The integration of language and society. This project aims to seek associations between social and life-style differences and language structure. All human societies show pervasive similarities and all languages share recurrent features. Viewing society and language as an integrated whole, the project will study related groups in contrasting physical and social environments in PNG, Africa, East Asia, Amazonia and Australia. Inductive generalisations about associations between societal and langua ....The integration of language and society. This project aims to seek associations between social and life-style differences and language structure. All human societies show pervasive similarities and all languages share recurrent features. Viewing society and language as an integrated whole, the project will study related groups in contrasting physical and social environments in PNG, Africa, East Asia, Amazonia and Australia. Inductive generalisations about associations between societal and language parameters (e.g. varying techniques of address relating to articulated kin systems and social hierarchy) aim to provide insight into the human dynamic. Findings should benefit programmes for cultural awareness, language teaching and revitalisation and understanding of multicultural situations.Read moreRead less
How languages differ and why. When languages interact, they become similar in certain ways. This project will explore the reasons for this, by examining why there are many languages of diverse structures in certain regions, focussing on New Guinea, Amazonia and north-east Queensland. The project will assist with understanding how language helps and hinders inter-ethnic communication.
The grammar of knowledge: a cross-linguistic view of evidentials and epistemological expressions. How does a speaker know that what they say is correct? Some languages have obligatory marking for stating 'information source' ('seen', 'inferred', or 'reported'). In others a source is optional - 'the (reported) theft'. This cross-linguistic investigation will advance our understanding of human interaction and the expression of knowledge.
The Underdevelopment of Malaita Province and its Relevance to the Current Crisis in the Solomon Islands. Australia's rationale for the 2003 intervention in Solomon Islands was to stop this 'failed state' becoming a haven for crime, terrorism, and drug and gun running. Australia has committed an estimated $A40 to $A45 million per year for the rehabilitation of the Solomon Islands over the next decade. Malaitans, one of the two sides in a civil war, are the largest, most influential island group i ....The Underdevelopment of Malaita Province and its Relevance to the Current Crisis in the Solomon Islands. Australia's rationale for the 2003 intervention in Solomon Islands was to stop this 'failed state' becoming a haven for crime, terrorism, and drug and gun running. Australia has committed an estimated $A40 to $A45 million per year for the rehabilitation of the Solomon Islands over the next decade. Malaitans, one of the two sides in a civil war, are the largest, most influential island group in the nation, but have not received development infrastructure commensurate with their level of importance. Developing a more nuanced and culturally and historically grounded understanding of Malaita will aid the national reconstruction process, and serve as a template for handling similar problems in the Pacific Islands in the future.Read moreRead less
The original field anthropologist: Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay in Oceania, 1871-1883. This project restores the nineteenth-century Russian anthropologist Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay to a central position in the histories of anthropology and of the European exploration of Oceania. Interviews with the source communities amongst which he lived will be used to analyse his field drawings and journals, most never previously published in English.
Planning for Later Life: an Ethnographic Analysis of Aging among Transnational Papua New Guineans. This project addresses the global problem of ageing populations by looking at how transnational Papua New Guinean families plan for old age. It explores how Papua New Guineans resident in North Queensland make specific decisions about later life that balance the value of relations with kin, friends, neighbours while also dealing with the social services provided by the state and the market. The pro ....Planning for Later Life: an Ethnographic Analysis of Aging among Transnational Papua New Guineans. This project addresses the global problem of ageing populations by looking at how transnational Papua New Guinean families plan for old age. It explores how Papua New Guineans resident in North Queensland make specific decisions about later life that balance the value of relations with kin, friends, neighbours while also dealing with the social services provided by the state and the market. The project will describe the tensions that emerge in transnational decision making concerning old age. The resulting knowledge of how Papua New Guineans prepare for old age will help to critically inform policies concerning the wellbeing of people engaged with ageing.Read moreRead less
Thailand's social and political transformation, 1880-1980. This project aims to benefit policy-makers, diplomats, and business people who manage Australia's deepening relations with the Asian region by presenting a new understanding of the complex nature of rules of social behaviour in Thailand, an economically and strategically key mid-level Asian country. The project will deepen our understanding of the debilitating political crisis that has wracked that country since 2005, at a time of growin ....Thailand's social and political transformation, 1880-1980. This project aims to benefit policy-makers, diplomats, and business people who manage Australia's deepening relations with the Asian region by presenting a new understanding of the complex nature of rules of social behaviour in Thailand, an economically and strategically key mid-level Asian country. The project will deepen our understanding of the debilitating political crisis that has wracked that country since 2005, at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty in the East Asian region. The project will examine the vast literature on the bodily practices, modes of speech, and mental discipline known as Thai manners. These practices, produced over the last century, have never been systematically studied by Western or Thai scholars.Read moreRead less
A study of the impact of human agency in Shakespeare on Western culture and society. The project is important to the international reputation of English Literature scholarship and to the continuing development of Shakespearean studies in Australia. It will augment a growing area of research, the study of Early Modern Europe, that has achieved critical mass in this country, as reflected by the establishment in 2005 of the ARC Network for Early European Research. The project will contribute to o ....A study of the impact of human agency in Shakespeare on Western culture and society. The project is important to the international reputation of English Literature scholarship and to the continuing development of Shakespearean studies in Australia. It will augment a growing area of research, the study of Early Modern Europe, that has achieved critical mass in this country, as reflected by the establishment in 2005 of the ARC Network for Early European Research. The project will contribute to our knowledge of the history of the ideal of personal and collective autonomy or self-determination, an ideal absolutely central to Australian culture. Grasping the rich genealogy and historical context of this formative and essential ideal is vital to understanding our national identity.Read moreRead less
After Nehru: The evolution of Indian international thought, 1964-present. Understanding the ideas, as well as the interests, underpinning the foreign policy of a rising India is a priority for Australia. This project aims to provide the first comprehensive analysis of Indian conceptions of India's "world role" as they have evolved since Jawaharlal Nehru's death in 1964. It is intended to analyse the development of traditions of thought about India's world role and the work of major Indian thinke ....After Nehru: The evolution of Indian international thought, 1964-present. Understanding the ideas, as well as the interests, underpinning the foreign policy of a rising India is a priority for Australia. This project aims to provide the first comprehensive analysis of Indian conceptions of India's "world role" as they have evolved since Jawaharlal Nehru's death in 1964. It is intended to analyse the development of traditions of thought about India's world role and the work of major Indian thinkers on international relations. It aims to make an original contribution to the understanding of the intellectual underpinnings of Indian foreign policy. The project aims to build research capacity in the study of Indian international thought, leading to publications, as well as public and policy engagement.Read moreRead less
The First Polynesians: Their Origins, Lifeways and Environmental Challenges. This project uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine the biological, cultural and environmental factors underpinning the Polynesian people through a study of their ancient homeland in Tonga. Early Polynesian society developed 2650-2350 years ago, but little is known about the people, their culture and how sea-level fall impacted subsistence and settlement. The proposed study’s goal is to fill this gap in human kno ....The First Polynesians: Their Origins, Lifeways and Environmental Challenges. This project uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine the biological, cultural and environmental factors underpinning the Polynesian people through a study of their ancient homeland in Tonga. Early Polynesian society developed 2650-2350 years ago, but little is known about the people, their culture and how sea-level fall impacted subsistence and settlement. The proposed study’s goal is to fill this gap in human knowledge about our Pacific neighbours using a unique skeletal assemblage, excavated cultural remains and advanced mapping of palaeo-sea-level markers that will improve understanding of the impact of environmental change on human societies in our region.Read moreRead less