Islam and Secular Urban Culture in Early Modern Middle East. Australia is the homeland of a growing Muslim community, and Islam is an important feature in Australia's religious and cultural landscape. The project contributes to expanding Australia's knowledge of Islam, to developing its ability to engage and interact in constructive and enabling ways with the Muslim communities locally, regionally, and internationally, and to heightening the Muslims' respect for the modern secular culture by mak ....Islam and Secular Urban Culture in Early Modern Middle East. Australia is the homeland of a growing Muslim community, and Islam is an important feature in Australia's religious and cultural landscape. The project contributes to expanding Australia's knowledge of Islam, to developing its ability to engage and interact in constructive and enabling ways with the Muslim communities locally, regionally, and internationally, and to heightening the Muslims' respect for the modern secular culture by making them aware of their creative role in its making. It addresses a prevailing misunderstanding about secular culture in Islam and enhances Australia's international reputation as a centre of cutting-edge research in the fields of Islamic studies.Read moreRead less
Islam, Modernity and the Enlightenment: A New Perspective. Australia's encounters with Islam have never been as politically, militarily and emotionally demanding as the events of the last few years have revealed. In the current climate of tension and conflict a deeper understanding of Islam - its socio-religious and intellectual history, its systems of thought, and its attitude towards modernity and the modern world - is vital to enhance Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regi ....Islam, Modernity and the Enlightenment: A New Perspective. Australia's encounters with Islam have never been as politically, militarily and emotionally demanding as the events of the last few years have revealed. In the current climate of tension and conflict a deeper understanding of Islam - its socio-religious and intellectual history, its systems of thought, and its attitude towards modernity and the modern world - is vital to enhance Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment. This project contributes to enhancing Australia's ability to engage and interact in constructive and enabling ways with the Muslim communities locally, regionally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Captivity Remembered: Slavery, Islam and Identity Formation in the Sulu Zone, 1768-1898. This project will promote collaborative and comparative research on slavery and other forms of unfree labour, Islam and cultural hybridity. It will provide knowledge to governments, educators and religious leaders concerned with ending Muslim-Christian conflict in the Philippines, about the more socially inclusive nature of Islam and the process by which Muslim states and societies changed the ethnic identit ....Captivity Remembered: Slavery, Islam and Identity Formation in the Sulu Zone, 1768-1898. This project will promote collaborative and comparative research on slavery and other forms of unfree labour, Islam and cultural hybridity. It will provide knowledge to governments, educators and religious leaders concerned with ending Muslim-Christian conflict in the Philippines, about the more socially inclusive nature of Islam and the process by which Muslim states and societies changed the ethnic identities and spiritual beliefs of captives. It will also reveal the paradoxes of the historically conditioned response to the trauma and difference caused by Muslim slavery in the Sulu Zone that has governed the thinking and social practise of the Philippine community and other nations. Read moreRead less
Soul Searching in the Islamic East: Self-knowledge and the Avicennan Legacy in the 13th Century Islamic East. By deepening our understanding of the philosophical tradition of the Islamic world, this project will 'enhance Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional environment through a greater understanding of languages, societies and cultures' (Research priority 4: Understanding our region and the world), an understanding so much needed in Australia's increasingly pluralistic ....Soul Searching in the Islamic East: Self-knowledge and the Avicennan Legacy in the 13th Century Islamic East. By deepening our understanding of the philosophical tradition of the Islamic world, this project will 'enhance Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional environment through a greater understanding of languages, societies and cultures' (Research priority 4: Understanding our region and the world), an understanding so much needed in Australia's increasingly pluralistic society. The pure research aspect of this project will attract attention to Australian based research in Medieval and studies and Arabic philosophy that is of international quality, contribute to the reputation of Australia's high quality research capability, and open new possibilities for international cooperation in the field.Read moreRead less
Exploration and Nation: the Cultural Impact of Exploration Literature from the Cook Voyages to the 'Novara' Circumnavigation. This comparative analysis of the cultural impact of the Cook voyages and the lavishly state-sponsored "Novara" expedition will improve our understanding of the international entanglements that affected the course of our history. Examining the broad cultural impact of publications about Pacific exploration will offer valuable new insights into the cross-fertilisations betw ....Exploration and Nation: the Cultural Impact of Exploration Literature from the Cook Voyages to the 'Novara' Circumnavigation. This comparative analysis of the cultural impact of the Cook voyages and the lavishly state-sponsored "Novara" expedition will improve our understanding of the international entanglements that affected the course of our history. Examining the broad cultural impact of publications about Pacific exploration will offer valuable new insights into the cross-fertilisations between colonisation and the formation of 19th-century nation states. A detailed study of how European nations employed the publication industry in their competition for colonial control will illuminate the conflicts over the boundaries of nation and empire and enhance the understanding of prominent issues in Australian humanities research.Read moreRead less
Explaining the Changing Roles of Collections, Curators and Exhibitions in the Production of Museum Images of the Pacific:1900-2000. This study advances the hypothesis, developed as the result of previous research, that museum representations of the Pacific between 1900-2000 were the result of the changing relationship between three factors: the construction of a particular cutural map of the region via the provenance attributed to collections, curatorial activities and exhbitions. It employs Edw ....Explaining the Changing Roles of Collections, Curators and Exhibitions in the Production of Museum Images of the Pacific:1900-2000. This study advances the hypothesis, developed as the result of previous research, that museum representations of the Pacific between 1900-2000 were the result of the changing relationship between three factors: the construction of a particular cutural map of the region via the provenance attributed to collections, curatorial activities and exhbitions. It employs Edward Said's post-colonial theory to explain the factors involved in the production of particular images and their transformation through the colonial and post-colonial periods. This is done in three case studies of two museum anthropology departments: The Australian Museum and the American Museum of Natural HistoryRead moreRead less
Links across Empire: Australia and India 1880-1925. This project explores links between Australia and India between 1880-1925 and posits that India and Indians provided a foil against which Australians operated as they forged their nation and an Australian identity. It explores links around trade, religion, tourism , travel and the development and operation of the White Australia Policy to demonstrate the 'Othering' of India, but also the circumstances where closer understandings developed. In e ....Links across Empire: Australia and India 1880-1925. This project explores links between Australia and India between 1880-1925 and posits that India and Indians provided a foil against which Australians operated as they forged their nation and an Australian identity. It explores links around trade, religion, tourism , travel and the development and operation of the White Australia Policy to demonstrate the 'Othering' of India, but also the circumstances where closer understandings developed. In exploring relations between two very different colonies it pioneers new aspects of imperial history. It reveals the virtually un-researched history of relationships between Australia and India and thus historicises Australia's place in the Asia-Pacific.Read moreRead less
The transnational history of the Chinese Nationalist Party. First the project contributes to better understanding of Australia's region, secondly it enhances understanding of the place of international Chinese communities in world politics, trade, and migration, thirdly it contributes to Australian understanding of the ties linking the Chinese diaspora in Australia to other Chinese communities around the world and in China, fourth it contributes to important international debates on migration an ....The transnational history of the Chinese Nationalist Party. First the project contributes to better understanding of Australia's region, secondly it enhances understanding of the place of international Chinese communities in world politics, trade, and migration, thirdly it contributes to Australian understanding of the ties linking the Chinese diaspora in Australia to other Chinese communities around the world and in China, fourth it contributes to important international debates on migration and ethnic politics over the course of the 20th century, and fifth it confirms Australia's international standing as a site of innovation and excellence in research on the Asian and Pacific regions.Read moreRead less
Photography and eugenics: an historical investigation of photography's role in the development and popularisation of the eugenics movement. This project analyses the uses of racial type photographs by the eugenics movement. Photography was used as a scientific tool by eugenicists but this project is primarily concerned with its role in popularising and legitimating a movement that won widespread acceptance between c.1870 and WW2. It will explore the techniques, media forms, aims and effects of B ....Photography and eugenics: an historical investigation of photography's role in the development and popularisation of the eugenics movement. This project analyses the uses of racial type photographs by the eugenics movement. Photography was used as a scientific tool by eugenicists but this project is primarily concerned with its role in popularising and legitimating a movement that won widespread acceptance between c.1870 and WW2. It will explore the techniques, media forms, aims and effects of British, American and German eugenic photography and compare eugenics photography with the use of photography in contemporary liberal anthropology. The project will result in a groundbreaking monograph on a topic which will make a major contribution to our understanding of the history of racism.Read moreRead less
Continuities and change in the history of European women's letter-writing. This project will enhance Australia's strong international reputation for cutting-edge work in European history. At a time when questions about communication, self-representation and personal life are of such very great interest, both academically and more generally, this project offers the possibility of bringing academic scholarship closer to issues that are of general interest to the wider community. There is also cons ....Continuities and change in the history of European women's letter-writing. This project will enhance Australia's strong international reputation for cutting-edge work in European history. At a time when questions about communication, self-representation and personal life are of such very great interest, both academically and more generally, this project offers the possibility of bringing academic scholarship closer to issues that are of general interest to the wider community. There is also considerable national benefit in the innovative approach that this project proposes, which offers a new model for collaborative research in the humanities.Read moreRead less