverse uses, knowledge and values that have shaped these places. The Murray–Darling Basin is one of the key sites in which Australia’s agricultural, environmental and social future is taking shape, often through drawn-out process of contestation. Within this vast area, wetlands stand out as places rich in resources as well as in biodiversity. The project aims to contextualise competing visions for the future, inform current management, develop novel approaches to authority and knowledge, and nurture exciting new directions in environmental history and the humanities.Read moreRead less
Place, pastoralism and Indigenous experience on Cape York Peninsula: a critical exploration of one hundred years of anthropological data collection. Using anthropological and archaeological techniques, this project addresses conceptualisations of place on Cape York Peninsula over the last hundred years, with particular reference to the pastoral industry. It will result in renewed understandings of the importance of place in cross-cultural experience in northern Australia.