Place, taste and tradition: A history of ideas about heritage in Western Australia as a foundation for change. This project aims to provide an agenda for change in heritage practice and legislation in Western Australia. It will do this through exploring a history of ideas about heritage and the built environment to trace a genealogy of a growing awareness of heritage in a variety of forms in Western Australia, and the more recent history of the heritage movement through the National Trust in We ....Place, taste and tradition: A history of ideas about heritage in Western Australia as a foundation for change. This project aims to provide an agenda for change in heritage practice and legislation in Western Australia. It will do this through exploring a history of ideas about heritage and the built environment to trace a genealogy of a growing awareness of heritage in a variety of forms in Western Australia, and the more recent history of the heritage movement through the National Trust in Western Australia. This project will provide historical understanding to current practice, an agenda for legislative and practical change within the heritage arena, a history of the National Trust of Western Australia and several scholarly articles.Read moreRead less
Mapping the Latin Enlightenment: Centres and Peripheries. An Australian will lead an international team to reclaim the massive but neglected Latin-language culture of 18th-C Europe, restoring 'lost' authors influential in their day and assessing the contribution of Latin literary and scientific networks to Enlightenment culture. Our national conversation on the Enlightenment will expand from a near-exclusive focus on France and England to Italy and the Netherlands, countries of historical import ....Mapping the Latin Enlightenment: Centres and Peripheries. An Australian will lead an international team to reclaim the massive but neglected Latin-language culture of 18th-C Europe, restoring 'lost' authors influential in their day and assessing the contribution of Latin literary and scientific networks to Enlightenment culture. Our national conversation on the Enlightenment will expand from a near-exclusive focus on France and England to Italy and the Netherlands, countries of historical importance to Australia and our region. The project will further enhance Australia's high reputation in Italian literature studies, setting a new direction in the field by tracking the influence of Latin humanism beyond the Renaissance. Outcomes include a monograph, critical anthologies, and research training.Read moreRead less
Family, Politics and Society: The Valori Household and Florence, 1380-1650. This is a study of one family's engagement in the turbulent and dangerous world of Florentine politics over nine generations. A study of the Valori will enable us to identify the political assumptions that inspired them and other Florentines to fight against the trends towards despotism. An understanding of these assumptions and the civic values they engendered will benefit our society's efforts to strengthen family bond ....Family, Politics and Society: The Valori Household and Florence, 1380-1650. This is a study of one family's engagement in the turbulent and dangerous world of Florentine politics over nine generations. A study of the Valori will enable us to identify the political assumptions that inspired them and other Florentines to fight against the trends towards despotism. An understanding of these assumptions and the civic values they engendered will benefit our society's efforts to strengthen family bonds, instil civic responsibility and combat the political indifference which, in the opinion of our political leaders, threatens to 'disengage the young from the democratic process' (Governor-General Michael Jeffery, 26-1-2005).Read moreRead less
The Life and Writings of Sir Charles Brooke, second Rajah of Sarawak (1829-1917). The benefit of the project is an understanding of the processes and mentality which underlaid what was perhaps history's most successful experiment in enlightened European rule over Asian peoples during the Imperial era. There are lessons here here for Australians' relations with their Southeast Asian neighbours, notably Malaysia and Indonesia. In the British context, it will document and evaluate for the first ti ....The Life and Writings of Sir Charles Brooke, second Rajah of Sarawak (1829-1917). The benefit of the project is an understanding of the processes and mentality which underlaid what was perhaps history's most successful experiment in enlightened European rule over Asian peoples during the Imperial era. There are lessons here here for Australians' relations with their Southeast Asian neighbours, notably Malaysia and Indonesia. In the British context, it will document and evaluate for the first time the achievement of one of the great figures of the Imperial era. Within Malaysia (and notably Sarawak) it will provide a major contribution towards an understanding of the 'White Rajah' era and its legacy of economic autonomy and political and cultural pluralism. Read moreRead less
Writing the new history of British Imperialism its European, African and Australian context. I plan to complete several related projects already under way which are linked to the project title. The Oxford History of Missions in the British Empire will recast the way we think about the historical impact of Christian Missions. The Mapping Project compares the role played by surveyors and maps in the colononization of Australia and South Africa. Imperium of the Soul explores connections between d ....Writing the new history of British Imperialism its European, African and Australian context. I plan to complete several related projects already under way which are linked to the project title. The Oxford History of Missions in the British Empire will recast the way we think about the historical impact of Christian Missions. The Mapping Project compares the role played by surveyors and maps in the colononization of Australia and South Africa. Imperium of the Soul explores connections between deep currents of European intellectual life and the productions of key artists associated with British imperialism.
I will be revising my book on Theories of Imperialism and researching new work on war and conquest.
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Beyond the Family: Fragmented Families and Household Strategies in England, 1400-1830. This project poses radical new questions to the history of families and domestic relations in England 1400-1830. We aim to provide the first systematic analysis of the extent, variety, and significance of non-nuclear family forms in this period, explore their affectual relationships, and locate them in European contexts. Using approaches from literary textual analysis to statistical demography, we will critiqu ....Beyond the Family: Fragmented Families and Household Strategies in England, 1400-1830. This project poses radical new questions to the history of families and domestic relations in England 1400-1830. We aim to provide the first systematic analysis of the extent, variety, and significance of non-nuclear family forms in this period, explore their affectual relationships, and locate them in European contexts. Using approaches from literary textual analysis to statistical demography, we will critique several areas of scholarship on family and household history, evoking new research on medieval and early modern non-nuclear family structures, and hopefully providing fresh perspectives on the historical context of the perceived 'breakdown' of nuclear families in modern western-type societies.Read moreRead less
Irish Convicts and Early Australian Society: A Reassessment in Two hemispheres. Based on new archival research in Ireland and Australia and the development of a data bank comprising information on more than one thousand male and female Irish convicts who arrived on eight transports between 1800 and 1806, this project examines the process of transportation within the context of a much wider Irish diaspora in the Age of Revolutions. It seeks to bring Irish convicts into the mainstream of colonial ....Irish Convicts and Early Australian Society: A Reassessment in Two hemispheres. Based on new archival research in Ireland and Australia and the development of a data bank comprising information on more than one thousand male and female Irish convicts who arrived on eight transports between 1800 and 1806, this project examines the process of transportation within the context of a much wider Irish diaspora in the Age of Revolutions. It seeks to bring Irish convicts into the mainstream of colonial studies by examining the traditional view of their ?otherness? and by focusing as much on their lives before transportation as after. A book, articles and conference papers will result.Read moreRead less
The cult of the Duce in the wider world. The burying of dictators remains a pressing issue in this world, as does the problem in a liberal democracy where and when to limit charisma and 'celebrity' and what to do with the overweening personality. Mussolini was the first politician, possessed of an image and myth aimed at the masses. Our international and interdisciplinary research will probe the processes of this cult. Our case study on migrant Australia will give the project special immediacy ....The cult of the Duce in the wider world. The burying of dictators remains a pressing issue in this world, as does the problem in a liberal democracy where and when to limit charisma and 'celebrity' and what to do with the overweening personality. Mussolini was the first politician, possessed of an image and myth aimed at the masses. Our international and interdisciplinary research will probe the processes of this cult. Our case study on migrant Australia will give the project special immediacy in this country. Read moreRead less
Living as a child: children's experiences in England c. 1400-1750. How we best nurture and socialize the next generation of Australians is currently a matter of critical debate. Yet modern Australian attitudes to childhood and practices of child-rearing were first formed in the crucible of pre-modern Europe. Our proposed history of children's experiences in England c. 1400-1750 will provide a rich understanding of the foundations of present-day theories and practices of child-rearing. It will e ....Living as a child: children's experiences in England c. 1400-1750. How we best nurture and socialize the next generation of Australians is currently a matter of critical debate. Yet modern Australian attitudes to childhood and practices of child-rearing were first formed in the crucible of pre-modern Europe. Our proposed history of children's experiences in England c. 1400-1750 will provide a rich understanding of the foundations of present-day theories and practices of child-rearing. It will enable us to distinguish universal features of child-rearing from those which change over time, and to maintain Australia's international reputation for top-class research and research training in pre-modern history and culture.Read moreRead less
Sites of Learning, Spaces of State: Reconstructed Primary Schools and Small Parks in Tokyo, 1923-1945. Australia places a high priority on its relationship with Japan as it is a country that remains of fundamental importance for political and economic reasons. Indeed, one of the reasons why we enjoy such a strong relationship today is due to our growing familiarity with each other's language, culture and society. Japan is likely to remain Australia's largest export market for some time hence it ....Sites of Learning, Spaces of State: Reconstructed Primary Schools and Small Parks in Tokyo, 1923-1945. Australia places a high priority on its relationship with Japan as it is a country that remains of fundamental importance for political and economic reasons. Indeed, one of the reasons why we enjoy such a strong relationship today is due to our growing familiarity with each other's language, culture and society. Japan is likely to remain Australia's largest export market for some time hence it is important that we also maintain our engagement in scholarship of Japan's history, culture and society. This project will deepen our understanding of Japanese state and society in a critical period of the twentieth century, and in doing so contribute to Australia's long-term goal of strengthening this important bilateral relationship.Read moreRead less