Water and the making of urban Australia since 1900. This project aims to produce new understandings of both the historical drivers of today’s urban water systems, and how these systems have impacted on human and ecological welfare. This will be achieved through the first integrated and comparative historical study of the provision, use and cultures of water in Australia’s five largest cities from 1900 to the present. Such historical knowledge is critical at a time when the water systems of Austr ....Water and the making of urban Australia since 1900. This project aims to produce new understandings of both the historical drivers of today’s urban water systems, and how these systems have impacted on human and ecological welfare. This will be achieved through the first integrated and comparative historical study of the provision, use and cultures of water in Australia’s five largest cities from 1900 to the present. Such historical knowledge is critical at a time when the water systems of Australia’s largest cities are under growing pressure from environmental change and population growth. Project findings will inform the development of policies and practices that produce sustainable, equitable urban water systems.Read moreRead less
Facing new worlds: comparative histories of Australasia and North America. This project aims to develop comparative research into Indigenous and settler experiences in Australasia and North America in order to discover new connections or distinctions between the two regions for both public and academic audiences. The project will centre on a major exhibition with a focus on biography and life representation and will develop new methodologies for examining the shared or different histories of com ....Facing new worlds: comparative histories of Australasia and North America. This project aims to develop comparative research into Indigenous and settler experiences in Australasia and North America in order to discover new connections or distinctions between the two regions for both public and academic audiences. The project will centre on a major exhibition with a focus on biography and life representation and will develop new methodologies for examining the shared or different histories of complex indigenous-settler relations across "New World" sites. The expected outcomes of this project are to promote a deeper appreciation of Australia’s place in a Pacific world with as yet unexplored links to the Americas, and also to model new ways for art history and socio-cultural history to come together to explicate a shared, complicated past.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100042
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,991.00
Summary
Self-determination for Indigenous Australia: histories, visions and voice. This project aims to provide a historical exploration of the experiences of self-determination in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. Working in partnership with Indigenous collaborators, it expects to generate new knowledge of the challenges and opportunities which arose from the process of self-determination. Expected outcomes include a new history of the Northern Territory as shaped by self-determination, ....Self-determination for Indigenous Australia: histories, visions and voice. This project aims to provide a historical exploration of the experiences of self-determination in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. Working in partnership with Indigenous collaborators, it expects to generate new knowledge of the challenges and opportunities which arose from the process of self-determination. Expected outcomes include a new history of the Northern Territory as shaped by self-determination, together with innovative methods for community-based collaborative research which give voice to historical Indigenous experiences. This should provide significant benefits for policymakers engaging with Indigenous communities and generate deeper cultural understanding of an important era in Australia’s Indigenous history.Read moreRead less
Anzac Day at home and abroad: a centenary history of Australia's national day. Australia is fast approaching the centenary of Anzac Day and many believe this is the one day of the year that captures the spirit of the nation. This project will examine Anzac Day's complex and much contested history, retrieving private and collective memories of war through archival research and novel and participatory public history.
Don Dunstan and political and social reform in Australia. Don Dunstan, Premier of South Australia in 1967-68 and 1970-79, was an extraordinarily influential politician whose sweeping reforms led the way nationally and internationally in areas ranging from constitutional reform, Aboriginal land rights, equal opportunities, decriminalisation of homosexuality and civil liberties to urban planning, the arts and food culture. This project will produce the first full-length, comprehensive biography of ....Don Dunstan and political and social reform in Australia. Don Dunstan, Premier of South Australia in 1967-68 and 1970-79, was an extraordinarily influential politician whose sweeping reforms led the way nationally and internationally in areas ranging from constitutional reform, Aboriginal land rights, equal opportunities, decriminalisation of homosexuality and civil liberties to urban planning, the arts and food culture. This project will produce the first full-length, comprehensive biography of Dunstan. It will also use Dunstan’s political and cultural transformation of South Australia to examine the wider dynamics of reform in Australia in the 1960s and 1970s, to understand how and why such change occurred at both state and national levels.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100578
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$308,820.00
Summary
Aristotle's Australia: Civic Republicanism from Federation to the Apology. This project seeks to examine the impact of civic republican ideas in Australia. It will be argued that civic republicanism represents a unique understanding of freedom and that these ideas have shaped the national consciousness. Can the cult of White Australia, the conscription debates, the campaigns for women’s and Indigenous rights be better understood through the prism of civic republicanism? Building on significant r ....Aristotle's Australia: Civic Republicanism from Federation to the Apology. This project seeks to examine the impact of civic republican ideas in Australia. It will be argued that civic republicanism represents a unique understanding of freedom and that these ideas have shaped the national consciousness. Can the cult of White Australia, the conscription debates, the campaigns for women’s and Indigenous rights be better understood through the prism of civic republicanism? Building on significant revisionist works, this project plans to examine key moments in Australia's democratic evolution and suggest that an Aristotelian concept of virtue, in opposition to both liberalism and conservatism, has been a crucial defining factor. This project aims to broaden our understanding of Australian history and the principles that shape our democracy.Read moreRead less
Second shock: Australia's Great Depression and the legacy of World War I. This project aims to produce an innovative history of the Great Depression by examining how Australian responses to this crisis were shaped by the earlier traumatic experience of World War One. In both crises the structures of Australian society remained intact, despite great social distress and political upheaval. It remains an unanswered question as to why this was so. Addressing this question, the project intends to inc ....Second shock: Australia's Great Depression and the legacy of World War I. This project aims to produce an innovative history of the Great Depression by examining how Australian responses to this crisis were shaped by the earlier traumatic experience of World War One. In both crises the structures of Australian society remained intact, despite great social distress and political upheaval. It remains an unanswered question as to why this was so. Addressing this question, the project intends to increase understanding of the impact of war on Australians and the sources of the resilience of Australian political and social structures. The project's outputs will be designed to reach a wide public readership.Read moreRead less
Australian generations: life histories, generational change and Australian memory. As the nation faces dramatic social and environmental change, understanding diverse experiences and memories of Australia's past becomes increasingly important. This project will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by explaining the experience, memory and significance of the past for different Australian generations. Sixty national radio programs will make the research widely accessible. Future resea ....Australian generations: life histories, generational change and Australian memory. As the nation faces dramatic social and environmental change, understanding diverse experiences and memories of Australia's past becomes increasingly important. This project will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by explaining the experience, memory and significance of the past for different Australian generations. Sixty national radio programs will make the research widely accessible. Future researchers and educators will benefit from unprecedented online access to an immensely rich national oral history collection. The National Library, ABC, university partnership will ensure that professional innovation in radio history, oral history and digital archiving is cascaded to cultural institutions in Australia and abroad.Read moreRead less
Social histories of Holden in Australia. This project aims to investigate the social histories of Holden’s manufacturing operations in Australia in the post-World War II (WW2) period through oral interviews and archival research. It will place workers, workplace culture, and the communities in which Holden’s factories were based at the centre of the company’s history. A key focus will be an evaluation of recent assistance provided by Holden to workers to transition to new jobs. The project will ....Social histories of Holden in Australia. This project aims to investigate the social histories of Holden’s manufacturing operations in Australia in the post-World War II (WW2) period through oral interviews and archival research. It will place workers, workplace culture, and the communities in which Holden’s factories were based at the centre of the company’s history. A key focus will be an evaluation of recent assistance provided by Holden to workers to transition to new jobs. The project will produce 100 oral histories and the interviews and interpretive work undertaken during the project will be incorporated into exhibitions at the National Motor Museum and print and online publications. These outcomes will enhance our understanding of Australia's automotive heritage and workplace culture.Read moreRead less
GM Holden and the Mobilisation of Private Industry during World War II. Through a focus on General Motors Holden (GMH), this project aims to explain how Australian industry adapted, diversified, and developed new workforce skills during World War II. Its significance lies in expanding knowledge of GMH’s under-recognised role and impact on Australia’s industrial economy during a pivotal moment in the nation's history. In doing so, it will contribute to broader current discussions about the import ....GM Holden and the Mobilisation of Private Industry during World War II. Through a focus on General Motors Holden (GMH), this project aims to explain how Australian industry adapted, diversified, and developed new workforce skills during World War II. Its significance lies in expanding knowledge of GMH’s under-recognised role and impact on Australia’s industrial economy during a pivotal moment in the nation's history. In doing so, it will contribute to broader current discussions about the importance of maintaining Australian manufacturing industries and their capacity to adapt rapidly in times of crisis to meet national needs. The expected outcomes and benefits include the generation of new interpretive texts and exhibitions for libraries and museums, and building research capacity in early career researchers.Read moreRead less