Western Australian Legacies of British Slavery . This project aims to bring Australia into the global history of slavery by exploring the legacies of British slavery in Western Australia. Through developing innovative methods for biographical research and digital mapping, it will trace the movement of capital, people and culture from slave-owning Britain to WA, and produce a new history of the continuing impact of slavery wealth in shaping colonial immigration, investment, and law. Expected outc ....Western Australian Legacies of British Slavery . This project aims to bring Australia into the global history of slavery by exploring the legacies of British slavery in Western Australia. Through developing innovative methods for biographical research and digital mapping, it will trace the movement of capital, people and culture from slave-owning Britain to WA, and produce a new history of the continuing impact of slavery wealth in shaping colonial immigration, investment, and law. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced capacity to build international disciplinary collaborations, new research methods, and a major national online exhibition. Benefits include a radically new perspective on Australian history and abolition in the present, with major public outcomes.Read moreRead less
Australian Legacies of British Slavery: Capital, Land and Labour. This project aims to bring Australia into the global history of slavery by exploring the legacies of British slavery in South Australia and Victoria. Through developing methods for biographical research and digital mapping, it will trace the movement of capital, people and culture from slave-owning Britain to the new settler colonies, and produce a new history of the continuing impact of slavery wealth in shaping colonial immigrat ....Australian Legacies of British Slavery: Capital, Land and Labour. This project aims to bring Australia into the global history of slavery by exploring the legacies of British slavery in South Australia and Victoria. Through developing methods for biographical research and digital mapping, it will trace the movement of capital, people and culture from slave-owning Britain to the new settler colonies, and produce a new history of the continuing impact of slavery wealth in shaping colonial immigration, investment, and law. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced capacity to build international disciplinary collaborations, new research methods, and research capacity building. Benefits include a radically new perspective on Australian history and abolition in the present, with major public outcomes.Read moreRead less
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
Prosecution, punishment and the printed word in enlightenment Scotland, from 1747 to 1815. This project examines the principles and workings of the Scottish criminal justice system and how these were represented in, and influenced by, print culture, from 1747 to 1815. It will further understanding of Australian history by looking at how legal representations of Australia influenced the Scottish Judiciary's transportation policy.
Life, death and remembrance: a prosopographical study of British combat officers killed on the Western Front, 1914-1918. This project assesses the changing character of the British combat officer class during the Great War, using the method of collective biography, and the ways that those killed were remembered and memorialised by their families. Outcomes will include a book, conference papers and a number of articles in high-quality international journals.
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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Changing landscapes, changing people: Australia's southern mallee lands, 1830-2012. This project reveals how Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, from the 1830s to the present, have created and responded to changes in nature in the mallee regions of southern Australia. Findings will provide knowledge for both rural Australia and policy makers to understand and respond to environmental change.
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
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
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