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The scientific ape: the evolution of the animal fable after Darwin. This project will contribute to national and international debates over the understanding of human nature, the human propensity for violence towards other beings and the possibility of mutually supportive relations with our natural environment. By demonstrating literature's capacity to intervene meaningfully into conceptual debates about the literary representation of animals, it will enhance Australia's international scholarly ....The scientific ape: the evolution of the animal fable after Darwin. This project will contribute to national and international debates over the understanding of human nature, the human propensity for violence towards other beings and the possibility of mutually supportive relations with our natural environment. By demonstrating literature's capacity to intervene meaningfully into conceptual debates about the literary representation of animals, it will enhance Australia's international scholarly profile in the emerging field of animal studies. It will also contribute to the international renown of Australian scholarship in traditional literary studies by producing the first theoretically informed reassessment of the literary genre of the fable.Read moreRead less
Genealogy and Topology: A Constellational Comparison of Nietzsche and Heidegger. This research is fundamental in character addressing basic questions about the nature and history of philosophy. It will have direct academic benefits in advancing disciplinary knowledge, in enhancing the reputation of Australian philosophy in Germany and internationally, and in promoting contact between Australian and German philosophers, but is also likely to have longer term benefits in furthering our understandi ....Genealogy and Topology: A Constellational Comparison of Nietzsche and Heidegger. This research is fundamental in character addressing basic questions about the nature and history of philosophy. It will have direct academic benefits in advancing disciplinary knowledge, in enhancing the reputation of Australian philosophy in Germany and internationally, and in promoting contact between Australian and German philosophers, but is also likely to have longer term benefits in furthering our understanding of the nature of concepts, and of conceptual creativity.Read moreRead less
A biography of Roma Flinders Mitchell 1913-2000. Dame Roma Mitchell is best known for her outstanding succession of public achievements. A biography of a prominent and widely-admired figure is no innovation. But a biography of such a figure who is also a woman, necessarily moves onto new ground. It brings questions of gender, gender-difference, and the relation of both to public life and power to the fore of its analysis. This project will compose a biography which is also a social history, and ....A biography of Roma Flinders Mitchell 1913-2000. Dame Roma Mitchell is best known for her outstanding succession of public achievements. A biography of a prominent and widely-admired figure is no innovation. But a biography of such a figure who is also a woman, necessarily moves onto new ground. It brings questions of gender, gender-difference, and the relation of both to public life and power to the fore of its analysis. This project will compose a biography which is also a social history, and a social history which is distinctive because it is focussed on the life of a woman.Read moreRead less
William Blackstone: Life and Works. The life and works of William Blackstone (1723-1780) have been largely overshadowed by his enormously influential Commentaries on the Laws of England. This project will deploy new evidence to explore Blackstone's elusive personal life and diverse public roles, as academic activist and administrator, architect, historian, law reformer, legislator, linguist, literary critic and scholar, politician and judge. Contextualising Blackstone within the rapidly developi ....William Blackstone: Life and Works. The life and works of William Blackstone (1723-1780) have been largely overshadowed by his enormously influential Commentaries on the Laws of England. This project will deploy new evidence to explore Blackstone's elusive personal life and diverse public roles, as academic activist and administrator, architect, historian, law reformer, legislator, linguist, literary critic and scholar, politician and judge. Contextualising Blackstone within the rapidly developing scholarship of the British Enlightenment, the project's outcomes will include the first ever full-length scholarly biography, together with annotated editions of his largely unpublished correspondence and hitherto unexamined architectural writings.Read moreRead less
Global Security, Strategic Paradox and Limited War: The Politics and Ethics of Force. This project will provide detailed empirical research results plus conceptual innovations in the areas of peace and conflict studies. These will contribute to better understanding of contemporary threats and the effects of using force, and will enable the development of more effective policy options. The project will contribute strongly to the ARC's research priority 4, 'safeguarding Australia', by providing im ....Global Security, Strategic Paradox and Limited War: The Politics and Ethics of Force. This project will provide detailed empirical research results plus conceptual innovations in the areas of peace and conflict studies. These will contribute to better understanding of contemporary threats and the effects of using force, and will enable the development of more effective policy options. The project will contribute strongly to the ARC's research priority 4, 'safeguarding Australia', by providing important studies, analytical tools and policy recommendations that will strengthen Australia's national security, contribute to reducing conflict, and help us shape the regional and global security environment in our interests.Read moreRead less
Racial Classifications in Transnational Context: Aborigines and Islanders in Australia, Native Americans, African Americans and Afro-Brazilians. This ongoing project seeks to develop a new and more powerful scholarly paradigm for understanding race through a comparative historical study designed to identify features which are common to concepts of race as they have emerged and shifted in the different societies studied, and to distinguish these from features which are specific to particular soc ....Racial Classifications in Transnational Context: Aborigines and Islanders in Australia, Native Americans, African Americans and Afro-Brazilians. This ongoing project seeks to develop a new and more powerful scholarly paradigm for understanding race through a comparative historical study designed to identify features which are common to concepts of race as they have emerged and shifted in the different societies studied, and to distinguish these from features which are specific to particular societies and/or eras. In addition to developing and demonstrating the approach, the project will reanalyse the racialisation of the four colonised groups, each of which have figured centrally in studies of race. One monograph and at least three major journal articles will result.Read moreRead less
The corruption-organised crime nexus in four European states, with particular reference to people smuggling. Considering its importance to Australia, too little research is being done here on Europe. The EU alone accounts for c.40% of Australia's trade. Yet most research on Europe undertaken here is either historical (pre-1945) and/or of individual countries. Relatively little is in the social sciences. One benefit of this project is that it ensures that comparative social science research o ....The corruption-organised crime nexus in four European states, with particular reference to people smuggling. Considering its importance to Australia, too little research is being done here on Europe. The EU alone accounts for c.40% of Australia's trade. Yet most research on Europe undertaken here is either historical (pre-1945) and/or of individual countries. Relatively little is in the social sciences. One benefit of this project is that it ensures that comparative social science research on Europe is conducted in Australia. Second, Australia experiences many problems facing European states, albeit usually on a smaller scale. The potential benefits of learning vicariously from others' experiences are obvious. Third, this will enhance this country's expertise in this strategically important area. Read moreRead less
INVENTING PERFECT AUSTRALIAN WOMANHOOD: THE MISS AUSTRALIA QUEST AND THE ROLE OF DISABILITY IN POSTWAR AUSTRALIA. The Miss Australia Quest articulated the concept of perfect white womanhood in the postwar era. Sponsored by a major charity, the Spastics League, the Quest sought to locate representatives of conventional womanhood yet who had exemplary appearance, poise and moral virtue. Bodily and moral perfection ran counter to the sponsoring organisation which dealt with the severely disabled. ....INVENTING PERFECT AUSTRALIAN WOMANHOOD: THE MISS AUSTRALIA QUEST AND THE ROLE OF DISABILITY IN POSTWAR AUSTRALIA. The Miss Australia Quest articulated the concept of perfect white womanhood in the postwar era. Sponsored by a major charity, the Spastics League, the Quest sought to locate representatives of conventional womanhood yet who had exemplary appearance, poise and moral virtue. Bodily and moral perfection ran counter to the sponsoring organisation which dealt with the severely disabled. With competitions held throughout the Commonwealth, the finalists were designated by their state of origin. Hence both regions and then states competed alongside individuals. The broadcast of the Quest was a major television event until 1986. An analysis of the Quest allows interrogation of the role of fundraising for charity, the construction of celebrity, the nature of idealised young womanhood and interstate rivalries. Scholarly articles and a book alongside a projected exhibition at the new National Museum of Australia are anticipated.Read moreRead less
The High Court of Australia: A Biographical Study. The High Court of Australia has shaped the legal, political and social landscapes of Australia. Yet despite its wide-ranging importance the Court has largely been the subject of a legal inquiry focusing on its substantial case law. This project seeks to fill a significant gap in the literature with the publication of an institutional history of the Court. Central to this project is a commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach that explores the ....The High Court of Australia: A Biographical Study. The High Court of Australia has shaped the legal, political and social landscapes of Australia. Yet despite its wide-ranging importance the Court has largely been the subject of a legal inquiry focusing on its substantial case law. This project seeks to fill a significant gap in the literature with the publication of an institutional history of the Court. Central to this project is a commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach that explores the Court beyond a merely legal paradigm. The outcomes of this project will be publications that situate the law, the judiciary and Australian history within a single explanatory narrative.Read moreRead less
The culture of war: private life and sentiment in Australia 1914-18. This study has the potential to place Australia at the forefront of a new theoretical approach to civilian agency in total war, and enhance the national reputation for important scholarship in a field dominated by international scholars. Also, while war has been central to Australian notions of identity, our sense of 'war' is intimately connected to the front-line, and not to the homefront. This study will help reorient academi ....The culture of war: private life and sentiment in Australia 1914-18. This study has the potential to place Australia at the forefront of a new theoretical approach to civilian agency in total war, and enhance the national reputation for important scholarship in a field dominated by international scholars. Also, while war has been central to Australian notions of identity, our sense of 'war' is intimately connected to the front-line, and not to the homefront. This study will help reorient academic and popular attention back to the importance of the homefront in Australia's experience of 1914-18. At a time when Australians are increasingly interested in family links with the war, this project will provide a greater appreciation of the war's effects on Australia nationally and on the most personal levels.Read moreRead less