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The Two Frank Thrings. A study of two lives in the context of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia. This dual biography of F.W.Thring (1882-1936), stage and cinema entrepreneur, and his actor son Frank (1926-94), will explore two remarkable lives in relation to their performance culture and society. It will provide the first scholarly biography of both men, and through them will illuminate the history of Australian cinema and musical theatre, investigate issues of distinctively n ....The Two Frank Thrings. A study of two lives in the context of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia. This dual biography of F.W.Thring (1882-1936), stage and cinema entrepreneur, and his actor son Frank (1926-94), will explore two remarkable lives in relation to their performance culture and society. It will provide the first scholarly biography of both men, and through them will illuminate the history of Australian cinema and musical theatre, investigate issues of distinctively national iconography and voice, and examine the complex interactions between industrial/economic forces and artistic vision. Its principal outcome will be a book that should add significantly to our knowledge of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia, and to continuing debates in the arts.Read moreRead less
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
A study of the scholarship on Indonesia in Australia and its implications for foreign policy. This project explores Australia's scholarly engagement with Indonesia and the impact of disciplinary, political and moral influences on their interpretations and knowledge. The importance of Indonesia for Australia has never been more acute. The impact of instability in Indonesia on Australia's own security and place in the region cannot be understated. It is essential that we have the tools for interpr ....A study of the scholarship on Indonesia in Australia and its implications for foreign policy. This project explores Australia's scholarly engagement with Indonesia and the impact of disciplinary, political and moral influences on their interpretations and knowledge. The importance of Indonesia for Australia has never been more acute. The impact of instability in Indonesia on Australia's own security and place in the region cannot be understated. It is essential that we have the tools for interpreting and understanding cultural, religious and political differences. Australian scholars have a deep and lasting engagement with Indonesia. Investigation of the debates within the field of Indonesian studies will help us to interpret better the perceptions and politics informing our study.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
Judith Anderson 1897-1992: Voice and Emotion in the Making of an International Star. Australian-born Dame Judith Anderson was considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. Renowned for her thrilling voice and portrayal of deep emotion and illicit sexuality and power, she influenced how women looked, spoke, and felt from the early 1920s through her roles on Broadway and in Hollywood films. This biography will preserve and make accessible a valuable part of our cultural heritage ....Judith Anderson 1897-1992: Voice and Emotion in the Making of an International Star. Australian-born Dame Judith Anderson was considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. Renowned for her thrilling voice and portrayal of deep emotion and illicit sexuality and power, she influenced how women looked, spoke, and felt from the early 1920s through her roles on Broadway and in Hollywood films. This biography will preserve and make accessible a valuable part of our cultural heritage. It will give Australians and Americans a better understanding of the two-way cultural relationship between their two countries. It will help place Australian scholarship at the cutting edge of historical research on twentieth century auditory culture.Read moreRead less
Australian Stage Comedians 1915-1930: Configuring a Comic National Identity. This project aims to make a major contribution to Australian cultural history by examining the origins of what has often been described as the distinctive Australian sense of humour.
While elements of this national characteristic emerged in colonial times, including an emphasis on stoicism, self-deprecation and the contradictions of existence (e.g. in Steele Rudd's and Henry Lawson's stories), this project will incre ....Australian Stage Comedians 1915-1930: Configuring a Comic National Identity. This project aims to make a major contribution to Australian cultural history by examining the origins of what has often been described as the distinctive Australian sense of humour.
While elements of this national characteristic emerged in colonial times, including an emphasis on stoicism, self-deprecation and the contradictions of existence (e.g. in Steele Rudd's and Henry Lawson's stories), this project will increase community awareness of how stage comedians during and after the First World War focused these tendencies into a distinctive emphasis on the comedy of everyday experience, and on maintaining a tough-minded optimism in adversity. Read moreRead less
Companion to Tasmanian History. The Companion to Tasmanian History will be a comprehensive, accessible encyclopedia, covering all topics of Tasmanian history. It will include twenty longer thematic essays and 730 factual entries, many containing new material about topics on which little research has been done.
No work like this has ever been produced, and it will provide Tasmanians with information about every aspect of their past, as much-praised Companions to South Australian and Australian ....Companion to Tasmanian History. The Companion to Tasmanian History will be a comprehensive, accessible encyclopedia, covering all topics of Tasmanian history. It will include twenty longer thematic essays and 730 factual entries, many containing new material about topics on which little research has been done.
No work like this has ever been produced, and it will provide Tasmanians with information about every aspect of their past, as much-praised Companions to South Australian and Australian History have done. Published in printed and CR-Rom format, its audiences will include the general public, students and academic researchers, ensuring the widest possible dissemination of the project's pioneering findings.
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Between State and World: A History of the National Council of Women of Australia 1931-2006. This project brings together academic historians and women active in the National Council of Women of Australia to write its history. The Council and the broad community of women whom it represents benefit by the validation of their shared memories and their sense of common purpose. The Australian community benefits from the renewal of social capital and the culture of political participation pursued by t ....Between State and World: A History of the National Council of Women of Australia 1931-2006. This project brings together academic historians and women active in the National Council of Women of Australia to write its history. The Council and the broad community of women whom it represents benefit by the validation of their shared memories and their sense of common purpose. The Australian community benefits from the renewal of social capital and the culture of political participation pursued by the Council and now celebrated in its history. And the nation benefits from a new knowledge of the role in national and international policy-making played by the largest coalition of its women citizens.Read moreRead less
Political careers: a cohort analysis. The work of our MPs has influential effects on the lives of all of us. An informed citizenry deserves to have a close understanding of the nature of that work and of the people who undertake it. This research will provide that opportunity. Informed understanding could encourage greater esteem for politicians and more realistic expectations of what they can achieve in politics. For those aspiring to political careers, this comprehensive study will detail the ....Political careers: a cohort analysis. The work of our MPs has influential effects on the lives of all of us. An informed citizenry deserves to have a close understanding of the nature of that work and of the people who undertake it. This research will provide that opportunity. Informed understanding could encourage greater esteem for politicians and more realistic expectations of what they can achieve in politics. For those aspiring to political careers, this comprehensive study will detail the potentials and the limitations of their intended course. Analysts of parliament and of social change will benefit from this case study in social history.Read moreRead less
Australian politicians and the uses of history: from Federation to the present. While competing interpretations of Australian history occasionally attract controversy, there is a need for a comprehensive analysis, over time, of the significance of histories and history-making for Australian politicians. In taking the longer view of Australian political speech and thought since the Federation, this study will provide a stronger foundation for both political engagement with historical themes and p ....Australian politicians and the uses of history: from Federation to the present. While competing interpretations of Australian history occasionally attract controversy, there is a need for a comprehensive analysis, over time, of the significance of histories and history-making for Australian politicians. In taking the longer view of Australian political speech and thought since the Federation, this study will provide a stronger foundation for both political engagement with historical themes and public appreciation of the continuing role of history in contemporary policy debates. It will add depth to public understanding of political dialogue and how it is informed by national and international histories.Read moreRead less