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
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
A critical study of the works of V.S. Naipaul. This project aims to study V.S. Naipaul, whose books defy the protocols of post-colonial theory. Literature students have met Naipaul’s books with outright denigration and unnerving silence, leading to an absence of serious engagement with the genesis of his works and their relationship to post-colonial criticism. This project will emphasise post-colonial texts rather than post-colonial theory and criticism. It will use the Naipaul Tulsa archive to ....A critical study of the works of V.S. Naipaul. This project aims to study V.S. Naipaul, whose books defy the protocols of post-colonial theory. Literature students have met Naipaul’s books with outright denigration and unnerving silence, leading to an absence of serious engagement with the genesis of his works and their relationship to post-colonial criticism. This project will emphasise post-colonial texts rather than post-colonial theory and criticism. It will use the Naipaul Tulsa archive to uncover the difficulty in the material itself. A close reading of textual variants, their transmission and reception is expected to show a post-colonial writer's struggle with form, aesthetics and ideology.Read moreRead less
Shakespeare and film genres. The monograph will enhance the reputation of Australian academicians as world experts in topical and important original research. It will also complement the flow of outstanding Australian films, by showing that the industry is supported by important and relevant academic scholarship. The research will also indirectly show that Australia, like all countries, is part of a global cultural community which is not only internationally diverse and plural but also a produ ....Shakespeare and film genres. The monograph will enhance the reputation of Australian academicians as world experts in topical and important original research. It will also complement the flow of outstanding Australian films, by showing that the industry is supported by important and relevant academic scholarship. The research will also indirectly show that Australia, like all countries, is part of a global cultural community which is not only internationally diverse and plural but also a product of history which includes literary and dramatic history. Read moreRead less
Medieval war in modern imagination. This project analyses for the first time the growth of medievalist imaginations of war in Australia from colonial times onward. It also investigates for the first time the influence of medievalism on Australian war literature and cinema, exploring how common themes in the representation of Australian war - male group loyalty, anti-authoritarianism, self-sacrifice and posthumous honour - relate to medievalist traditions. The project is of great relevance to cur ....Medieval war in modern imagination. This project analyses for the first time the growth of medievalist imaginations of war in Australia from colonial times onward. It also investigates for the first time the influence of medievalism on Australian war literature and cinema, exploring how common themes in the representation of Australian war - male group loyalty, anti-authoritarianism, self-sacrifice and posthumous honour - relate to medievalist traditions. The project is of great relevance to current discussions of Australian national identity, and to the public conception of our military role in world and regional affairs, with special relevance to understandings of Australian masculinity, ethnicity and border defence.Read moreRead less
Enduring diversity: a history of multilingualism in Italy. This project will question several assumptions which have shaped the official histories of language as well as the language policies of several major European countries. This will be a useful contribution to debates on social policy in a country like Australia with its varied migrant populations, since the place of languages other than English often arises in debates on education, immigration and provision of social services at State and ....Enduring diversity: a history of multilingualism in Italy. This project will question several assumptions which have shaped the official histories of language as well as the language policies of several major European countries. This will be a useful contribution to debates on social policy in a country like Australia with its varied migrant populations, since the place of languages other than English often arises in debates on education, immigration and provision of social services at State and Federal level. Italian is still the most widely spoken language in Australia after English, and a new understanding of the history of language in Italy will contribute to a deeper awareness of the realities and problems of migrants and their descendants here.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions. Emotions change over time; yet the long-term causes and consequences of changing emotional experiences and expressions remain largely unknown. This Centre will revolutionize research in the Humanities and Creative Arts by initiating innovative research collaborations across many disciplines to account for long-term changes and continuities in emotional regimes in Europe 1100-1800. For the first time we will fully analyse the social, cultural ....ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions. Emotions change over time; yet the long-term causes and consequences of changing emotional experiences and expressions remain largely unknown. This Centre will revolutionize research in the Humanities and Creative Arts by initiating innovative research collaborations across many disciplines to account for long-term changes and continuities in emotional regimes in Europe 1100-1800. For the first time we will fully analyse the social, cultural and political effects of mass emotional events. Links with cultural industry partners in art, drama and music will enable reflective performance research on communication of emotions, and illuminate the Western cultural foundations of emotions in modern Australia.Read moreRead less