The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Australian Western Desert Kinship and Land Tenure Systems. The project aims to investigate the relationship between kinship and land tenure in Aboriginal Australia in the region between the NT/WA-border and Wiluna and Kalgoorlie following three aspects of group identification and differentiation.
Formal aspects: investigation of kinship terminologies and land tenure systems among the various groups; analysis of the semantic shifts of terms in space according to the diffusion of social categorie ....Australian Western Desert Kinship and Land Tenure Systems. The project aims to investigate the relationship between kinship and land tenure in Aboriginal Australia in the region between the NT/WA-border and Wiluna and Kalgoorlie following three aspects of group identification and differentiation.
Formal aspects: investigation of kinship terminologies and land tenure systems among the various groups; analysis of the semantic shifts of terms in space according to the diffusion of social categories. Pragmatic aspects: analysis of alliance strategies and kin-network in relation to places of birth and ?regional group? membership. Dynamic aspects: examination of the impact of migration and settlement on terminologies, alliance strategies, and land tenure systems.Read moreRead less
Land, Community and Governance in Rural China. Although China is becoming Australia's largest trading partner, we know too little about the control of land in rural China and the implications for the agricultural economy. Geo-politically, the stability of China is crucial to the region, and many commentators see rural unrest as the greatest threat to the regime. Since disputes over the use and ownership of land are the main source of this instability, providing much-needed information about Chin ....Land, Community and Governance in Rural China. Although China is becoming Australia's largest trading partner, we know too little about the control of land in rural China and the implications for the agricultural economy. Geo-politically, the stability of China is crucial to the region, and many commentators see rural unrest as the greatest threat to the regime. Since disputes over the use and ownership of land are the main source of this instability, providing much-needed information about China's agricultural economy and the potential for political unrest in rural China is directly in Australia's interest.Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI0775835
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
A study to determine the relevance to Australian Indigenous lands of allotment in the United States of America. The research will address the national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health. In particular, it will address the goal of strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric by assisting Indigenous communities to make informed decisions about the future use of their lands.
Writing the new history of British Imperialism its European, African and Australian context. I plan to complete several related projects already under way which are linked to the project title. The Oxford History of Missions in the British Empire will recast the way we think about the historical impact of Christian Missions. The Mapping Project compares the role played by surveyors and maps in the colononization of Australia and South Africa. Imperium of the Soul explores connections between d ....Writing the new history of British Imperialism its European, African and Australian context. I plan to complete several related projects already under way which are linked to the project title. The Oxford History of Missions in the British Empire will recast the way we think about the historical impact of Christian Missions. The Mapping Project compares the role played by surveyors and maps in the colononization of Australia and South Africa. Imperium of the Soul explores connections between deep currents of European intellectual life and the productions of key artists associated with British imperialism.
I will be revising my book on Theories of Imperialism and researching new work on war and conquest.
Read moreRead less
HISTORICAL EXPERTS AND INDIGENOUS LITIGANTS: the role of Historical Expert Evidence in Federal Court Cases. Since Mabo, historians are increasingly being called as expert witnesses in cases involving indigenous litigants. Historians perceive serious difficulties in the Court's treatment of qualitative, historical material, resulting in a possible denial of access to justice. The project investigates this treatment, pursuing issues such as expert evidence generally, the specific relationship betw ....HISTORICAL EXPERTS AND INDIGENOUS LITIGANTS: the role of Historical Expert Evidence in Federal Court Cases. Since Mabo, historians are increasingly being called as expert witnesses in cases involving indigenous litigants. Historians perceive serious difficulties in the Court's treatment of qualitative, historical material, resulting in a possible denial of access to justice. The project investigates this treatment, pursuing issues such as expert evidence generally, the specific relationship between Law and History, and the particularity of cases involving indigenous claims. The investigation asks whether historians as expert witnesses can retain both their historical professionalism and adapt to the requirements of the courts, or whether the courts? rules of evidence themselves require adaptation.
Read moreRead less
A history of terra nullius. The concept of 'terra nullius' has been central to debates concerning the land rights of indigenous peoples. The term, however, has been understood almost in an historical vacuum. Partly in consequence, landmark legal rulings supposedly overturning the doctrine of terra nullius have left European colonisers' justifications of their appropriation of land largely conceptually intact. The central innovation of this history will be to show that when terra nullius, prop ....A history of terra nullius. The concept of 'terra nullius' has been central to debates concerning the land rights of indigenous peoples. The term, however, has been understood almost in an historical vacuum. Partly in consequence, landmark legal rulings supposedly overturning the doctrine of terra nullius have left European colonisers' justifications of their appropriation of land largely conceptually intact. The central innovation of this history will be to show that when terra nullius, properly understood, is rejected in order to establish native title, the implications for the European tradition of property rights and human rights more generally will be profound.Read moreRead less
State formation and European expansion. There is a direct national benefit from this research. The aim of an intellectual history of colonisation is to provide an account of what Europeans engaged in expansion understood themselves to be doing. This account explores the justifications and political motivations for expansion and is accordingly of fundamental importance to contemporary legal debates over dispossession and the larger legacy of colonisation.
Waiting For Law: Land, Custom and Legal Regulation in East Timor. The project contributes to a national research priority: safeguarding Australia. Conflicts over customary lands have played important roles in the 'arc of instability' to our North, including in relation to natural resources (Aceh, West Papua, Bougainville) and land alienated or leased to "outsiders" (Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji). Developing an effective model for regulating customary lands in East Timor will (1) safeguard ou ....Waiting For Law: Land, Custom and Legal Regulation in East Timor. The project contributes to a national research priority: safeguarding Australia. Conflicts over customary lands have played important roles in the 'arc of instability' to our North, including in relation to natural resources (Aceh, West Papua, Bougainville) and land alienated or leased to "outsiders" (Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji). Developing an effective model for regulating customary lands in East Timor will (1) safeguard our considerable aid and military assistance contributions to East Timor, (2) serve Australia's interest in regional stability and sustainable development, and (3) offer potential comparative lessons for land and resource-related conflicts in Indonesia and the South Pacific.Read moreRead less
A National infrastructure to manage land information. Australia is one of about 30 countries in the world capable of managing land transactions in reliable land registers. The administrative framework however is 150 years old, built according to a 19th century statutory model appropriate to a less complicated and slower land market. Now land information, and particularly the digital land parcel map, is Australia's most valuable but underutilised asset. The project will translate popular spatial ....A National infrastructure to manage land information. Australia is one of about 30 countries in the world capable of managing land transactions in reliable land registers. The administrative framework however is 150 years old, built according to a 19th century statutory model appropriate to a less complicated and slower land market. Now land information, and particularly the digital land parcel map, is Australia's most valuable but underutilised asset. The project will translate popular spatial technologies into national business tools to better manage land information for the government, community and private sectors.Read moreRead less
Christianity, conflict, and culture: an anthropological investigation of the political role of churches in Solomon Islands. This project contributes to a better understanding of one of Australia's closest neighbours, Solomon Islands. This nation, the site of political turmoil in recent years, is now the focus of an Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission. Many scholars and policy makers have commented on the importance of Christian organizations during the crisis in Solomon Islands and the ne ....Christianity, conflict, and culture: an anthropological investigation of the political role of churches in Solomon Islands. This project contributes to a better understanding of one of Australia's closest neighbours, Solomon Islands. This nation, the site of political turmoil in recent years, is now the focus of an Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission. Many scholars and policy makers have commented on the importance of Christian organizations during the crisis in Solomon Islands and the need to incorporate them in current attempts to restore stability and prosperity. However, most discussions are not informed by an understanding indigenous Christian belief and practice, a lacuna that this project aims to fill by providing an ethnographic investigation of how church-linked groups engage with secular national and international organizations. Read moreRead less