Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL130100111
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,163,655.00
Summary
The wellsprings of linguistic diversity. A quarter of the world's languages are spoken in our region. This project tackles the riddle of why there are so many languages in parts of the world like Australia and New Guinea, and so few in others. Understanding the causes of language diversity will help the countries and communities in our region maintain their rich linguistic heritage.
Significances of 'childhood' in postcolonial Australia. This project aims to investigate the rhetorical and political use of the figure of the Aboriginal child as a site of mediation in efforts to reconcile cultural tensions in Australia, particularly between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Utilising an interdisciplinary critical analysis of concepts of childhood, the expected outcomes of the project include enhanced understanding of the specific character of injury inflicted upon Abo ....Significances of 'childhood' in postcolonial Australia. This project aims to investigate the rhetorical and political use of the figure of the Aboriginal child as a site of mediation in efforts to reconcile cultural tensions in Australia, particularly between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Utilising an interdisciplinary critical analysis of concepts of childhood, the expected outcomes of the project include enhanced understanding of the specific character of injury inflicted upon Aboriginal communities through interventions targeting their children, such as their removal into out of home care. This should provide significant benefits to the contemporary social project of reconciliation, through increasing critical attention to the part of cultural misunderstanding in perpetuating Aboriginal disadvantage.Read moreRead less
Museum, field, metropolis, colony: practices of social governance. This project studies early twentieth-century Australian museums comparatively by considering parallel developments in Europe, North America, and New Zealand. Examining the relations between anthropological collections and social governance in colonial and metropolitan settings, it highlights the roles of museums in culturally diverse societies.
Malay Music and Dance from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island. In the Indian Ocean Territories of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island live the oldest established Malay-Muslim communities within the Commonwealth of Australia. This project examines the history and practice of Malay music traditions through a pioneering ethnomusicological study of music and dance, examining these traditions as key factors in preserving and strengthening unique cultural identities. It also ....Malay Music and Dance from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island. In the Indian Ocean Territories of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island live the oldest established Malay-Muslim communities within the Commonwealth of Australia. This project examines the history and practice of Malay music traditions through a pioneering ethnomusicological study of music and dance, examining these traditions as key factors in preserving and strengthening unique cultural identities. It also considers how Malay music culture was transplanted to these islands from the nineteenth century onwards. Planned research outputs include the first scholarly articles on these topics, public performances and lectures, a conference and a documentary film investigating the social contexts and cultural meaning of Malay music on the islands.Read moreRead less
Opening Australia's Multilingual Archive. Australian Anglocentrism raises important questions about the dynamics of living in a multilingual society. This project aims to mobilise Australia’s considerable and under-utilised non-English language resources in order to rethink our migrant and settler history. It asks what difference language makes in the ways people engage with, and ultimately think of themselves as ‘Australian’ or not. For the first time, a rich multilingual archive will be used t ....Opening Australia's Multilingual Archive. Australian Anglocentrism raises important questions about the dynamics of living in a multilingual society. This project aims to mobilise Australia’s considerable and under-utilised non-English language resources in order to rethink our migrant and settler history. It asks what difference language makes in the ways people engage with, and ultimately think of themselves as ‘Australian’ or not. For the first time, a rich multilingual archive will be used to examine Australia’s history from non-English perspectives. Outcomes include a framework outlining the role of language diversity in shaping Australian identity which will equip scholars, policymakers and the public to confront the challenge of cultural pluralism today. Read moreRead less
Exploring the middle ground: new histories of cross-cultural encounters in Australian maritime and land exploration. This project seeks to reinvigorate Australian exploration history by examining it through the lens of cross-cultural encounters and relations. This will bring to the fore the experience of Aboriginal people who came into contact with explorers, as well as the experience of Aboriginal people who participated in exploration parties.
The legacy of 50 years of collecting at Milingimbi Mission. This project will bring life to Aboriginal material collections made at Milingimbi, in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. A model for museums and Aboriginal people will be made that will give more Aboriginal authority over collections and benefits the museum's knowledge base.
Migration, Cultural Diversity and Television: Reflecting Modern Australia. This project seeks to document the evolving history of popular television and its contribution to national discussions about migration, cultural diversity and citizenship. The project will endeavour to examine selected television programs that depict the contemporary nation and their representations of cultural diversity across six decades. The project intends to take a cross-disciplinary approach that will combine the cr ....Migration, Cultural Diversity and Television: Reflecting Modern Australia. This project seeks to document the evolving history of popular television and its contribution to national discussions about migration, cultural diversity and citizenship. The project will endeavour to examine selected television programs that depict the contemporary nation and their representations of cultural diversity across six decades. The project intends to take a cross-disciplinary approach that will combine the critical examination of production processes and program content with the personal perspectives of inter-generational migrant communities, youth and key industry figures. In association with Museum Victoria and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, outcomes are expected to include scholarly publications, exhibitions and public programs.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100795
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$412,606.00
Summary
Message sticks: Long-distance communication in Indigenous Australia. Message sticks are marked wooden objects that were once used throughout Indigenous Australia to convey important information between communities. The intended outcome of this project is to answer a central question: What role did message sticks play in Indigenous long-distance communication? Drawing on archival evidence and original fieldwork in the Top End, the project aims to be the first empirically grounded study of message ....Message sticks: Long-distance communication in Indigenous Australia. Message sticks are marked wooden objects that were once used throughout Indigenous Australia to convey important information between communities. The intended outcome of this project is to answer a central question: What role did message sticks play in Indigenous long-distance communication? Drawing on archival evidence and original fieldwork in the Top End, the project aims to be the first empirically grounded study of message sticks as a practice. The project expects to define message sticks as a class of material culture, explain their communicative dynamics, generate new cross-cultural insights, and strengthen collaborations between research institutions, museums and Indigenous cultural organisations. Read moreRead less
Exploring the middle ground: new histories of cross-cultural encounters in Australian maritime and land exploration. This project seeks to reinvigorate Australian exploration history by examining it through the lens of cross-cultural encounters and relations. This will bring to the fore the experience of Aboriginal people who came into contact with explorers, as well as the experience of Aboriginal people who participated in exploration parties.