Secular modernisers in the Indonesian media: A biography of Mochtar Lubis (1922 - 2004). Democracy in post-Suharto Indonesia is being challenged by radical religious and communal interests. Precisely what form of polity will emerge remains unclear but, as Indonesia responds to such threats, Australia has a direct stake in the outcomes and needs new ways of understanding this dynamic. Media play a vital role in this. One of the most strained aspects of Australian-Indonesian relations has been the ....Secular modernisers in the Indonesian media: A biography of Mochtar Lubis (1922 - 2004). Democracy in post-Suharto Indonesia is being challenged by radical religious and communal interests. Precisely what form of polity will emerge remains unclear but, as Indonesia responds to such threats, Australia has a direct stake in the outcomes and needs new ways of understanding this dynamic. Media play a vital role in this. One of the most strained aspects of Australian-Indonesian relations has been the vastly differing assumptions on both sides about the relationship, exacerbated by a poor understanding of how the other's media operate. This research, and the biography of Mochtar Lubis, will provide a greater understanding of Indonesia's media, and of the unresolved struggle within it between secular democracy and sectarianism.Read moreRead less
Junction Zones: Practices of Coexistence in Australasia and the Pacific. "Junction Zones" addresses three key national concerns post-2001: regional relations, border protection and security. As Australia faces an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, new interpretive and policy directions are needed to provide more nuanced analyses of the region, taking sociocultural as well as political and economic factors into account and engaging multiple disciplinary areas. The project contributes ....Junction Zones: Practices of Coexistence in Australasia and the Pacific. "Junction Zones" addresses three key national concerns post-2001: regional relations, border protection and security. As Australia faces an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, new interpretive and policy directions are needed to provide more nuanced analyses of the region, taking sociocultural as well as political and economic factors into account and engaging multiple disciplinary areas. The project contributes to these ends by considering alternative understandings of place, conflict and displacement; examining how differences are negotiated; and identifying emergent political relations, social identities and cultural forms. It proposes fresh conceptual and analytical tools for understanding and responding to the region.Read moreRead less
The Democractisation of Documentary Cinema in China. The Democratisation of Documentary Cinema in China has cultural, political, economic, and research benefits for Australia. Culturally, the Project provides an analysis of the ways China views itself and the world. Politically, the Project enriches Australia's understanding of how media control in China has been transformed from 1949 to the age of globalisation. Economically, the Project enhances Australia's chances of finding a niche in the wo ....The Democractisation of Documentary Cinema in China. The Democratisation of Documentary Cinema in China has cultural, political, economic, and research benefits for Australia. Culturally, the Project provides an analysis of the ways China views itself and the world. Politically, the Project enriches Australia's understanding of how media control in China has been transformed from 1949 to the age of globalisation. Economically, the Project enhances Australia's chances of finding a niche in the world's largest documentary film market. As a contribution to research, the Project will produce the first in-depth study of Chinese documentary film, its industry and politics and so offers Australia a new perspective on how political change is reflected in one of China's leading media productions.Read moreRead less
"The Whole Map of the Balkans": Ethnicity, National Identity and Empire in the Work of Ismail Kadare. The Albanian intellectual, Ismail Kadare, foreshadowed the re-valorization of ethnic identity as a socio-political category under late 20th century communism. While Kadare's novels and essays deal primarily with his native Albania, they also represent the emergence more broadly of ethnicity as a factor in the literature of Eastern and South-Eastern European socialism. The project will explore in ...."The Whole Map of the Balkans": Ethnicity, National Identity and Empire in the Work of Ismail Kadare. The Albanian intellectual, Ismail Kadare, foreshadowed the re-valorization of ethnic identity as a socio-political category under late 20th century communism. While Kadare's novels and essays deal primarily with his native Albania, they also represent the emergence more broadly of ethnicity as a factor in the literature of Eastern and South-Eastern European socialism. The project will explore in depth the relationship between ethnicity, ideology and socialist literary culture that underpins Kadare's work, providing the first detailed analytical and critical study in English, and locating Kadare in the context of the major lines of contemporary European thought regarding ethnicity and ethnic identity.Read moreRead less
ARC Asia-Pacific Futures Research Network. The ARC Asia Pacific Futures Network is an international vehicle for building research capacity in the national research system to enhance understanding of Australia, its region, and the world. The Network brings experienced researchers working in identified research areas and themes into dynamic collaboration with government and industry through structured programs, with a view to stimulating new research directions, partnerships and training opportuni ....ARC Asia-Pacific Futures Research Network. The ARC Asia Pacific Futures Network is an international vehicle for building research capacity in the national research system to enhance understanding of Australia, its region, and the world. The Network brings experienced researchers working in identified research areas and themes into dynamic collaboration with government and industry through structured programs, with a view to stimulating new research directions, partnerships and training opportunities. In its 5-year plan, the Network will focus on Governance and Security, Culture and Religion, Media and Communications, Health and Population, and Trade and Industry. APFN will also have the capacity to marshal expertise on pressing issues facing Australia and the region as a whole.Read moreRead less