Reading the Social Future of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. This project investigates how and if the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) is building social capital. It does this by interrogating existing practices and operations at the ARCBS and by surveying donors and non-donors. This project aims to develop a Deleuzian critique of the notion of social capital.
The Foundation, Role, and Design of Democracy. Democracy now reigns unchallenged as the master ideal in contemporary societies, western and non-western, developed and developing. But what is democracy, what is its essential role, and by what institutions can that role be best played in the changing circumstances of local, national and international life? This project develops a unified theory of the foundation, role and design of democratic institutions. By establishing a permanent international ....The Foundation, Role, and Design of Democracy. Democracy now reigns unchallenged as the master ideal in contemporary societies, western and non-western, developed and developing. But what is democracy, what is its essential role, and by what institutions can that role be best played in the changing circumstances of local, national and international life? This project develops a unified theory of the foundation, role and design of democratic institutions. By establishing a permanent international research centre focused on these vital questions, it will address theoretical and practical issues of great importance to all contemporary communities, and give Australia a new and on-going voice in crucial international debates.Read moreRead less
Everyday Incivilities. The study aims to provide the best available evidence on the seriousness of everyday incivilities between strangers in public places as a social problem in Australian society. This will involve gathering self-report data from socially diverse Australians for the purpose of exploring social group differences in (i) the type and prevalence of everyday incivilities experienced, and (ii) the social and psychological costs of exposure to everyday incivilities. The information ....Everyday Incivilities. The study aims to provide the best available evidence on the seriousness of everyday incivilities between strangers in public places as a social problem in Australian society. This will involve gathering self-report data from socially diverse Australians for the purpose of exploring social group differences in (i) the type and prevalence of everyday incivilities experienced, and (ii) the social and psychological costs of exposure to everyday incivilities. The information gathered will be used to identify high risk social groups and public places, and serve as a basis for developing programs for reducing everyday incivilities.Read moreRead less
Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contra ....Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contrasting institutional configurations by focusing on the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey and Nigeria. This will be achieved through a study of random/purposive samples of respondents in the three countries using survey methodology. The objective is to develop a theoretically and empirically grounded model of social, political and religious trajectories of Muslim societies.Read moreRead less
Digital dissent in the People's Republic: the language of protest and criticism in Sino-cyberspace. As Australia's relations with China continue to deepen, it is vital for Australia to acquire in-depth knowledge of how rapidly China is changing as a consequence of digital information flows. The project provides that knowledge through its analysis of digital dissent. The project explores how non-state players in the People's Republic respond and react to urgent problems in their midst. It will ....Digital dissent in the People's Republic: the language of protest and criticism in Sino-cyberspace. As Australia's relations with China continue to deepen, it is vital for Australia to acquire in-depth knowledge of how rapidly China is changing as a consequence of digital information flows. The project provides that knowledge through its analysis of digital dissent. The project explores how non-state players in the People's Republic respond and react to urgent problems in their midst. It will also shed light on present-day tensions in China between state and civil society. More specifically, the project will deepen Australia's critical engagement with China by focussing on such issues of consequence as censorship, corruption, environmental pollution, governance reform and calls for democracy and human rights.Read moreRead less
The International Baccalaureate in Australian schools: a sociological case study. The International Baccaluareate is being adopted by many Australian schools seeking an alternative to state curricula. In current debates over a national curriculum, there has been federal government and media support for the IB as a prototype for policy reform. This project will provide the first documentation on the spread of the IB, its target student/family cohorts, school implementation issues, student experie ....The International Baccalaureate in Australian schools: a sociological case study. The International Baccaluareate is being adopted by many Australian schools seeking an alternative to state curricula. In current debates over a national curriculum, there has been federal government and media support for the IB as a prototype for policy reform. This project will provide the first documentation on the spread of the IB, its target student/family cohorts, school implementation issues, student experiences and outcomes. It will evaluate its claims about the preparation of students for new economies, global citizenship and identity.
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The Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy. This project links the theory of deliberative democracy to institutional innovation, to benefit both, through comparative case analyses of democratic innovations in different countries. It is hypothesized that particular kinds of institutional innovation (such as consensus conferences, policy dialogues, dialogical networks) will work out quite differently in different political contexts. If so, then the emphasis of almost all democratic theory o ....The Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy. This project links the theory of deliberative democracy to institutional innovation, to benefit both, through comparative case analyses of democratic innovations in different countries. It is hypothesized that particular kinds of institutional innovation (such as consensus conferences, policy dialogues, dialogical networks) will work out quite differently in different political contexts. If so, then the emphasis of almost all democratic theory on models of democracy is misplaced: instead, theorists should attend to processes of democratization in particular contexts. The results of the comparative case analyses will be used to reflect back upon, and reformulate, deliberative democratic theory.Read moreRead less
Creating and Analysing a Citizens' Parliament: Exploring the Public's Deliberative Capacity. This project will contribute to public understanding of Australia's institutions of government, and to debates about possibilities for their reform. It will also demonstrate the contributions to governance that large-scale forums composed of typical citizens could make. In so doing, the project will illuminate the possibilities for more effective citizen participation and public consultation in Australia ....Creating and Analysing a Citizens' Parliament: Exploring the Public's Deliberative Capacity. This project will contribute to public understanding of Australia's institutions of government, and to debates about possibilities for their reform. It will also demonstrate the contributions to governance that large-scale forums composed of typical citizens could make. In so doing, the project will illuminate the possibilities for more effective citizen participation and public consultation in Australia's democracy. The project will develop applied expertise on these issues, and solidify Australia's standing as a leader when it comes to innovative democratic reform.Read moreRead less
Memory and Identity in England 1500-1700. This project will test the hypothesis that struggles to control memory were central to the redefinition of beliefs, collective identities and social structures in England, 1500 to 1700. It will focus analysis on three ways of remembering, expressed in written, visual and material media: genealogy, local history, and commemoration of the dead. The project's hypothesis and interdisciplinary method represent significant new departures in understanding the ....Memory and Identity in England 1500-1700. This project will test the hypothesis that struggles to control memory were central to the redefinition of beliefs, collective identities and social structures in England, 1500 to 1700. It will focus analysis on three ways of remembering, expressed in written, visual and material media: genealogy, local history, and commemoration of the dead. The project's hypothesis and interdisciplinary method represent significant new departures in understanding the construction of identity and the pursuit of power. By studying a premodern society, this project will add depth to recent studies of memory, and open up new ways of imagining of early modern England.Read moreRead less
At the Border: Health, Immigration Restriction and the Imagining of Australia, 1901-2001. This project traces and analyses connections between public health policies and immigration policies between 1901 and 2001 in Australia. It interrogates the changing regulation of Australia's population through border control and health screening of aspiring immigrants and citizens, as well as tourists, refugees and illegal entrants. Infectious disease control may well have been a major instrument through w ....At the Border: Health, Immigration Restriction and the Imagining of Australia, 1901-2001. This project traces and analyses connections between public health policies and immigration policies between 1901 and 2001 in Australia. It interrogates the changing regulation of Australia's population through border control and health screening of aspiring immigrants and citizens, as well as tourists, refugees and illegal entrants. Infectious disease control may well have been a major instrument through which movement over the national borders, and naturalisation into the population, have been governed and policed. The project will illuminate the significance of these interconnecting policies and practices for the historical, legal, and cultural imagining of Australia.
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