Settler society in the Australian colonies: The political and cultural changes of the 1830s - 1860s in imperial context. This project directly addresses issues identified as central by the national summit on the Australian history curriculum convened by the Federal Minister for Education in August 2006. Professor John Hirst reported in The Sydney Morning Herald on 21 August that the summit had agreed on a list of 'big questions' for school history curricula. The list includes the transition from ....Settler society in the Australian colonies: The political and cultural changes of the 1830s - 1860s in imperial context. This project directly addresses issues identified as central by the national summit on the Australian history curriculum convened by the Federal Minister for Education in August 2006. Professor John Hirst reported in The Sydney Morning Herald on 21 August that the summit had agreed on a list of 'big questions' for school history curricula. The list includes the transition from a convict to a free society, and relations between men and women. Current knowledge of these topics and their interconnection is limited. This project will advance our understanding of a key historical period, and the formation of Australian national identity.Read moreRead less
Royal Ritual and the Order of the Garter: Tradition, Modernity and the Medieval in England, 1348-2002. The cultural history of the British monarchy can be characterised as a set of negotiations between the rival claims of tradition and modernity. The monarchy depends on its medieval past for cultural authority while also constantly seeking to reform and renew itself. This project analyses one of the monarchy's oldest rituals, the Order of the Garter, using its contested medieval origins and subs ....Royal Ritual and the Order of the Garter: Tradition, Modernity and the Medieval in England, 1348-2002. The cultural history of the British monarchy can be characterised as a set of negotiations between the rival claims of tradition and modernity. The monarchy depends on its medieval past for cultural authority while also constantly seeking to reform and renew itself. This project analyses one of the monarchy's oldest rituals, the Order of the Garter, using its contested medieval origins and subsequent history as a powerful symptomatic register of the strategies by which the monarchy adapts its traditional heritage to changing social contexts. Comprehending this dynamic will revise our understanding of the relationship between medieval culture, tradition and modernity.Read moreRead less
The British Diaspora in the Modern World: A Social History of British Migration and Transnational Networks since the 1960s. As a migrant nation Australia has a vital interest in maintaining informed discussion of the diverse and overlapping historical threads that contribute to national make-up and identity. The substantial British contribution to this process in the later 20th century, and the wider shift in migration processes it illuminates, has been significantly understated in migration re ....The British Diaspora in the Modern World: A Social History of British Migration and Transnational Networks since the 1960s. As a migrant nation Australia has a vital interest in maintaining informed discussion of the diverse and overlapping historical threads that contribute to national make-up and identity. The substantial British contribution to this process in the later 20th century, and the wider shift in migration processes it illuminates, has been significantly understated in migration research. This project undertakes a timely exploration of British-Australians' experience, and their wider mobility, as many migrants adopt a more continuous pattern of movement. Understanding the complex threads of different migrant cultures' adaptation and 'belonging' will be valuable for policy-makers and for public and academic debate.Read moreRead less
Sociability, print and public culture in romantic period Britain and Australia. This project illuminates the life in the early colony by exploring the history of the earliest Australian printed document that has so far been discovered, a playbill for a theatrical performance in Sydney dating from 1796. Placing the document in a rich and complex context of print, circulation, and sociability, the project affirms the importance of such ephemeral literature as testimony to the values of fellowship ....Sociability, print and public culture in romantic period Britain and Australia. This project illuminates the life in the early colony by exploring the history of the earliest Australian printed document that has so far been discovered, a playbill for a theatrical performance in Sydney dating from 1796. Placing the document in a rich and complex context of print, circulation, and sociability, the project affirms the importance of such ephemeral literature as testimony to the values of fellowship and community that were foundational to Australian culture and which continue to be relevant to the health of a modern democracy.Read moreRead less
Writing the new history of British Imperialism its European, African and Australian context. I plan to complete several related projects already under way which are linked to the project title. The Oxford History of Missions in the British Empire will recast the way we think about the historical impact of Christian Missions. The Mapping Project compares the role played by surveyors and maps in the colononization of Australia and South Africa. Imperium of the Soul explores connections between d ....Writing the new history of British Imperialism its European, African and Australian context. I plan to complete several related projects already under way which are linked to the project title. The Oxford History of Missions in the British Empire will recast the way we think about the historical impact of Christian Missions. The Mapping Project compares the role played by surveyors and maps in the colononization of Australia and South Africa. Imperium of the Soul explores connections between deep currents of European intellectual life and the productions of key artists associated with British imperialism.
I will be revising my book on Theories of Imperialism and researching new work on war and conquest.
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Indigenous peoples, the British Empire, and self-government for the Australian colonies. This study enhances our understanding of the foundations and representative functions of Australian democratic institutions, especially as they concern Indigenous-settler-missionary-imperial relationships. In drawing out the connections between two major questions for Australian history and modern society - democracy and Indigenous dispossession - the project will contribute deeper historical knowledge to cu ....Indigenous peoples, the British Empire, and self-government for the Australian colonies. This study enhances our understanding of the foundations and representative functions of Australian democratic institutions, especially as they concern Indigenous-settler-missionary-imperial relationships. In drawing out the connections between two major questions for Australian history and modern society - democracy and Indigenous dispossession - the project will contribute deeper historical knowledge to current public debate about Indigenous policy past and present. It will also illuminate the importance of understanding Australian history in broad transcolonial and transnational contexts and enhance the contribution of Australian historians to imperial, missionary, and comparative settler-society histories.Read moreRead less
Irish Convicts and Early Australian Society: A Reassessment in Two hemispheres. Based on new archival research in Ireland and Australia and the development of a data bank comprising information on more than one thousand male and female Irish convicts who arrived on eight transports between 1800 and 1806, this project examines the process of transportation within the context of a much wider Irish diaspora in the Age of Revolutions. It seeks to bring Irish convicts into the mainstream of colonial ....Irish Convicts and Early Australian Society: A Reassessment in Two hemispheres. Based on new archival research in Ireland and Australia and the development of a data bank comprising information on more than one thousand male and female Irish convicts who arrived on eight transports between 1800 and 1806, this project examines the process of transportation within the context of a much wider Irish diaspora in the Age of Revolutions. It seeks to bring Irish convicts into the mainstream of colonial studies by examining the traditional view of their ?otherness? and by focusing as much on their lives before transportation as after. A book, articles and conference papers will result.Read moreRead less
The British Colonization of New South Wales: The Documentary Record, 1779-1792. My aim is to gather and publish all extant records relating to the British decision in 1786 to colonize New South Wales, and to the despatch of the First Fleet in 1787. As well, I intend to include a selection of documents showing the colony's progress in its first five years, and the Government response to reports of that progress (or the lack of it). Given that so many records remain but are still mostly unpublishe ....The British Colonization of New South Wales: The Documentary Record, 1779-1792. My aim is to gather and publish all extant records relating to the British decision in 1786 to colonize New South Wales, and to the despatch of the First Fleet in 1787. As well, I intend to include a selection of documents showing the colony's progress in its first five years, and the Government response to reports of that progress (or the lack of it). Given that so many records remain but are still mostly unpublished, and that they are central to an accurate understanding of the development of modern Australia, this is a unique opportunity to document the origins of the nation for all posterity. I expect publication in book form, but anticipate also CD-Rom or Web publication (hopefully in conjunction with either the NLA or the SLNSW - or with both).Read moreRead less
A History of Manners: Savagery and Civility in Colonial Australia. The lessons of the past are vital to Australia's future. In the twenty-first century, Australia faces the urgent need to communicate across cultural barriers, and to acknowledge and respect divergent codes of conduct and manners. The history of manners in nineteenth-century Australia helps us to come to terms with our contested past by illuminating the complexities of a colonising culture, and the difficulties of adapting codes o ....A History of Manners: Savagery and Civility in Colonial Australia. The lessons of the past are vital to Australia's future. In the twenty-first century, Australia faces the urgent need to communicate across cultural barriers, and to acknowledge and respect divergent codes of conduct and manners. The history of manners in nineteenth-century Australia helps us to come to terms with our contested past by illuminating the complexities of a colonising culture, and the difficulties of adapting codes of conduct to the needs of a young, disparate and ever-changing society. Exploring the limitations of Australian elitism and egalitarianism, it opens the way for diverse and inclusive understandings of identity and national character. Read moreRead less
Transportation and Transformation: How Local Conditions Changed Traditional Ideas into Modern Politics. Knowledge of how ideas make, and are changed by, their ?journey? from place to place and over time is vital for a better understanding of our region and the world. The focus in this study on the influences acting upon the development of attitudes can give us a new perspective on our similarities and differences with other postcolonial societies. This study, through its comparative work with ....Transportation and Transformation: How Local Conditions Changed Traditional Ideas into Modern Politics. Knowledge of how ideas make, and are changed by, their ?journey? from place to place and over time is vital for a better understanding of our region and the world. The focus in this study on the influences acting upon the development of attitudes can give us a new perspective on our similarities and differences with other postcolonial societies. This study, through its comparative work with Britain, will also provide a much clearer picture of the influences upon Australia's political and social development and allow us to understand more effectively how ?local? and ?imported? ideas have melded together to form our national characteristics. Read moreRead less