A Typological Study of the Sound Systems of the New Guinea-Melanesia Area. This project aims to complete the first detailed cross-linguistic study of the sound systems of the New Guinea Melanesia area. More than one quarter of the world's languages are spoken in this region which remains very little known from a linguistics perspective. Results of this study should have important ramifications for our understanding of: (1) the nature of languages in the region, and of language in general (2) ph ....A Typological Study of the Sound Systems of the New Guinea-Melanesia Area. This project aims to complete the first detailed cross-linguistic study of the sound systems of the New Guinea Melanesia area. More than one quarter of the world's languages are spoken in this region which remains very little known from a linguistics perspective. Results of this study should have important ramifications for our understanding of: (1) the nature of languages in the region, and of language in general (2) phonological description and theory (3) phonological description and theory (4) linguistic diffusion and influence in an area that extends from Eastern Timor to Vanuatu and New Caledonia.Read moreRead less
Imagining histories of love: the making of textual worlds in Taiwan romance fiction. This project examines the crucial question of how romantic love is imagined in contemporary Chinese societies. It innovates by analyzing the images of love presented in Taiwan romance fiction, a major genre of unstudied texts that provides knowledge of the emotional worlds of tens of millions of people worldwide. Its novel methodology approaches romantic narratives as documents of a history of love, producing ne ....Imagining histories of love: the making of textual worlds in Taiwan romance fiction. This project examines the crucial question of how romantic love is imagined in contemporary Chinese societies. It innovates by analyzing the images of love presented in Taiwan romance fiction, a major genre of unstudied texts that provides knowledge of the emotional worlds of tens of millions of people worldwide. Its novel methodology approaches romantic narratives as documents of a history of love, producing new concepts of Taiwan and Chinese society and history in which love is envisioned as the central experience of human life. Major outcomes will be a substantial monograph, an edited volume and several scholarly articles.Read moreRead less
Ethnoecology and the State in Regional China. This project will enhance Australian knowledge about diversity amongst Han Chinese communities in the way that they have adapted to their environment, a diversity that underpins the responsiveness of Chinese populations to environmental transformation in the contemporary period. It will also strengthen Australia¡¯s reputation as a centre for the study of regional cultures within the Chinese landmass, provide additional insights into the lower Yangzi ....Ethnoecology and the State in Regional China. This project will enhance Australian knowledge about diversity amongst Han Chinese communities in the way that they have adapted to their environment, a diversity that underpins the responsiveness of Chinese populations to environmental transformation in the contemporary period. It will also strengthen Australia¡¯s reputation as a centre for the study of regional cultures within the Chinese landmass, provide additional insights into the lower Yangzi delta, which is one of the most affluent regions of China today, and build up Australia¡¯s capacity to train postgraduates with an understanding of China¡¯s great regional diversity.Read moreRead less
Germany in China: Colonial Interactions, Qingdao 1897-1914. The project will assist in increasing Australia's knowledge base about both colonialism in general and social change in China; to add to Australia's international reputation as a major center of research on China; and to provide additional information on local development in Qingdao, a major growth area in East China, that assists those engaged in government and business relations.
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
Mediated Mobility: India's Low Caste Revolution in the Media Age. In recent years Australia has shown a keen interest in India's evolution as a global power. This project seeks to deepen our national understanding by focusing on a key socio-cultural dimension of this evolution: the emergence through multiple media of lower caste voices in democratic politics and cultural practices in India. Through its study of lower castes' innovative use of print, electronic and digital media in effecting soci ....Mediated Mobility: India's Low Caste Revolution in the Media Age. In recent years Australia has shown a keen interest in India's evolution as a global power. This project seeks to deepen our national understanding by focusing on a key socio-cultural dimension of this evolution: the emergence through multiple media of lower caste voices in democratic politics and cultural practices in India. Through its study of lower castes' innovative use of print, electronic and digital media in effecting social and political change in this era of technological innovation and economic growth, the project highlights both the possibilities and limits of India's growth. Significantly, it contributes to building Australia's research capacity in the study of India and South Asia, an area in critical need of renewal.Read moreRead less
Sketches of Bali in 1830: The unpublished letters and papers of Pierre Dubois, Dutch agent at Kuta, 1828-1831. The primary benefit of this work is its scholarly contribution to knowledge of Indonesian history in the nineteenth century. Perceptions of Bali forged in the colonial period provide the foundation on which contemporary ideas of identity are constructed. These images, notably those pertaining to Bali's Hindu religion and unique culture, remain important to contemporary Indonesian region ....Sketches of Bali in 1830: The unpublished letters and papers of Pierre Dubois, Dutch agent at Kuta, 1828-1831. The primary benefit of this work is its scholarly contribution to knowledge of Indonesian history in the nineteenth century. Perceptions of Bali forged in the colonial period provide the foundation on which contemporary ideas of identity are constructed. These images, notably those pertaining to Bali's Hindu religion and unique culture, remain important to contemporary Indonesian regional identities. They also point to some of the complex interconnections across Western and Indonesian cultures. As Australia-Indonesia relationships enter a more optimistic phase, this historical research thus has the potential to broaden our understandings of cultural differences to enhance Australia's capacity to interpret regional issues. Read moreRead less
Global/Local Intersections: History, Identity and Community in a Tokyo Subculture. The human rights of minorities are gaining increased attention in Australia and the region. It is important for our understanding of the region that we are informed about the development of minority gender identities in an Asian context from both human rights and health perspectives. The project will contribute to the national research priority of understanding Australia's place in the region through building link ....Global/Local Intersections: History, Identity and Community in a Tokyo Subculture. The human rights of minorities are gaining increased attention in Australia and the region. It is important for our understanding of the region that we are informed about the development of minority gender identities in an Asian context from both human rights and health perspectives. The project will contribute to the national research priority of understanding Australia's place in the region through building links between Australian and Asian researchers working on minority gender histories and cultures. It will also add to Australian understanding of Japan, an important social and economic partner in the region.Read moreRead less
Mobile Indonesians: social differentiation and digital literacies in the twenty first century. This is the first dedicated study of the social implications of mobile telephony's recent and rapid popularisation throughout the country. This project will study metropolitan, urban and rural users to understand how mobile phones create the new and unexpected social networks which will shape tomorrow's Indonesians.
The Jihadi, Revolutionary and Anti-war Fiction in Afghanistan, 1978-2007. Afghanistan is a key area of global security concerns. An analysis of three decades of jihadi, revolutionary and anti-war literature (1978-2007) will provide an understanding of how different political groups, particularly the jihadis, utilised literature to further their interests. Australia needs to understand the underlying cultural debates that persist in Afghanistan in order to engage effectively with regional securit ....The Jihadi, Revolutionary and Anti-war Fiction in Afghanistan, 1978-2007. Afghanistan is a key area of global security concerns. An analysis of three decades of jihadi, revolutionary and anti-war literature (1978-2007) will provide an understanding of how different political groups, particularly the jihadis, utilised literature to further their interests. Australia needs to understand the underlying cultural debates that persist in Afghanistan in order to engage effectively with regional security and counter-terrorism. Despite media controls, the jihadis promoted their cause through published literary sources, imitating the growing Islamic literature of the Middle East. Literature, with its compelling metaphors and allusions, remains one of the main forms of furthering or opposing Islamist goals in Afghanistan.Read moreRead less