Being Famous in China: Celebrities, Heroes and Public Figures. This project furthers Australian understanding of our most strategically important neighbours, the People's Republic of China. The better we understand how it mobilises exemplars, and famous people for social cohesion or economic and political causes the more likely we are to be able to further Australian interests within this large market. Celebrity systems are integral to advertising campaigns, therefore the better we understand ho ....Being Famous in China: Celebrities, Heroes and Public Figures. This project furthers Australian understanding of our most strategically important neighbours, the People's Republic of China. The better we understand how it mobilises exemplars, and famous people for social cohesion or economic and political causes the more likely we are to be able to further Australian interests within this large market. Celebrity systems are integral to advertising campaigns, therefore the better we understand how celebrity is perceived the more likely we are to create effective marketing strategies for Australian exports. The project also enhances Australia's strong reputation as leaders in scholarship in Chinese Studies by producing research publications of high impact. Read moreRead less
Regulating Morals in Modern Japan. The project will examine the contestation over modernity in early twentieth century Japan as revealed in heightened attempts to regulate public morals. Focus on regulation of morals shifts the traditional emphasis on foreign, military developments to domestic social change to explain the repressive, expansionist state of the 1930s. Investigation of the everyday makes concrete the meaning and experience of modernity in interwar Japan. Examining the role of middl ....Regulating Morals in Modern Japan. The project will examine the contestation over modernity in early twentieth century Japan as revealed in heightened attempts to regulate public morals. Focus on regulation of morals shifts the traditional emphasis on foreign, military developments to domestic social change to explain the repressive, expansionist state of the 1930s. Investigation of the everyday makes concrete the meaning and experience of modernity in interwar Japan. Examining the role of middle class activists adds a dimension to the debates over the consequences of modernization.Read moreRead less
Fashionable Times: An Inquiry into the History of China's Modernity. Fashion, once regarded as a purely Western phenomenon and equated with thoroughly modern life, has recently made an improbable appearance in histories both of urban life in late imperial China and of twentieth-century Chinese nationalism. To speak of Chinese fashion is effectively to raise a question about the origins and course of China's modernity. The project aims to respond to this question through a study of the culture of ....Fashionable Times: An Inquiry into the History of China's Modernity. Fashion, once regarded as a purely Western phenomenon and equated with thoroughly modern life, has recently made an improbable appearance in histories both of urban life in late imperial China and of twentieth-century Chinese nationalism. To speak of Chinese fashion is effectively to raise a question about the origins and course of China's modernity. The project aims to respond to this question through a study of the culture of clothing from Ming to Mao, the expected outcome being an illustrated monograph of interest to scholars and general readers in the fields of fashion theory, material culture, and Chinese history.Read moreRead less
Sexual contracts in Burma and Cambodia: Intersections of Desire, Duty and Debt. Prostitution, sex trafficking, and violence against women are global concerns. A better understanding of the underlying context that permits women and children to be abused in this manner in other cultures will allow Australia to assist in addressing these problems - in our own multicultural society and abroad - in a culturally appropriate manner that will prove far more effective than current approaches. Australia h ....Sexual contracts in Burma and Cambodia: Intersections of Desire, Duty and Debt. Prostitution, sex trafficking, and violence against women are global concerns. A better understanding of the underlying context that permits women and children to be abused in this manner in other cultures will allow Australia to assist in addressing these problems - in our own multicultural society and abroad - in a culturally appropriate manner that will prove far more effective than current approaches. Australia has long been regarded as a leader in the Asia-Pacific region, especially regarding crime prevention and protecting the rights of marginalised groups. The research outcomes of this project have practical applications that can only enhance our reputation.Read moreRead less
A difficult marriage: gender, politics and the romance in literary accounts of German unification. This project focuses on the interrelationships between gender, politics and the romance in literary accounts of German unification. Through an exploration of how the political ?marriage? between East and West Germany, with its conventionalised gender roles, is mapped onto literary marriages, the project examines the challenges and opportunities that unification has afforded men and women. It will y ....A difficult marriage: gender, politics and the romance in literary accounts of German unification. This project focuses on the interrelationships between gender, politics and the romance in literary accounts of German unification. Through an exploration of how the political ?marriage? between East and West Germany, with its conventionalised gender roles, is mapped onto literary marriages, the project examines the challenges and opportunities that unification has afforded men and women. It will yield insights into the ways in which unification has rewritten the scripts for femininity and masculinity and forced a transformation of intimacy. Its findings will enhance knowledge of gender relations in post-communist Europe and the relationships between gender, the nation and modernity.Read moreRead less
Global/Local Intersections: History, Identity and Community in a Tokyo Subculture. The human rights of minorities are gaining increased attention in Australia and the region. It is important for our understanding of the region that we are informed about the development of minority gender identities in an Asian context from both human rights and health perspectives. The project will contribute to the national research priority of understanding Australia's place in the region through building link ....Global/Local Intersections: History, Identity and Community in a Tokyo Subculture. The human rights of minorities are gaining increased attention in Australia and the region. It is important for our understanding of the region that we are informed about the development of minority gender identities in an Asian context from both human rights and health perspectives. The project will contribute to the national research priority of understanding Australia's place in the region through building links between Australian and Asian researchers working on minority gender histories and cultures. It will also add to Australian understanding of Japan, an important social and economic partner in the region.Read moreRead less
Maid in China: Gendered Mobilities, Internal Migration, and the Translocal Imagination. Internal migration always restructures the spatial imagination, and variably across different social groups. In China, gender, class and power relations are important determinants of both mobility and concepts of place. Studying the phenomenon of the migrant baomu (the domestic maid), this project hypothsises that the emerging translocal practices of rural-urban migrants have significantly reworked the spatia ....Maid in China: Gendered Mobilities, Internal Migration, and the Translocal Imagination. Internal migration always restructures the spatial imagination, and variably across different social groups. In China, gender, class and power relations are important determinants of both mobility and concepts of place. Studying the phenomenon of the migrant baomu (the domestic maid), this project hypothsises that the emerging translocal practices of rural-urban migrants have significantly reworked the spatial imagination of the Chinese people. This project will lead to a new conceptualisation of place and space, with the flow of people and the flow of media images brought into productive interface. It will also generate important cross-cultural perspectives on women, work and migration. Research findings will be communicated in a book, Maid in China.Read moreRead less
Infertility, IVF and reproductive tourism in Thailand and the region. This project will deepen our knowledge of the cross-cultural issues involved in infertility and the transfer of assisted reproductive technologies in the Asian region. Australian IVF expertise and technology is exported overseas and the project will reflect upon the processes and dilemmas involved in this. Innovative work on reproductive tourism will develop new theoretical insights as well as describe a growing social phenome ....Infertility, IVF and reproductive tourism in Thailand and the region. This project will deepen our knowledge of the cross-cultural issues involved in infertility and the transfer of assisted reproductive technologies in the Asian region. Australian IVF expertise and technology is exported overseas and the project will reflect upon the processes and dilemmas involved in this. Innovative work on reproductive tourism will develop new theoretical insights as well as describe a growing social phenomenon in our region. Read moreRead less
The Impact of Globalisation in Transforming Sexuality and Cultural Citizenship in Transnational Chinese Cultures: A Comparative Analysis. This project analyses the impact of globalisation and the rapidly increasing use of new media in transforming gender and sexual identities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. New forms of cultural citizenship are emerging in these Chinese societies, and alongside them new modes of sexuality. Specifically, the project examines changing conc ....The Impact of Globalisation in Transforming Sexuality and Cultural Citizenship in Transnational Chinese Cultures: A Comparative Analysis. This project analyses the impact of globalisation and the rapidly increasing use of new media in transforming gender and sexual identities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. New forms of cultural citizenship are emerging in these Chinese societies, and alongside them new modes of sexuality. Specifically, the project examines changing conceptions of femininity seen in representations of lesbian identity in fiction, film, television, popular music, manga comics, and the Internet. The project will provide the first comparative, scholarly analysis of this transformation, and will help us understand its broader implications for the region as a whole.Read moreRead less
Ambivalent Adolescents in Indonesia. Indonesia's stability and prosperity are matters of great significance for Australia. Adolescents have spearheaded political and social transformations in Indonesia, but face continuing economic and social difficulties. Our project will provide Australia with knowledge about Indonesian youth culture, Islam among youth and adolescent reproductive health, enhancing understanding of social change in Indonesia and thereby contributing to Australian security in th ....Ambivalent Adolescents in Indonesia. Indonesia's stability and prosperity are matters of great significance for Australia. Adolescents have spearheaded political and social transformations in Indonesia, but face continuing economic and social difficulties. Our project will provide Australia with knowledge about Indonesian youth culture, Islam among youth and adolescent reproductive health, enhancing understanding of social change in Indonesia and thereby contributing to Australian security in the region. Australia has been a world leader in expertise on Indonesia, but this expertise is dwindling. Our project puts together junior and established scholars, contributing to the sustainability of Australia's pre-eminent research position in Indonesian studies.Read moreRead less