The Origins and Effects of the Unified National System of Higher Education in Australia. The project will provide the first systematic and fully documented account of the genesis, aims, authorship, design, negotiation, carriage and implementation of the changes introduced to Australian higher education from 1987 to 1992. In addition, it will evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of these changes in reference to the purpose and rationale of the reforms as presented in the policy documents ....The Origins and Effects of the Unified National System of Higher Education in Australia. The project will provide the first systematic and fully documented account of the genesis, aims, authorship, design, negotiation, carriage and implementation of the changes introduced to Australian higher education from 1987 to 1992. In addition, it will evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of these changes in reference to the purpose and rationale of the reforms as presented in the policy documents of the period. The project will undertake detailed case studies of four Australian universities, tracing how they were affected by the creation of the Unified National System of higher education. This account and analysis of the changes orchestrated by Minister John Dawkins will help inform future higher education policy debate.Read moreRead less
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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100975
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,227.00
Summary
The Caseys and Pat Jarrett in Washington, 1940-1942. This project aims to study the desirability of diplomatic interventions and practices to achieve ‘smart power’ results in an era where ‘hard power’ military intervention is often a disproportionately large, reflex response to global security threats. It will study Australian Minister Richard Gardiner 'Dick' Casey, his wife Maie Casey and their press aide Patricia 'Pat' Jarrett, who served in Washington during 1940-1 and, quietly encouraged by ....The Caseys and Pat Jarrett in Washington, 1940-1942. This project aims to study the desirability of diplomatic interventions and practices to achieve ‘smart power’ results in an era where ‘hard power’ military intervention is often a disproportionately large, reflex response to global security threats. It will study Australian Minister Richard Gardiner 'Dick' Casey, his wife Maie Casey and their press aide Patricia 'Pat' Jarrett, who served in Washington during 1940-1 and, quietly encouraged by the Roosevelt Administration, conducted a sustained campaign of private and public diplomacy to project an identity for Australia distinct from the then unpopular Britain with which it was usually conflated. This project maps that campaign and the interpersonal diplomacy underpinning it, incorporating a range of perspectives not dealt with in the historiography.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
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