Crisis management in late antiquity: the evidence of Episcopal letters. Appropriate responses to environmental and social crises, by individuals, communities, governments, religious and charitable organisations, are increasingly under focus in the twenty-first century. Understanding the failures of past leaders as well as their successes is crucial for values-driven policy making. This project reinforces the international reputation of quality Australian research in late-antiquity studies by anc ....Crisis management in late antiquity: the evidence of Episcopal letters. Appropriate responses to environmental and social crises, by individuals, communities, governments, religious and charitable organisations, are increasingly under focus in the twenty-first century. Understanding the failures of past leaders as well as their successes is crucial for values-driven policy making. This project reinforces the international reputation of quality Australian research in late-antiquity studies by anchoring contemporary responses to management of crises such as natural disasters, climate change, population displacement, poverty, religious disputes, violence, and social abuses in their historical antecedents. The project will develop and reinforce existing links with scholars in Japan, Korea, Belgium and South Africa.Read moreRead less
The development of the cult of Mary in North African Christianity (100 - 431 C.E.). As part of international collaborative research dedicated to dispassionate examination of the development of the cult of Mary from 100 to 431 CE, this project deals with literary evidence from North Africa, in which the works of Augustine dominate. The Latin texts will be examined philologically, theologically and historically in order to reconstruct Mary's place in early Christianity, the raw data made available ....The development of the cult of Mary in North African Christianity (100 - 431 C.E.). As part of international collaborative research dedicated to dispassionate examination of the development of the cult of Mary from 100 to 431 CE, this project deals with literary evidence from North Africa, in which the works of Augustine dominate. The Latin texts will be examined philologically, theologically and historically in order to reconstruct Mary's place in early Christianity, the raw data made available online, and the results disseminated through conference papers, monographs and journal articles. This research, the first of its kind, will make a contribution to women's studies, and to the study of late antique culture and hagiography.Read moreRead less
Public and Private Lies: Retelling the clash of duty, power and sexual indulgence in the Roman imperial court. The Australian public has a genuine and demonstrable interest in Ancient World Studies. This project offers them insight into how the ancient world constructed its political scandals. It examines the interrelationship of private acts and public conduct during the height of the Roman empire, and how personal morality was perceived to affect capability to govern. It provides a case study ....Public and Private Lies: Retelling the clash of duty, power and sexual indulgence in the Roman imperial court. The Australian public has a genuine and demonstrable interest in Ancient World Studies. This project offers them insight into how the ancient world constructed its political scandals. It examines the interrelationship of private acts and public conduct during the height of the Roman empire, and how personal morality was perceived to affect capability to govern. It provides a case study for the assessment of similar scandals in the modern world. By reading ancient perspectives on "sex", "power", and "privacy", we better understand our world and the potential for miscommunication across cultures. The project also promotes co-operation between metropolitan and regional universities in sharing resources in a national collaborative project.Read moreRead less
Mexico 1940 to 2004: Nation and Regions in an Era of Globalisation. The outcome of the project will be a major book. A related initative is the design and maintence of an interactive website devoted to contemporary Mexico. This will provide scholars, journalists, business and international agencies with a ready source of information on contemporary Mexico.
Many issues that Australia has faced have also been encountered in Mexico's relations with the global economy and especially with the Uni ....Mexico 1940 to 2004: Nation and Regions in an Era of Globalisation. The outcome of the project will be a major book. A related initative is the design and maintence of an interactive website devoted to contemporary Mexico. This will provide scholars, journalists, business and international agencies with a ready source of information on contemporary Mexico.
Many issues that Australia has faced have also been encountered in Mexico's relations with the global economy and especially with the United States Including: immigration, national security, debt, defense of cultural identity and national sovereignty.
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The boundaries of Roman ethnicity: an examination of elite Roman ethno-cultural identity in the late-Republican and early-Imperial period (55 BCE - 120 CE). This project investigates what it meant to be 'Roman' during the vital period of transition from Republic to Empire (55BCE-120CE). It breaks new ground by focussing specifically on the Roman elite's own representation of their ethnic identity, and seeks t o establish whether a coherent ethno-cultural identity existed and how this identity va ....The boundaries of Roman ethnicity: an examination of elite Roman ethno-cultural identity in the late-Republican and early-Imperial period (55 BCE - 120 CE). This project investigates what it meant to be 'Roman' during the vital period of transition from Republic to Empire (55BCE-120CE). It breaks new ground by focussing specifically on the Roman elite's own representation of their ethnic identity, and seeks t o establish whether a coherent ethno-cultural identity existed and how this identity varied and/or changed over time. The outcome of the project will be a series of substantial publications, and the completion of two doctoral degrees, generating new insi ght into the formation and maintenance of ethno-cultural identities in a poly-ethnic society.Read moreRead less
The Theatrical Revolution: The Expansion of Theatre Outside Athens. The growth of the Greek theatre has valuable insights for contemporary Australian concerns. The world's first medium of mass communication rapidly shaped Greek national identity, but also contributed to Athenian cultural and political hegemony. For its power to transform political practices, business, personal relationships, and ideas, the spread of theatre has been illuminatingly compared to the growth of the internet. Understa ....The Theatrical Revolution: The Expansion of Theatre Outside Athens. The growth of the Greek theatre has valuable insights for contemporary Australian concerns. The world's first medium of mass communication rapidly shaped Greek national identity, but also contributed to Athenian cultural and political hegemony. For its power to transform political practices, business, personal relationships, and ideas, the spread of theatre has been illuminatingly compared to the growth of the internet. Understanding this process is of clear concern to small nations struggling to conserve their national interest while adapting to global culture. Read moreRead less
Accounting for the Ancient Theatre: a new social and economic history of Classical Greek drama. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the Classical theatre, an institution at the fountainhead of the European tradition that continues to form a major element in Australia's cultural and historical heritage. The undertaking of such an ambitious project in this field on Australian soil will greatly enhance the international profile of Australian humanities research, and serve a ....Accounting for the Ancient Theatre: a new social and economic history of Classical Greek drama. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the Classical theatre, an institution at the fountainhead of the European tradition that continues to form a major element in Australia's cultural and historical heritage. The undertaking of such an ambitious project in this field on Australian soil will greatly enhance the international profile of Australian humanities research, and serve as a proud counterweight to the regrettable tendency that sees Australian-trained scholars conduct such research outside the country. It will have particular resonance for the prominent Italian and Greek communities in Australia in its exploration of a key element of their cultural heritage which has now also become a truly global phenomenon. Read moreRead less
Renegotiating the Origins of History: A Study of Early Modern Historical Writing as Practiced by Leonardo Bruni and His Contemporaries. This project will pioneer a new account of the origins of modern historical writing, one which will focus on the political affiliations of foundational figures. Such a study is of vital importance to the community in a time when an intense public debate is being waged over conflicting interpretations of our national past. Participants in this debate have some ....Renegotiating the Origins of History: A Study of Early Modern Historical Writing as Practiced by Leonardo Bruni and His Contemporaries. This project will pioneer a new account of the origins of modern historical writing, one which will focus on the political affiliations of foundational figures. Such a study is of vital importance to the community in a time when an intense public debate is being waged over conflicting interpretations of our national past. Participants in this debate have sometimes appealed to pure disciplinary origins, accusing their opponents of politicizing history. This study will show that political engagement was a central feature of Western historiography from its inception, and will explore the way politics underpinned the early development of the discipline.Read moreRead less
Communication and Media in the Development of the Post-Roman/Early Medieval and Byzantine World (fifth to eighth centuries). This project investigates an apparent contradiction: though the Roman empire fragmented into multiple states, its successors developed parallel, not diverse, cultural and political practices. I approach this issue by exploring the role and conduct of communication throughout these states. Applying new methodologies to unused sources, the study will examine the practicali ....Communication and Media in the Development of the Post-Roman/Early Medieval and Byzantine World (fifth to eighth centuries). This project investigates an apparent contradiction: though the Roman empire fragmented into multiple states, its successors developed parallel, not diverse, cultural and political practices. I approach this issue by exploring the role and conduct of communication throughout these states. Applying new methodologies to unused sources, the study will examine the practicalities of face-to-face and textual exchanges and their conceptual contexts, to track pathways of communication. This new conceptualisation of the post-imperial period will produce a book; translations with commentary of main sources; and an international symposium with proceedings (publishers are already involved in the latter two).Read moreRead less
Religion and Political Transformation: A Transnational Study of South American Independence, 1750-1840. This pathbreaking international research project strongly contributes to the internationalisation of Australian humanities and social science research. It ensures Australia's substantial participation in seminal intellectual debates during the approaching bicentenaries of the birth of modernity in Spain and Latin America. It guarantees that Australia will not become just a consumer of overseas ....Religion and Political Transformation: A Transnational Study of South American Independence, 1750-1840. This pathbreaking international research project strongly contributes to the internationalisation of Australian humanities and social science research. It ensures Australia's substantial participation in seminal intellectual debates during the approaching bicentenaries of the birth of modernity in Spain and Latin America. It guarantees that Australia will not become just a consumer of overseas research in this field. It renews Australia's intellectual and cultural capital in Iberian and Latin American Studies at a crucial moment of generational change. It contributes to an understanding of the generic links between religious radicalism and political violence in an age of fast-moving, global transformation.Read moreRead less