The human, human rights and the image. Today, human rights come a poor second to the security of society, with the human now largely defined in terms of its purely biological existence. Through case studies and theoretical innovation, this project seeks to counter this by showing that the human always has a transcendent quality, one highlighted by humanity's relation to the image.
Living With Uncertainty: Creating the Postmodern Self in Contemporary Australia. Life in postmodernity is marked by rapid change and uncertainty. Increasingly, as tradition is worn away, individuals must create new scripts to give life meaning and structure. Through a case study of gays and lesbians, this project will investigate how a group of Australians are creating postmodern selves. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it traces the relationship between discursive and psychological accounts of t ....Living With Uncertainty: Creating the Postmodern Self in Contemporary Australia. Life in postmodernity is marked by rapid change and uncertainty. Increasingly, as tradition is worn away, individuals must create new scripts to give life meaning and structure. Through a case study of gays and lesbians, this project will investigate how a group of Australians are creating postmodern selves. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it traces the relationship between discursive and psychological accounts of the postmodern self and their political effects. With a particular interest in emotional life, this study will provide critical information on how individuals and communities can manage creatively the uncertain conditions of postmodernity.Read moreRead less
Democrats within the Chinese Communist Party and China's Democratic Future: The Case of Li Shenzhi. A major nuclear power with ambitions for regional predominance, China is home to one fifth of the world's population, the world's fastest-growing economy since the 1980s, one of the few surviving communist regimes, and Australia's third-largest trading partner. Whether China will democratise is central to international peace and stability and to any assessment of the future of world politics and i ....Democrats within the Chinese Communist Party and China's Democratic Future: The Case of Li Shenzhi. A major nuclear power with ambitions for regional predominance, China is home to one fifth of the world's population, the world's fastest-growing economy since the 1980s, one of the few surviving communist regimes, and Australia's third-largest trading partner. Whether China will democratise is central to international peace and stability and to any assessment of the future of world politics and international order. The project will make conceptual and empirical advances in the study of intellectual life and political trends in China and help Australian government and public bodies achieve a greater understanding of the political process in that country.Read moreRead less
Party-state, Liberalism and Social Democracy: the debate on China's future. The Chinese communist party-state is in transition. The possibilities range from liberal democracy, through social democracy to new forms of authoritarianism. One key to the future of China lies in the reflections of intellectuals and members of the ruling elite on this transition. This project examines the current debates in China on its destiny, in particular that between ?liberals? and the ?new left?. In addition to h ....Party-state, Liberalism and Social Democracy: the debate on China's future. The Chinese communist party-state is in transition. The possibilities range from liberal democracy, through social democracy to new forms of authoritarianism. One key to the future of China lies in the reflections of intellectuals and members of the ruling elite on this transition. This project examines the current debates in China on its destiny, in particular that between ?liberals? and the ?new left?. In addition to highlighting the process and possible future of intellectual and political development in China, the project also contributes to the wider discussion of change in transitional post-communist societies more generally.Read moreRead less
Social transformation and international migration in the 21st century. Understanding the factors that shape international migration is crucial for Australia, because planned immigration remains a cornerstone of policy, yet traditional assumptions on the predominance of permanent settlement and the geographical controllability of movement are losing their validity. This project will help create the social scientific tools for new approaches to understanding migration and diversity at the global, ....Social transformation and international migration in the 21st century. Understanding the factors that shape international migration is crucial for Australia, because planned immigration remains a cornerstone of policy, yet traditional assumptions on the predominance of permanent settlement and the geographical controllability of movement are losing their validity. This project will help create the social scientific tools for new approaches to understanding migration and diversity at the global, regional and national levels. It will help Australian governments and civil society address new challenges in this field. It will also contribute to developing a highly-trained workforce for fundamental research on migration and social transformation. Read moreRead less
Poor Women and Lonely Men: Examining Gendered Social Inclusion and Connection in Australia. This project directly supports the national research priority goal of 'strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric' (as part of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health). Inclusive societies reap many benefits (economic, education, crime, health etc), and information revealed about relevant gendered patterns will help build social inclusion and connection in Australia by informing inclusive strategi ....Poor Women and Lonely Men: Examining Gendered Social Inclusion and Connection in Australia. This project directly supports the national research priority goal of 'strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric' (as part of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health). Inclusive societies reap many benefits (economic, education, crime, health etc), and information revealed about relevant gendered patterns will help build social inclusion and connection in Australia by informing inclusive strategies and policies. The project also supports the national research priority goal 'ageing well and productively', by informing policy-contexts of specific disadvantage, such as amongst those ageing alone. The project will also add to broader understandings about the links between social inclusion, connection and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Global arenas of knowledge: centre/periphery relations and change in knowledge production on a world scale. This research will increase our understanding of the production and exchange of organised knowledge in the global context. Combining ethnographic fieldwork, quantitative analysis and new social theory, it will provide sociological input into higher education policy and establish a new research trajectory in this emerging international field.
New social foundations of money. In global finance, what is used as 'money' is changing. The capacity for close state control is diminishing and with it the state's capacity to guarantee the value of money. This project looks at the evolving money system identifying new material foundations in the household sector and how households are coming under the rubric of global finance.
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200200443
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$241,000.00
Summary
Inequality in Australia: Housing in the Asset Society. The project addresses the role of housing in growing inequalities of wealth in Australia in an era when housing prices have risen faster than wages. It will generate new knowledge about 1) the institutional drivers that have led to a combination of house price appreciation and wage stagnation and 2) the role that intergenerational housing-based wealth transfers are playing in shaping the life chances and trajectories of young people. An expe ....Inequality in Australia: Housing in the Asset Society. The project addresses the role of housing in growing inequalities of wealth in Australia in an era when housing prices have risen faster than wages. It will generate new knowledge about 1) the institutional drivers that have led to a combination of house price appreciation and wage stagnation and 2) the role that intergenerational housing-based wealth transfers are playing in shaping the life chances and trajectories of young people. An expected outcome will be a model of social stratification that takes full account of household asset positions. The findings of the project will provide benefits to organisations seeking practical policy options for addressing growing wealth inequality and for enhancing social cohesion in Australia.Read moreRead less
Enhanced Humans, Robotics and the Future of Work. The aim of the project is to generate new and powerful understandings of the social consequences of robotics and artificial intelligence. The project aims to develop an understanding of technologically-mediated mobility processes and test their capacity to address such issues as social futures and the sorts of digital skills that Australians will require for future jobs. It plans to use social theory to explore technological scenarios and hypothe ....Enhanced Humans, Robotics and the Future of Work. The aim of the project is to generate new and powerful understandings of the social consequences of robotics and artificial intelligence. The project aims to develop an understanding of technologically-mediated mobility processes and test their capacity to address such issues as social futures and the sorts of digital skills that Australians will require for future jobs. It plans to use social theory to explore technological scenarios and hypotheses concerning possible societal futures in Australia and beyond. Project outcomes may inform social science and contribute to worldwide efforts to solve global policy problems from work and unemployment to lifestyle change.Read moreRead less