Kadare post Communism: Albania, the Balkans and Europe in the Work of Ismail Kadare, 1990-2008. Albanians make up a small but important segment of multicultural Australia. Through the work of Albania's greatest writer and intellectual, Ismail Kadare, we can come to a better understanding of Albanians, their history and culture, and hence of Australia as a multicultural entity. Moreover traditionally Islamic Albania, with its Ottoman history and culture, is seeking inclusion into the European Uni ....Kadare post Communism: Albania, the Balkans and Europe in the Work of Ismail Kadare, 1990-2008. Albanians make up a small but important segment of multicultural Australia. Through the work of Albania's greatest writer and intellectual, Ismail Kadare, we can come to a better understanding of Albanians, their history and culture, and hence of Australia as a multicultural entity. Moreover traditionally Islamic Albania, with its Ottoman history and culture, is seeking inclusion into the European Union, Australia's major partner in trade, tourism, education and culture. Kadare's post-communist works on the subjects of Europe, Islam, Muslims and the West, and Balkan politics and history provide a valuable lesson on the interrelationships of politics, culture and patriotism in a global context for contemporary Australia.Read moreRead less
"The Whole Map of the Balkans": Ethnicity, National Identity and Empire in the Work of Ismail Kadare. The Albanian intellectual, Ismail Kadare, foreshadowed the re-valorization of ethnic identity as a socio-political category under late 20th century communism. While Kadare's novels and essays deal primarily with his native Albania, they also represent the emergence more broadly of ethnicity as a factor in the literature of Eastern and South-Eastern European socialism. The project will explore in ...."The Whole Map of the Balkans": Ethnicity, National Identity and Empire in the Work of Ismail Kadare. The Albanian intellectual, Ismail Kadare, foreshadowed the re-valorization of ethnic identity as a socio-political category under late 20th century communism. While Kadare's novels and essays deal primarily with his native Albania, they also represent the emergence more broadly of ethnicity as a factor in the literature of Eastern and South-Eastern European socialism. The project will explore in depth the relationship between ethnicity, ideology and socialist literary culture that underpins Kadare's work, providing the first detailed analytical and critical study in English, and locating Kadare in the context of the major lines of contemporary European thought regarding ethnicity and ethnic identity.Read moreRead less
Sites of Learning, Spaces of State: Reconstructed Primary Schools and Small Parks in Tokyo, 1923-1945. Australia places a high priority on its relationship with Japan as it is a country that remains of fundamental importance for political and economic reasons. Indeed, one of the reasons why we enjoy such a strong relationship today is due to our growing familiarity with each other's language, culture and society. Japan is likely to remain Australia's largest export market for some time hence it ....Sites of Learning, Spaces of State: Reconstructed Primary Schools and Small Parks in Tokyo, 1923-1945. Australia places a high priority on its relationship with Japan as it is a country that remains of fundamental importance for political and economic reasons. Indeed, one of the reasons why we enjoy such a strong relationship today is due to our growing familiarity with each other's language, culture and society. Japan is likely to remain Australia's largest export market for some time hence it is important that we also maintain our engagement in scholarship of Japan's history, culture and society. This project will deepen our understanding of Japanese state and society in a critical period of the twentieth century, and in doing so contribute to Australia's long-term goal of strengthening this important bilateral relationship.Read moreRead less
Rome and its histories 1750-2000: an iconic city's past and its importance to the present. This study explores the many ways in which the past in Rome, the 'eternal city', has been debated and portrayed by historians but also by groups as diverse as Catholics, city planners, archaeologists and tourists. The outcome will be a novel account from which we can draw lessons regarding the multiple uses of history to better understand the impact of heritage on contemporary lives.
Indonesia in exile: The Indonesian Left abroad during the late Cold War. Since ousting President Suharto in 1998 Indonesians have been striving to make sense of a turbulent political past and re-evaluating long-held assumptions, including about communism. After decades of political suppression, there are signs some new form of polity will emerge in which a long-suppressed Left might play a part and which Australia needs to understand. Since diasporic, exilic communities are a potential source of ....Indonesia in exile: The Indonesian Left abroad during the late Cold War. Since ousting President Suharto in 1998 Indonesians have been striving to make sense of a turbulent political past and re-evaluating long-held assumptions, including about communism. After decades of political suppression, there are signs some new form of polity will emerge in which a long-suppressed Left might play a part and which Australia needs to understand. Since diasporic, exilic communities are a potential source of inter-state tension, and possible irritant in Australian-Indonesian relations, it is important for Australia to understand the role such communities may play in sustaining and transmitting alternative political visions, and in challenging the state. [97]Read moreRead less
Gender, power and identity in the early modern Nassau family. Our family identities shape our experiences of relationships, support structures, and interactions in broader communities around us but how do gender and power relationships affect expressions of family identities? Our project uses a case study of the early modern Nassau-Orange family, whose extensive and diverse sources include letters, art, architectural precincts, naming patterns, and even colonial endeavours. The word and colour o ....Gender, power and identity in the early modern Nassau family. Our family identities shape our experiences of relationships, support structures, and interactions in broader communities around us but how do gender and power relationships affect expressions of family identities? Our project uses a case study of the early modern Nassau-Orange family, whose extensive and diverse sources include letters, art, architectural precincts, naming patterns, and even colonial endeavours. The word and colour orange today symbolise Protestantism and the Dutch worldwide as a result of this pivotal family's self-presentation in the early modern period. We will produce monographs, PhD thesis, and research training in an international humanities team led by Australian researchers. Read moreRead less
The Democractisation of Documentary Cinema in China. The Democratisation of Documentary Cinema in China has cultural, political, economic, and research benefits for Australia. Culturally, the Project provides an analysis of the ways China views itself and the world. Politically, the Project enriches Australia's understanding of how media control in China has been transformed from 1949 to the age of globalisation. Economically, the Project enhances Australia's chances of finding a niche in the wo ....The Democractisation of Documentary Cinema in China. The Democratisation of Documentary Cinema in China has cultural, political, economic, and research benefits for Australia. Culturally, the Project provides an analysis of the ways China views itself and the world. Politically, the Project enriches Australia's understanding of how media control in China has been transformed from 1949 to the age of globalisation. Economically, the Project enhances Australia's chances of finding a niche in the world's largest documentary film market. As a contribution to research, the Project will produce the first in-depth study of Chinese documentary film, its industry and politics and so offers Australia a new perspective on how political change is reflected in one of China's leading media productions.Read moreRead less
Human Impact and Environmental Change in the Lower Yangtze Delta, China. Based upon a combination of sediment-based proxies of palaeoenvironmental conditions this project attempts to link existing models of geomorphological and climatic variability for the Yangtze Delta to cultural changes evident in archaeological and historical records. The Yangtze valley was the home of agriculture in Asia and hence for the beginnings of village life and Chinese culture. The delta region has prograded over 10 ....Human Impact and Environmental Change in the Lower Yangtze Delta, China. Based upon a combination of sediment-based proxies of palaeoenvironmental conditions this project attempts to link existing models of geomorphological and climatic variability for the Yangtze Delta to cultural changes evident in archaeological and historical records. The Yangtze valley was the home of agriculture in Asia and hence for the beginnings of village life and Chinese culture. The delta region has prograded over 100 km since the early Holocene and there is a well- preserved succession of Neolithic and modern cultures across its surface. The project investigates the relative impact of Holocene river migration, sealevel and climate change on societies, and also the relative impact of societies on vegetation, eutrophication and erosion while the region was converted to an anthropogenic landscape. The results will enable models of human-environmental interactions to be compared with those developed for
Europe, Africa, Australia and the Middle East.Read moreRead less
A historical approach to the development of households. The LI Grant will enable our team to participate in international discussion to build new knowledge about households and families. We will exchange expertise with the UK specialist partners, gaining access to the latest quantitative scholarship in urban household history, providing qualitative analyses using innovative reading techniques in return. The exchange will result in new methodologies to uncover non-nuclear family relationships and ....A historical approach to the development of households. The LI Grant will enable our team to participate in international discussion to build new knowledge about households and families. We will exchange expertise with the UK specialist partners, gaining access to the latest quantitative scholarship in urban household history, providing qualitative analyses using innovative reading techniques in return. The exchange will result in new methodologies to uncover non-nuclear family relationships and household forms as we continue archival research. Presenting our findings to UK scholars through the proposed schedule of visits, symposia, residencies, e-networking and collaborative publication, will facilitate international consideration of the research questions generated by our project.Read moreRead less
Colonialism, Christianity and the Indigenous Evangelist: Arthur Wellington Clah, His Life and Times. 1. This project will showcase Australian expertise in colonial studies and make an important contribution to international scholarship in this field. The project will contribute to our understanding of the social and intellectual dynamics of communities undergoing dramatic change as a result of outside influences and pressures.
2.It will contribute to a larger project which is investigating col ....Colonialism, Christianity and the Indigenous Evangelist: Arthur Wellington Clah, His Life and Times. 1. This project will showcase Australian expertise in colonial studies and make an important contribution to international scholarship in this field. The project will contribute to our understanding of the social and intellectual dynamics of communities undergoing dramatic change as a result of outside influences and pressures.
2.It will contribute to a larger project which is investigating colonialism and religious change in Australia and the Pacific.
3. The findings of the project will inform scholarship of the colonial period in colonised regions in Australia, the Pacific and Africa, where indigenous peoples experienced similar pressures on their lives.Read moreRead less