New methodologies for representing and accessing resources on endangered languages: a case study from South Efate. Linguists produce material which has immense cultural significance as it is often the only record of endangered cultures. With new technologies come new ways of working with indigenous languages. This APD will develop an innovative methodology for documenting and archiving data from a language of the Pacific. It will do this by linking a dictionary, texts, audio, video, images and a ....New methodologies for representing and accessing resources on endangered languages: a case study from South Efate. Linguists produce material which has immense cultural significance as it is often the only record of endangered cultures. With new technologies come new ways of working with indigenous languages. This APD will develop an innovative methodology for documenting and archiving data from a language of the Pacific. It will do this by linking a dictionary, texts, audio, video, images and a grammar to facilitate presentation of both the data and its analysis to speakers, fellow linguists, and the general public. The methodology developed in this APD will result in innovative linguistic data management techniques conformant to emerging international standards.Read moreRead less
Oral Tradition, Literacy and Education in Two Eastern Indonesian Societies. This project will improve our understanding of social and cultural change in eastern Indonesia, a region of strategic importance to Australia. The research will contribute significantly to knowledge of the educational system and literacy levels in eastern Indonesia. This knowledge will be of practical use in development projects in the region and to policy makers in Canberra who are concerned with Indonesian affairs. The ....Oral Tradition, Literacy and Education in Two Eastern Indonesian Societies. This project will improve our understanding of social and cultural change in eastern Indonesia, a region of strategic importance to Australia. The research will contribute significantly to knowledge of the educational system and literacy levels in eastern Indonesia. This knowledge will be of practical use in development projects in the region and to policy makers in Canberra who are concerned with Indonesian affairs. The involvement of a PhD student in the project will increase our national research capacity in eastern Indonesia. The contributions to anthropological theory and method this research will produce will enhance Australia's international reputation as a centre of anthropology, southeast Asian studies and the study of literacy.Read moreRead less
Religious diversity in Australia: strategies to maintain social cohesion. This project aims to make Australia safer through identifying constructive responses to religious diversity as incidents of discrimination and violence on the basis of religion are escalating. Programs that respond to religious diversity in local institutions are key to preventing social dislocation and violence. This project will identify strategies for responding to religious diversity in the institutions of education, p ....Religious diversity in Australia: strategies to maintain social cohesion. This project aims to make Australia safer through identifying constructive responses to religious diversity as incidents of discrimination and violence on the basis of religion are escalating. Programs that respond to religious diversity in local institutions are key to preventing social dislocation and violence. This project will identify strategies for responding to religious diversity in the institutions of education, policing, migration, and in legislation. It will evaluate the outcomes of these strategies in terms of their contribution to social cohesion and the prevention of violence. Significant benefit to the communities and organisations include providing practical strategies they can immediately use to make Australia safer.Read moreRead less
Interreligious Relations between Muslims and People of other Faiths. Traditional Islamic law and theology developed a wide range of negative positions about people of other faiths. Based on extensive fieldwork, this project aims to understand how and to what extent prominent Muslim religious leaders are transforming these negative positions to positive ones today in Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore. The project will lead to an evidence-based understanding of the potential for future ....Interreligious Relations between Muslims and People of other Faiths. Traditional Islamic law and theology developed a wide range of negative positions about people of other faiths. Based on extensive fieldwork, this project aims to understand how and to what extent prominent Muslim religious leaders are transforming these negative positions to positive ones today in Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore. The project will lead to an evidence-based understanding of the potential for future interreligious harmony in these countries. Since positive interreligious relations are of domestic, regional and global concern for social cohesion and peace and security, the outcomes of this project will be of significant interest to both scholars and policymakers in Australia.Read moreRead less
Reception of Historical and Critical Approaches to the Qur’an in Muslim Educational Institutions. This project examines the impact of historical and critical-reformist approaches to the Qur’an in Muslim societies by examining their influence on educational institutions in four strategic Muslim countries/regions: Indonesia, Turkey, Iran and the Gulf. Understanding this impact will provide crucial insights into future dynamics of Muslim religious thought on the Qur’an, which has far-reaching legal ....Reception of Historical and Critical Approaches to the Qur’an in Muslim Educational Institutions. This project examines the impact of historical and critical-reformist approaches to the Qur’an in Muslim societies by examining their influence on educational institutions in four strategic Muslim countries/regions: Indonesia, Turkey, Iran and the Gulf. Understanding this impact will provide crucial insights into future dynamics of Muslim religious thought on the Qur’an, which has far-reaching legal, social, cultural and political effects in Muslim societies. By conducting interviews with university lecturers and students, this project will measure how historical and critical-reformist Qur’anic scholarship is currently perceived and how it is reconciled with orthodox religious ideas.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101569
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$404,795.00
Summary
Living well together - Muslim women, social cohesion, and Islamophobia . This project aims to identify and document the initiatives being used by Muslim women to counter Islamophobia and build social cohesion in the community. It also examines how these initiatives are received by the community. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the role of gender in creating social cohesion and countering Islamophobia through interviews with Muslim women who lead such initiatives. Expected outcom ....Living well together - Muslim women, social cohesion, and Islamophobia . This project aims to identify and document the initiatives being used by Muslim women to counter Islamophobia and build social cohesion in the community. It also examines how these initiatives are received by the community. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the role of gender in creating social cohesion and countering Islamophobia through interviews with Muslim women who lead such initiatives. Expected outcomes of this research include improved theoretically-informed approaches for addressing Islamophobia. This should provide significant benefits including a better understanding of what works in addressing Islamophobia and building social cohesion, and clarity for guiding funding aimed at supporting such initiatives. Read moreRead less
Islamic Bureaucracies and Pious Publics in Turkey and Indonesia. This project aims to investigate state support for Islamic practices in two large, Muslim-majority nation states, Turkey and Indonesia. In these countries, massively-funded bureaucracies allocate state resources for pious practices that until recently were considered outside the national interest. Combining the skills of anthropologists of Islam as well as a public economist, this project will ask which Muslim actors and practices ....Islamic Bureaucracies and Pious Publics in Turkey and Indonesia. This project aims to investigate state support for Islamic practices in two large, Muslim-majority nation states, Turkey and Indonesia. In these countries, massively-funded bureaucracies allocate state resources for pious practices that until recently were considered outside the national interest. Combining the skills of anthropologists of Islam as well as a public economist, this project will ask which Muslim actors and practices receive and are denied these budgetary allocations. An outcome of the project will be to establish the role in governance of these compacts between Muslims and governments. The benefit is to gauge the prospects for moderate Islam in the two countries that are known as the foremost incubators of progressive Islam. Read moreRead less
Reconfiguration of Islam by Muslims in Australia. How - and whether - Muslims who have grown up in a secular Western democracy reconfigure normative Islam so as to facilitate active membership in the wider society is a vital issue. This project is the first to research this in Australia. It will focus on how Islam and Muslim identity are re-configured by long-term Muslim residents and local converts, in contrast to those whose Muslim identity was largely shaped outside of Australia. Understandin ....Reconfiguration of Islam by Muslims in Australia. How - and whether - Muslims who have grown up in a secular Western democracy reconfigure normative Islam so as to facilitate active membership in the wider society is a vital issue. This project is the first to research this in Australia. It will focus on how Islam and Muslim identity are re-configured by long-term Muslim residents and local converts, in contrast to those whose Muslim identity was largely shaped outside of Australia. Understanding how Muslims reconcile Islamic identity with active membership in the wider society has important implications for the future of Australia as one of the most successful multicultural democracies.Read moreRead less
Glocalisation and sub-national Islams in Indonesia: neo-traditionalism, local Islam and the commemoration of regional Islamic legacies. Australia is both directly and indirectly affected by dynamics within Indonesian Islamic society, but we have limited understanding of how Indonesian Islam maintains its local character, which is generally tolerant and peaceable, in the face of persistent globalizing forces that challenge the legitimacy of local traditions and tend to undermine healthy inter-com ....Glocalisation and sub-national Islams in Indonesia: neo-traditionalism, local Islam and the commemoration of regional Islamic legacies. Australia is both directly and indirectly affected by dynamics within Indonesian Islamic society, but we have limited understanding of how Indonesian Islam maintains its local character, which is generally tolerant and peaceable, in the face of persistent globalizing forces that challenge the legitimacy of local traditions and tend to undermine healthy inter-communal relations by promoting confrontation and intolerance. This study will make a vital contribution to our understanding of the forces that are shaping the future character of Indonesian Islam and inform how we should best engage with Indonesia though government and social initiatives, including aid, education and media activities.Read moreRead less
The King of Terrors: Death and its Meaning in the Israelite/Early Jewish Culture. The study will deepen our understanding of Judeo-Christian traditions and advance our knowledge of ancient cultures. It will also be important for debates about interethnic relations and tolerance in Australia by elucidating the underlying culturally conditioned attitudes towards death and the influence they have on the conduct of different ethnic communities. The undertaking of this important research will continu ....The King of Terrors: Death and its Meaning in the Israelite/Early Jewish Culture. The study will deepen our understanding of Judeo-Christian traditions and advance our knowledge of ancient cultures. It will also be important for debates about interethnic relations and tolerance in Australia by elucidating the underlying culturally conditioned attitudes towards death and the influence they have on the conduct of different ethnic communities. The undertaking of this important research will continue to establish Australia's growing reputation as the internationally important location for innovative cultural and religious studies. Read moreRead less