The place of history in science: reassessing the Darwinian revolution. This project aims to examine how historical representations of Darwin and his revolutionary theory have influenced the shape and direction of modern evolutionary science itself. The project expects to show how certain historical assumptions about Darwin and natural selection have constrained evolutionary thinking in particular ways. Conversely, it will demonstrate how contemporary developments in evolutionary science have cha ....The place of history in science: reassessing the Darwinian revolution. This project aims to examine how historical representations of Darwin and his revolutionary theory have influenced the shape and direction of modern evolutionary science itself. The project expects to show how certain historical assumptions about Darwin and natural selection have constrained evolutionary thinking in particular ways. Conversely, it will demonstrate how contemporary developments in evolutionary science have changed historians’ understanding of the history of evolution. The expected outcomes include a new understanding of the mutual interactions between history and science, capacity building in the field of the history of science, and interdisciplinary collaborations across the biological sciences and humanities.Read moreRead less
German-speakers in the Australian indigenous encounter: ethnographers, collectors, missionaries. This project will generate a website and accompanying scholarly book to provide easy access to otherwise intractable sources show-casing the vast contribution of German speakers to the mission and ethnographic effort in the Australian colonies. These will be useful resources for history teaching and a contribution to intercultural understanding.
A Colonial and Conceptual History of Asymmetric Warfare and Security. War and terrorism feature prominently in popular, political and scholarly perceptions of Australia's colonial past and its geopolitical future. Our understanding of what constitutes war and terrorism emerged from a long colonial and conceptual history of Western international and political thought. The national and community benefits of this program of research derive precisely from its ability to link the uniqueness of Austra ....A Colonial and Conceptual History of Asymmetric Warfare and Security. War and terrorism feature prominently in popular, political and scholarly perceptions of Australia's colonial past and its geopolitical future. Our understanding of what constitutes war and terrorism emerged from a long colonial and conceptual history of Western international and political thought. The national and community benefits of this program of research derive precisely from its ability to link the uniqueness of Australia's colonial history to its global context, and to use both to provide new insight into current debates on terrorism and security that are integral to Australia's capacity to interpret itself to the rest of the world.Read moreRead less
Dreams, Prophecy and Violence from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam. In Classical Greco-Roman society dreams or visions were sometimes understood as vehicles of divine revelation. Early Christians and Muslims developed the religious interpretation of dreams, using it to bolster the religious authority of their leaders, who laid claim to the Jewish tradition of prophets who brought messages from God. This project aims to uncover the development of dream interpretation from Classical Antiqu ....Dreams, Prophecy and Violence from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam. In Classical Greco-Roman society dreams or visions were sometimes understood as vehicles of divine revelation. Early Christians and Muslims developed the religious interpretation of dreams, using it to bolster the religious authority of their leaders, who laid claim to the Jewish tradition of prophets who brought messages from God. This project aims to uncover the development of dream interpretation from Classical Antiquity through early Christianity to early Islam and give an understanding of how dreams and visions were used as tools of religious control and as justification of violence against other religions.Read moreRead less
Understanding the lessons of Australia's Gold Coast through the late 20th century debate on criticality and instrumentality in architecture. This project will investigate the role of architecture in the western city through problems in 20th century architectural theory. It will show how the Gold Coast offers new insights into contemporary architecture and will result in two closely related books: an architectural history of the Gold Coast; and a new account of contemporary architectural theory.
Switched-on Audiences: Australian Listeners and Viewers. Based on substantial primary research and interviews across Australia, this project will map and interrogate the voices of media audiences since the rise of the pervasive new medium of radio in the 1920s. Tuning in to radio and television, both public and commercial, this project will rigorously explore audience engagement with broadcasting over nearly a century. Representing a major shift from the study of media production to reception, t ....Switched-on Audiences: Australian Listeners and Viewers. Based on substantial primary research and interviews across Australia, this project will map and interrogate the voices of media audiences since the rise of the pervasive new medium of radio in the 1920s. Tuning in to radio and television, both public and commercial, this project will rigorously explore audience engagement with broadcasting over nearly a century. Representing a major shift from the study of media production to reception, the work will produce new understandings of Australian media users and digital citizens in a rapidly changing and converging media landscape.Read moreRead less
Painting Country: the life and legacy of western Arnhem Land rock painters. This project aims to generate new understandings of Australia’s past by exploring the lives and legacies of known Aboriginal rock art artists. It addresses key questions in global archaeology relating to when, where and why rock art was created. Using innovative methodologies, this project intends to create a unique archive of 20th century rock art and oral history recordings from western Arnhem Land. The anticipated out ....Painting Country: the life and legacy of western Arnhem Land rock painters. This project aims to generate new understandings of Australia’s past by exploring the lives and legacies of known Aboriginal rock art artists. It addresses key questions in global archaeology relating to when, where and why rock art was created. Using innovative methodologies, this project intends to create a unique archive of 20th century rock art and oral history recordings from western Arnhem Land. The anticipated outcomes will include new internationally significant knowledge concerning the impacts of colonisation on artistic practices in Australia. Furthermore, the project aims to contribute new information and data that can be used to inform cultural heritage management and education programs both locally and across Australia. Read moreRead less
New bioarchaeological perspectives on pre-contact lifeways in Sahul . This project aims to establish a new bioarchaeology research program to study socio-economic changes in the Australia-New Guinea continent Sahul and provide new insights into the complexity of societies from diverse environments. Bioarchaeology provides a unique lens for interpreting the past, however research of this nature has largely been inactive due to the sensitivity of studying ancestral remains of Indigenous people. H ....New bioarchaeological perspectives on pre-contact lifeways in Sahul . This project aims to establish a new bioarchaeology research program to study socio-economic changes in the Australia-New Guinea continent Sahul and provide new insights into the complexity of societies from diverse environments. Bioarchaeology provides a unique lens for interpreting the past, however research of this nature has largely been inactive due to the sensitivity of studying ancestral remains of Indigenous people. However, there is growing interest from Aboriginal groups in the narratives that can be reconstructed from their ancestors, and many Aboriginal communities now support research on skeletal remains. In collaboration with Aboriginal communities, the project will apply new developments in bioarchaeology to sensitively assess patterns of mobility and sedentism in three separate populations. This project is expected to initiate a new era of bioarchaeological research and redefine our understanding of the complexity of past Aboriginal and Papuan narratives.Read moreRead less
Illuminating behavioural and environmental influences on human development. This project aims to investigate prehistoric human population growth by documenting nursing behaviour, developmental stress, and fine-scaled climate variation directly from the teeth of ancient children. Knowledge of the nexus of early childhood growth and ecological variation will shed light on modern human health and fertility, which in turn impact planetary health. Outcomes will provide further insight into humanity’s ....Illuminating behavioural and environmental influences on human development. This project aims to investigate prehistoric human population growth by documenting nursing behaviour, developmental stress, and fine-scaled climate variation directly from the teeth of ancient children. Knowledge of the nexus of early childhood growth and ecological variation will shed light on modern human health and fertility, which in turn impact planetary health. Outcomes will provide further insight into humanity’s unprecedented evolutionary success while augmenting multidisciplinary collaborative networks. This will further strengthen Australia’s pioneering role in the development of innovative technologies, and build key workforce capabilities of benefit for diverse fields such as public health and environmental science.Read moreRead less
Resource security trade and the development of urbanism in the pre-Classical world. Long distance trade in bulk foods, such as grain, is a key strategy for overcoming food insecurity in the modern urbanised world, yet we know relatively little of its history and role in the emergence and stability of the world’s first cities and states. Developing new archaeological techniques, this project explores the history of trade in bulk grain in southwest Asia from the Neolithic to Iron Age and its role ....Resource security trade and the development of urbanism in the pre-Classical world. Long distance trade in bulk foods, such as grain, is a key strategy for overcoming food insecurity in the modern urbanised world, yet we know relatively little of its history and role in the emergence and stability of the world’s first cities and states. Developing new archaeological techniques, this project explores the history of trade in bulk grain in southwest Asia from the Neolithic to Iron Age and its role in stimulating socio-economic change and mediating food insecurity in a period of rapid climatic and political change. In revolutionising our view of ancient food trade it will provide an example from the past to help inform contemporary debates about the efficacy of a key economic strategy in moderating fluctuations in food supply.Read moreRead less