Mobilising Dutch East India Company collections for new global stories . Australia has a rich legacy of archives, art and artefacts, including 4 shipwrecks in WA, from its history of encounters with the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Through comparative research in Australian and overseas museums and archives we aim to situate Australian collections in a global context, creating new stories about Australia as part of the VOC global network. An interdisciplinary team will train 3 ECRs and 7 HDRs ....Mobilising Dutch East India Company collections for new global stories . Australia has a rich legacy of archives, art and artefacts, including 4 shipwrecks in WA, from its history of encounters with the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Through comparative research in Australian and overseas museums and archives we aim to situate Australian collections in a global context, creating new stories about Australia as part of the VOC global network. An interdisciplinary team will train 3 ECRs and 7 HDRs and forge partnerships with the Netherlands, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Africa, strengthening national capacity. Our analysis will enrich the value of collections, provide narratives for museums and sites, and revitalise content for international and domestic tourism markets.Read moreRead less
Social histories of Holden in Australia. This project aims to investigate the social histories of Holden’s manufacturing operations in Australia in the post-World War II (WW2) period through oral interviews and archival research. It will place workers, workplace culture, and the communities in which Holden’s factories were based at the centre of the company’s history. A key focus will be an evaluation of recent assistance provided by Holden to workers to transition to new jobs. The project will ....Social histories of Holden in Australia. This project aims to investigate the social histories of Holden’s manufacturing operations in Australia in the post-World War II (WW2) period through oral interviews and archival research. It will place workers, workplace culture, and the communities in which Holden’s factories were based at the centre of the company’s history. A key focus will be an evaluation of recent assistance provided by Holden to workers to transition to new jobs. The project will produce 100 oral histories and the interviews and interpretive work undertaken during the project will be incorporated into exhibitions at the National Motor Museum and print and online publications. These outcomes will enhance our understanding of Australia's automotive heritage and workplace culture.Read moreRead less
GM Holden and the Mobilisation of Private Industry during World War II. Through a focus on General Motors Holden (GMH), this project aims to explain how Australian industry adapted, diversified, and developed new workforce skills during World War II. Its significance lies in expanding knowledge of GMH’s under-recognised role and impact on Australia’s industrial economy during a pivotal moment in the nation's history. In doing so, it will contribute to broader current discussions about the import ....GM Holden and the Mobilisation of Private Industry during World War II. Through a focus on General Motors Holden (GMH), this project aims to explain how Australian industry adapted, diversified, and developed new workforce skills during World War II. Its significance lies in expanding knowledge of GMH’s under-recognised role and impact on Australia’s industrial economy during a pivotal moment in the nation's history. In doing so, it will contribute to broader current discussions about the importance of maintaining Australian manufacturing industries and their capacity to adapt rapidly in times of crisis to meet national needs. The expected outcomes and benefits include the generation of new interpretive texts and exhibitions for libraries and museums, and building research capacity in early career researchers.Read moreRead less
Australian art exhibitions 1968-2009: a generation of cultural transformation. The years 1968 to 2009 witnessed a transformation in the way Australians saw the art of their country. This project investigates the impact of increased funding (government and private) and new scholarship on the curating of art exhibitions, and traces the reconfiguration of Australia’s art history that took place in exhibitions during this period.
Developing a national rural volunteering roadmap. This project aims to investigate the challenges affecting rural volunteering in Australia. Conducting a national analysis of volunteering demand and supply, this project expects to generate new interdisciplinary knowledge of the structural, demographic, organisational and personal factors affecting the sustainability of rural volunteering. Expected outcomes of this project include a world-first index of volunteering vulnerabilities and a spatial ....Developing a national rural volunteering roadmap. This project aims to investigate the challenges affecting rural volunteering in Australia. Conducting a national analysis of volunteering demand and supply, this project expects to generate new interdisciplinary knowledge of the structural, demographic, organisational and personal factors affecting the sustainability of rural volunteering. Expected outcomes of this project include a world-first index of volunteering vulnerabilities and a spatial map of volunteering unevenness, leading to the development of an evidence-based National Rural Volunteering Roadmap (2025-2035), which will guide our volunteering peak body partners, governments and rural communities to plan for and support rural volunteering over the longer-term.Read moreRead less
Multicultural Australia in national and state libraries. This project aims to develop strategies to assist major Australian libraries to enhance their library collections of histories of Australia as a multicultural nation. The project will develop a new methodology for evaluating multicultural collections, and new policies and strategies to develop and provide access to these collections. Benefits will include enhanced understanding of Australia’s history and heritage, and Australia’s identity ....Multicultural Australia in national and state libraries. This project aims to develop strategies to assist major Australian libraries to enhance their library collections of histories of Australia as a multicultural nation. The project will develop a new methodology for evaluating multicultural collections, and new policies and strategies to develop and provide access to these collections. Benefits will include enhanced understanding of Australia’s history and heritage, and Australia’s identity as a multicultural nation.Read moreRead less
Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties: a maritime archaeological reassessment of some of Australia's earliest shipwrecks. This project will evaluate new ways of investigating the history of Europeans in the Indian Ocean by using the latest technology to evaluate seven Western Australian shipwrecks excavated over 40 years ago. The project will work with emerging technologies to study these significant sites and collections.
Return, reconcile, renew: understanding the history, effects and opportunities of repatriation and building an evidence base for the future. The repatriation of ancestral remains is an extraordinary Indigenous achievement and inter-cultural development of the past 40 years. This international project will provide critical new knowledge to understand repatriation, its history and effects and will provide scholarly and public outcomes that empower community-based research and practice.
Using genetics to recover Australia's lost history. This project aims to use historic hair samples collected by anthropological expeditions in the early 20th Century to generate the first genetic map of Aboriginal Australia – in order to reconstruct Australia’s pre-European genetic and cultural past. The map and the detailed contextual and genealogical information from museum archives will assist Aboriginal communities and individuals to reconstruct their personal and family history and trace an ....Using genetics to recover Australia's lost history. This project aims to use historic hair samples collected by anthropological expeditions in the early 20th Century to generate the first genetic map of Aboriginal Australia – in order to reconstruct Australia’s pre-European genetic and cultural past. The map and the detailed contextual and genealogical information from museum archives will assist Aboriginal communities and individuals to reconstruct their personal and family history and trace ancestry and augment oral or written records. The combination of cutting-edge science, detailed archival research, and a comprehensive family outreach and reporting program will be a step change in assisting Australia’s reconciliation process, the Stolen Generation, and repatriation of Indigenous remains.Read moreRead less
The twentieth century in paint. The art market is a major contributor to the Australian economy worth over $500M per annum. However many modern works created with new materials introduced in the 20th century in Australia and Southeast Asia exhibit problems with deterioration, and there is little research on the use and effects of these materials. Without answers to material based preservation questions collectors, curators and conservators cannot make informed decisions. This project, with partn ....The twentieth century in paint. The art market is a major contributor to the Australian economy worth over $500M per annum. However many modern works created with new materials introduced in the 20th century in Australia and Southeast Asia exhibit problems with deterioration, and there is little research on the use and effects of these materials. Without answers to material based preservation questions collectors, curators and conservators cannot make informed decisions. This project, with partners in Australia, Asia, US and UK will provide fundamental information to assist in formulating management strategies, inform curatorship and develop innovative approaches to conservation and the manufacture of art materials.Read moreRead less