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Talking slavery in the new deal: re-examining the origins of American social history. Debate about the nature of American slavery has had a significant impact on American public life, especially ideas about justice, equality, rights and the role of government. By examining anew the archive on which slave history has been based, this project will advance understanding and stimulate new angles in public discussion of slavery's legacy.
Indigenous Governance Under Colonisation. The project aims to advance knowledge and scholarship in the fields of ethnohistory and Indigenous writing by prioritising Native American voices to reveal Indigenous strategies for negotiating between assimilation and tradition. It will have direct relevance for Australia’s understanding of its own Indigenous strategies. The project expects to provide a new perspective on Indigenous history by viewing Native writing as evidence of agency rather than dwi ....Indigenous Governance Under Colonisation. The project aims to advance knowledge and scholarship in the fields of ethnohistory and Indigenous writing by prioritising Native American voices to reveal Indigenous strategies for negotiating between assimilation and tradition. It will have direct relevance for Australia’s understanding of its own Indigenous strategies. The project expects to provide a new perspective on Indigenous history by viewing Native writing as evidence of agency rather than dwindling Nativeness and will treat them as endeavours to define indigenous political modernities. Expected outcomes include significant international collaboration and results that will inform research and policy on Indigenous peoples internationally.Read moreRead less
Popular Petitioning and Mass Democracy in the United States: a History. This project aims to investigate the neglected history of popular petitioning in the United States. Across the long nineteenth century, activists organised mass petition campaigns in support of causes as diverse as antislavery, suffrage and immigration restriction. In the twentieth century, however, petitioning dwindled. The project draws on this rich archive of activism to assess the role, impact and evolution of petitionin ....Popular Petitioning and Mass Democracy in the United States: a History. This project aims to investigate the neglected history of popular petitioning in the United States. Across the long nineteenth century, activists organised mass petition campaigns in support of causes as diverse as antislavery, suffrage and immigration restriction. In the twentieth century, however, petitioning dwindled. The project draws on this rich archive of activism to assess the role, impact and evolution of petitioning as a democratic tool. The expected outcome is a new perspective on a vital development: the emergence of mass democracy. Furthermore, the project should provide a critical historical framework for assessing modern-day claims about the digital petition and its power to bridge the gulf between citizens and government. Read moreRead less
The early woman writer, 1530-1660. This project aims to provide a literary history of women’s textual practice in the English Renaissance. This project will examine the scope, content and purpose of early modern women’s writing to make new discoveries about reading, writing and book use in the period when book production and distribution was first appearing on a larger scale. It uses digital technologies to create open-access digital forms of this writing to extend access to it, and also to furt ....The early woman writer, 1530-1660. This project aims to provide a literary history of women’s textual practice in the English Renaissance. This project will examine the scope, content and purpose of early modern women’s writing to make new discoveries about reading, writing and book use in the period when book production and distribution was first appearing on a larger scale. It uses digital technologies to create open-access digital forms of this writing to extend access to it, and also to further Australia’s position in both cutting edge digital scholarship and scholarship on the early modern period.
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Modernism and the Early Middle Ages. This project aims to understand how Modernist writers engaged with early mediaeval thought and texts.Literary Modernism draws heavily on medieval literature and thought, particularly Anglo-Saxon poetry, the Provençal poetry of the Troubadours, and Dante’s Divina Commedia – but little attention has been paid to their influence on Modernist writers. This project will use the transmission of late classical thought and such textual practices as linear commentarie ....Modernism and the Early Middle Ages. This project aims to understand how Modernist writers engaged with early mediaeval thought and texts.Literary Modernism draws heavily on medieval literature and thought, particularly Anglo-Saxon poetry, the Provençal poetry of the Troubadours, and Dante’s Divina Commedia – but little attention has been paid to their influence on Modernist writers. This project will use the transmission of late classical thought and such textual practices as linear commentaries and glossatory techniques to study Modernism and the High Middle Ages. The project expects to provide a foundation for and counterpart to the newly vibrant field of Modernism and the High Middle Ages.Read moreRead less
Australia: the search for a foundational history. The first history of Australia's search for a foundational past, this project examines the historical debates that have divided Australian society since the late twentieth century. Set against the background of Indigenous and non-Indigenous understandings of history and place, it provides a groundbreaking study of history in Australian culture.
How to Feel Safe at the End of the World. This project aims to provide the first history of how early modern families created conditions to feel safe in times of crisis, revealing how ideas of safety, security and hope for the future were conceived and put into practice. Its innovative research focus explores how histories, personal and national, inform psychosocial conditions of safety and security for families and build resilience within the next generation. Expected outcomes highlight the rol ....How to Feel Safe at the End of the World. This project aims to provide the first history of how early modern families created conditions to feel safe in times of crisis, revealing how ideas of safety, security and hope for the future were conceived and put into practice. Its innovative research focus explores how histories, personal and national, inform psychosocial conditions of safety and security for families and build resilience within the next generation. Expected outcomes highlight the role of families as agents of historical change and help parents, teachers, children and youth to manage anxiety, build hope and improve life opportunities. This historical perspective on a contemporary problem has the benefit of supporting families struggling with today's changing world.Read moreRead less
Spare parts: the cultural history of organ transplantation. Organ transplantation is of considerable contemporary concern to Australians. Despite decades of campaigns seeking organ donors, this country has one of the world's lowest donation rates. This study will explore how this situation arose and offer a new understanding of the factors that impinge upon people's perceptions of transplantation.
Mary Astell (1666-1731): An Historical-Intellectual Role Model for Women in Philosophy. Mary Astell was an early modern English philosopher of exceptional eloquence and skill. This project will produce the first overview of her philosophical thought, the first authoritative critical edition of her magnum opus, and the first assessment of her philosophical relevance today. These outputs have the potential to encourage women's participation in philosophy and in intellectual life more generally, ou ....Mary Astell (1666-1731): An Historical-Intellectual Role Model for Women in Philosophy. Mary Astell was an early modern English philosopher of exceptional eloquence and skill. This project will produce the first overview of her philosophical thought, the first authoritative critical edition of her magnum opus, and the first assessment of her philosophical relevance today. These outputs have the potential to encourage women's participation in philosophy and in intellectual life more generally, outcomes that would be of tremendous benefit to Australia's social and economic fabric. The project will also enhance Australia's already outstanding scholarly reputation for early modern studies and the history of women's ideas.Read moreRead less
Climate change and the history of environmental determinism. In previous centuries, most scientists presumed that environment and climate determined human health, capacities and difference. By tracing this longstanding idea through the twentieth century, this project will identify implications for current climate science.