Far Right in Australia: Intellectuals, Masculinity and Citizenship. This project will investigate male-dominated far right groups in Australia by looking at their intellectual underpinnings. The sociological focus is on how core ideas inflect tropes of masculinity and the phenomena of weak citizenship. This moves beyond a simple stereotype of angry, disenfranchised young men; to grasp the radical right-wing thinking that motivates them, and informs their hate rhetoric and actions. Using multi-me ....Far Right in Australia: Intellectuals, Masculinity and Citizenship. This project will investigate male-dominated far right groups in Australia by looking at their intellectual underpinnings. The sociological focus is on how core ideas inflect tropes of masculinity and the phenomena of weak citizenship. This moves beyond a simple stereotype of angry, disenfranchised young men; to grasp the radical right-wing thinking that motivates them, and informs their hate rhetoric and actions. Using multi-methods, we will explore attitudes, and use of transnational far right ideas to 'imagine' Australia. The project will generate new knowledge of how bonds of citizenship have weakened amongst men who define themselves at the margins; yielding insights into how masculinity is actively utilised as a recruitment mechanism.Read moreRead less
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.
Australia and Brazil in the Asian Century. This project aims to update a theory of trust that accounts for the growing international influence of the Chinese state. As the mining boom subsides, Australia and Brazil must expand their agriculture exports, especially to China, their leading trade partner. The Chinese government has proposed large-scale investments in both countries’ agriculture sectors, but allegations of tax evasion, hidden subsidies and neo-colonialism have fuelled distrust of Ch ....Australia and Brazil in the Asian Century. This project aims to update a theory of trust that accounts for the growing international influence of the Chinese state. As the mining boom subsides, Australia and Brazil must expand their agriculture exports, especially to China, their leading trade partner. The Chinese government has proposed large-scale investments in both countries’ agriculture sectors, but allegations of tax evasion, hidden subsidies and neo-colonialism have fuelled distrust of Chinese investors. This project hypothesises that these tensions stem from diverging approaches to building trust. This could inform academic and policy publications and lead to more informed and productive relations with Chinese partners.Read moreRead less
Islamic movements in secular societies: grammars of experience. There is increasing public debate about the place of Islam in western societies, but little reference to lived experience. At a same time, we are witnessing new forms of Islamic movements and experiences, in particular among a 'global generation' of young people. This study explores forms of tension and grammars of creativity, assisting actors make sense of and communicate their experience. It also grapples with new global forms o ....Islamic movements in secular societies: grammars of experience. There is increasing public debate about the place of Islam in western societies, but little reference to lived experience. At a same time, we are witnessing new forms of Islamic movements and experiences, in particular among a 'global generation' of young people. This study explores forms of tension and grammars of creativity, assisting actors make sense of and communicate their experience. It also grapples with new global forms of violence that profoundly impact personal experience. This project aims at understanding new forms of social creativity, as well as new types of tension, and to assist rethinking both contemporary security and citizenship.Read moreRead less
Large screens and the transnational public sphere. With over 8 million annual visitors, Federation Square, Melbourne, is emblematic of the new public sphere emerging at the junction of physical space and media networks. Fed Square's large screen is integral to 70 large-scale cultural events hosted at the site each year attracting an average of 30,000 people. This project will establish a partnership between Fed Square, the Australia Council and Art Center Nabi in Seoul, pioneering the exchange o ....Large screens and the transnational public sphere. With over 8 million annual visitors, Federation Square, Melbourne, is emblematic of the new public sphere emerging at the junction of physical space and media networks. Fed Square's large screen is integral to 70 large-scale cultural events hosted at the site each year attracting an average of 30,000 people. This project will establish a partnership between Fed Square, the Australia Council and Art Center Nabi in Seoul, pioneering the exchange of technology and cultural content. The empirical research will generate fresh insights into public interactions with large screens, providing a prototype for future cross-cultural events and offering new theoretical perspectives on the use of public space.Read moreRead less
The Paichusuo (the Chinese police station): How Governments Construct Private Lives. Employing the architecture of a Chinese police station to frame a series of questions about the policing of identity, this study could best be described as ethnography in a dual register. First, it is the only ethnographic study of a Chinese police station ever undertaken. Second, it employs the insights gained from this close scrutiny of grass roots level policing to raise a broader range of more philosophical ....The Paichusuo (the Chinese police station): How Governments Construct Private Lives. Employing the architecture of a Chinese police station to frame a series of questions about the policing of identity, this study could best be described as ethnography in a dual register. First, it is the only ethnographic study of a Chinese police station ever undertaken. Second, it employs the insights gained from this close scrutiny of grass roots level policing to raise a broader range of more philosophically orientated questions about governmentality and the social construction of subjectivity and identity.Read moreRead less
Technologies of performance, technologies of governance: the bane, benefits, ethics and future of performance measurement in government. This study examines governments' increasing use of performance management and the complex ways this is transforming schools, universities, health and welfare services. It aims to improve service performance by identifying problems areas and engaging wider public perspectives.