Managing trust: a comparative historical study of political accountability in Australia. Some Australian political leaders have acknowledged a crisis in their trust relationship with voters and seek ways to fix it. By historicising the 'crisis of trust' thesis, and testing its assumptions, I expect to demonstrate that, far from being alienated from voters, representatives both reflect and shape society's notions of trustworthiness. This knowledge offers political leaders new ways of approaching ....Managing trust: a comparative historical study of political accountability in Australia. Some Australian political leaders have acknowledged a crisis in their trust relationship with voters and seek ways to fix it. By historicising the 'crisis of trust' thesis, and testing its assumptions, I expect to demonstrate that, far from being alienated from voters, representatives both reflect and shape society's notions of trustworthiness. This knowledge offers political leaders new ways of approaching their relationships with voters in order to redress the trust dilemma. It also provides fresh, more positive ways of conceptualising trust relations generally, offering a way forward from the present cynicism, for a variety of trust relationships to be made anew.Read moreRead less
The Post-Mao Transition in China: From the Ashes of Revolution toward Reform, 1976-1978. The project contributes to national benefit by deepening understanding of a regional powerhouse, the People's Republic of China. While the study is historical, it has relevance for Australia's contemporary dealings with China since key aspects of Chinese leadership politics such as the tension between formal and informal authority derive from the period under examination. As such it furthers the national res ....The Post-Mao Transition in China: From the Ashes of Revolution toward Reform, 1976-1978. The project contributes to national benefit by deepening understanding of a regional powerhouse, the People's Republic of China. While the study is historical, it has relevance for Australia's contemporary dealings with China since key aspects of Chinese leadership politics such as the tension between formal and informal authority derive from the period under examination. As such it furthers the national research priority of 'Understanding our region and the world'. In addition, the study will further enhance the reputation of Australian scholarship on China, thus sustaining its world standing as second only to that of the United States. Read moreRead less
Citizenship, Governance and Gender: Chinese Women in Political Action. The project provides the first book-length analysis of Chinese women's involvement in politics in Greater China (PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan, ROC) since 1900. Currently, Chinese women's participation within formal, informal and civil society politics is poorly understood. My project examines crucial interactions between discursive notions of citizenship and gender in the Chinese cultural context. I also provide a comprehensive exa ....Citizenship, Governance and Gender: Chinese Women in Political Action. The project provides the first book-length analysis of Chinese women's involvement in politics in Greater China (PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan, ROC) since 1900. Currently, Chinese women's participation within formal, informal and civil society politics is poorly understood. My project examines crucial interactions between discursive notions of citizenship and gender in the Chinese cultural context. I also provide a comprehensive examination of structural factors influencing women's political engagement. My project will be the first in Chinese Studies to adapt western notions of gender, citizenship and ideologies of governance to understandings of Chinese women in politics.Read moreRead less
Ethics and encyclopaedic culture in 13th-century France: adaptation, diffusion and contexts of innovation in the Speculum morale and its sources. This project will contribute to awareness of the ethical foundations of the Western intellectual tradition, both philosophical and religious, through studying an influential encyclopaedia of ethical instruction from 1300, known as the Speculum morale and its relationship to the evolution of ethical teaching in France during the 13th century. It will de ....Ethics and encyclopaedic culture in 13th-century France: adaptation, diffusion and contexts of innovation in the Speculum morale and its sources. This project will contribute to awareness of the ethical foundations of the Western intellectual tradition, both philosophical and religious, through studying an influential encyclopaedia of ethical instruction from 1300, known as the Speculum morale and its relationship to the evolution of ethical teaching in France during the 13th century. It will develop text similarity detection software for use with Latin texts, and by implication within humanistic studies more generally. Through connecting with an international research project into medieval encyclopaedic culture, it will enable Australian expertise in both medieval studies and information technology to become internationally recognised.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101526
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$364,560.00
Summary
How Republics Die: Rome's democratic breakdown in the first century BCE. This project aims to use recent political science scholarship on democratic breakdown and the threat of a competitive authoritarian regime in Trump’s US to analyse the breakdown of the Roman Republic in the 50s BCE under Caesar and Pompey. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of how and why constitutional government collapsed in Rome, using language and concepts directly transferable to our own fragile democracy ....How Republics Die: Rome's democratic breakdown in the first century BCE. This project aims to use recent political science scholarship on democratic breakdown and the threat of a competitive authoritarian regime in Trump’s US to analyse the breakdown of the Roman Republic in the 50s BCE under Caesar and Pompey. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of how and why constitutional government collapsed in Rome, using language and concepts directly transferable to our own fragile democracy. This should benefit the study of Roman history at all levels and provide historians and political scientists with a unique dataset for analysing how a centuries-old democracy fell into authoritarian rule.Read moreRead less
Gough Whitlam: People, Party, Politics. This project will be the first contemporary, definitive, biographical study of Gough Whitlam. The biography is part of a broader multimedia platform proposed by the project, enabling access to a range of archival materials on Whitlam, family and colleagues, drawing on its unprecedented access to manuscripts, archival material and the subject himself, together with the creation of an extensive Oral History collection. This project provides a unique opportu ....Gough Whitlam: People, Party, Politics. This project will be the first contemporary, definitive, biographical study of Gough Whitlam. The biography is part of a broader multimedia platform proposed by the project, enabling access to a range of archival materials on Whitlam, family and colleagues, drawing on its unprecedented access to manuscripts, archival material and the subject himself, together with the creation of an extensive Oral History collection. This project provides a unique opportunity to examine Australian political and cultural developments in the twentieth century through the life of one of its most significant public figures.Read moreRead less
Australia's post-Second World War reconstruction reassessed, 1941-1949. The project will provide a better understanding of a major phase of Australian history. While there is substantial awareness of the national effort in the Second World War, the magnitude of the commitment to apply the same spirit to secure peace and redeem sacrifice is less widely recognised. This project will assess the substantial innovation in national government to meet augmented expectations and explore the domestic and ....Australia's post-Second World War reconstruction reassessed, 1941-1949. The project will provide a better understanding of a major phase of Australian history. While there is substantial awareness of the national effort in the Second World War, the magnitude of the commitment to apply the same spirit to secure peace and redeem sacrifice is less widely recognised. This project will assess the substantial innovation in national government to meet augmented expectations and explore the domestic and international context of such actions. It will thus enhance awareness of mid-century social, political and cultural transitions, particularly as they relate to issues that continue to shape our national and international experience.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100677
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$343,000.00
Summary
Australians and federation: commemoration, identity and engagement. This project aims to advance understanding of the history of Australians' attitudes towards federation since 1901. It will use a series of commemoration case studies drawn from the 1950s and 2000s to analyse changing attitudes towards the federal compact. The project is significant in its application of historical methodology to the conception of the federation as a living, breathing structure. Expected outcomes are a greater un ....Australians and federation: commemoration, identity and engagement. This project aims to advance understanding of the history of Australians' attitudes towards federation since 1901. It will use a series of commemoration case studies drawn from the 1950s and 2000s to analyse changing attitudes towards the federal compact. The project is significant in its application of historical methodology to the conception of the federation as a living, breathing structure. Expected outcomes are a greater understanding of how Australians have attached to their federation over time, contextualisation of debates about national commemorations, and insights into historical attitudes towards civic institutions and democratic governance. Benefits include a more informed debate about federation reform.Read moreRead less
Cultural Politics in Victorian England: the Cowper-Temples and their circle. In an era of 'culture wars' across the English-speaking world (Australia included) the link between elite cultural attitudes and the formation of political agendas is a controversial one - easier to allege than to prove. This project aims to give a firm basis for exploration of interaction between cultural and political elites by going back to historical baseline. Taking the period of the coming of democracy in Victoria ....Cultural Politics in Victorian England: the Cowper-Temples and their circle. In an era of 'culture wars' across the English-speaking world (Australia included) the link between elite cultural attitudes and the formation of political agendas is a controversial one - easier to allege than to prove. This project aims to give a firm basis for exploration of interaction between cultural and political elites by going back to historical baseline. Taking the period of the coming of democracy in Victorian England as this baseline, it investigates the ways in which political insiders in that pioneering society grappled with the possibilities of harnessing cultural issues to shape political agendas.Read moreRead less
Australian Public Policy Responses to Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Comparativist and Historical Perspectives. Furnishing the first comprehensive history of Australia's response to refugees and asylum seekers, the project will enhance our understanding of the genealogy of current Australian policy and inform debate in an area of intense concern to policy makers and the general public. The project will put the Australian response into context by comparing it with that of New Zealand and by analysi ....Australian Public Policy Responses to Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Comparativist and Historical Perspectives. Furnishing the first comprehensive history of Australia's response to refugees and asylum seekers, the project will enhance our understanding of the genealogy of current Australian policy and inform debate in an area of intense concern to policy makers and the general public. The project will put the Australian response into context by comparing it with that of New Zealand and by analysing it against the backdrop of the evolution of the international refugee regime.Read moreRead less