The Genie in the Bottle:Science, Politics and Diplomacy in Australia's Engagement with Chemical and Biological Weapons, 1915-1995. The threat of chemical and biological weapons (CBW) is attracting increasing attention worldwide. Australia's engagement with the CBW began during the First World War. Since then, Australia has been influential in promoting CBW control regimes. However, this experience has raised many questions. This project explores Australia's historical and current response to ....The Genie in the Bottle:Science, Politics and Diplomacy in Australia's Engagement with Chemical and Biological Weapons, 1915-1995. The threat of chemical and biological weapons (CBW) is attracting increasing attention worldwide. Australia's engagement with the CBW began during the First World War. Since then, Australia has been influential in promoting CBW control regimes. However, this experience has raised many questions. This project explores Australia's historical and current response to the central issues of CBW. Using archival and contemporary sources, it analyses the interplay between science, politics and diplomacy. Combining history and political science, it assesses the implications of recent developments in CBW for Australia's role in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.Read moreRead less
Nation Building and Elite Formation in Singapore, 1966-85. * The project will study elite formation, the praxis of elite governance, and the development of the relationship between elitism and nation building in Singapore from independence in late 1965 to approximately 1985.
* This study is significant because it is arguably the pivotal axis on which the Singapore experience of governance rests, and yet it has not been the subject of a dedicated study.
* It is expected that the study will prod ....Nation Building and Elite Formation in Singapore, 1966-85. * The project will study elite formation, the praxis of elite governance, and the development of the relationship between elitism and nation building in Singapore from independence in late 1965 to approximately 1985.
* This study is significant because it is arguably the pivotal axis on which the Singapore experience of governance rests, and yet it has not been the subject of a dedicated study.
* It is expected that the study will produce a series of articles and a book that will contribute to our understanding of elite formation and nation building generally, as well as specifically in Singapore.
Read moreRead less
Reaping the patriotic whirlwind: managed nationalism and the rise of militant xenophobia in Russia. This project examines the relationship between 'managed nationalism' and upsurges of ultranationalist activism and racially-motivated violence. This research will enhance our understanding of politics, diplomacy, and alternative governance.
The Japanese State and Civil Society in Transformation, 1970-2006. Since Japan is the world's second and the region's first economic power the importance of understanding major transformations in its political, social, and economic structure is plain. This project is therefore highly relevant to academia, policy and intelligence analysts, the media and citizenry in general. The last time the cry of 'reform' and fundamental restructuring of institutions was heard on anything like the present leve ....The Japanese State and Civil Society in Transformation, 1970-2006. Since Japan is the world's second and the region's first economic power the importance of understanding major transformations in its political, social, and economic structure is plain. This project is therefore highly relevant to academia, policy and intelligence analysts, the media and citizenry in general. The last time the cry of 'reform' and fundamental restructuring of institutions was heard on anything like the present level was in the 1930s. Then, 'renovation' (kakushin) - offered as a path through multiple national and international crises - actually paved the way to militarism and war. Koizumi's reform (kaikaku) program, which is no less than a program for recasting the state, therefore deserves to be studied very seriously.Read moreRead less
The global opponents of universal human rights, 1946-2006. This project will identify and analyse the historical patterns of opposition to universal human rights that have emerged since the birth of the United Nations in 1945. In doing so, it seeks to enable the more effective pursuit of a major Australian foreign policy objective, the global promotion of human rights.
Assimilating Modernity: The Harmonisation of Liberal, Socialist and Conservative Thought in Modern China, 1921-1949. The project will enable Australian policy makers to understand the way in which Chinese intellectuals grappled with the issue of modernity and questions about liberalism, socialism and conservatism in the recent past. This is important because the Chinese elites are tackling similar issues today as they face the challenges of globalisation. Knowing the role of China's public intel ....Assimilating Modernity: The Harmonisation of Liberal, Socialist and Conservative Thought in Modern China, 1921-1949. The project will enable Australian policy makers to understand the way in which Chinese intellectuals grappled with the issue of modernity and questions about liberalism, socialism and conservatism in the recent past. This is important because the Chinese elites are tackling similar issues today as they face the challenges of globalisation. Knowing the role of China's public intellectuals and their way of thinking, both past and present, is critical to a further strengthening of Australia's relations with China. The project will benefit the wider community as Australians interact and deal with the Chinese intellectually and culturally, as well as in trade, politics, diplomacy and tourism.
Read moreRead less
Settler colonialism: a global history. Australia is usually defined as a 'settler society', but this term, while often being politically charged, is vaguely defined. This project seeks to place the Australian experience in its international context. In doing this, it will offer new insights into the past and future development of Australian political institutions and traditions. It will promote an appreciation of how Australian history fits within global developments and how a comparative and gl ....Settler colonialism: a global history. Australia is usually defined as a 'settler society', but this term, while often being politically charged, is vaguely defined. This project seeks to place the Australian experience in its international context. In doing this, it will offer new insights into the past and future development of Australian political institutions and traditions. It will promote an appreciation of how Australian history fits within global developments and how a comparative and global perspective generates new possibilities and insights for the writing, reading and teaching of Australian history. It will also stress Australia's important role in the development of this globally significant phenomenon.Read moreRead less
Fathers and Friends: Patronage and Patriarchy in Renaissance Florence. This study of patronage and patriarchy in Renaissance Florence, analysing social networks and structures and the relationship between politics, the state, personal behaviour and cultural innovation, addresses issues central to understanding how cultures are constructed. Since the entwined structures and discourses of power, state, and culture that shaped our nation were laid down in Renaissance Europe, the quality of life in ....Fathers and Friends: Patronage and Patriarchy in Renaissance Florence. This study of patronage and patriarchy in Renaissance Florence, analysing social networks and structures and the relationship between politics, the state, personal behaviour and cultural innovation, addresses issues central to understanding how cultures are constructed. Since the entwined structures and discourses of power, state, and culture that shaped our nation were laid down in Renaissance Europe, the quality of life in our multi-cultural communities, the negotiation of our changing relation to the global community, and current public discussions about philanthropy and the investment of cultural capital would benefit from this project, which will add to Australia's investment in international research at the highest level.Read moreRead less
IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technologies: The Global Experience. The 40th anniversary of the birth of the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) will occur in 2018. This project aims to produce a history of IVF and the range of assisted reproductive technologies with which it is associated. These new forms of conception, gestation and parenting have transformed understandings of the family and have led to regulatory and policy responses and public debate, which can only be u ....IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technologies: The Global Experience. The 40th anniversary of the birth of the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) will occur in 2018. This project aims to produce a history of IVF and the range of assisted reproductive technologies with which it is associated. These new forms of conception, gestation and parenting have transformed understandings of the family and have led to regulatory and policy responses and public debate, which can only be understood in a global frame. A series of transnational case studies, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region, will be designed to explore the development of the present consumer, medical and regulatory environments and provide a historically informed basis for dealing with policy deliberations locally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Soviet War Experiences, 1937-1950. This project aims to write a history of Soviet war experiences and chart the varieties of wartime experiences on Soviet held territories between the outbreak of the Second World War in Asia in 1937 and the end of the counter-insurgency in the western borderlands by 1950. Rather than extract one, allegedly 'typical' experience, this project aims to focus on the range, variety, and complexity of wartime experiences of ordinary (and some extraordinary) people livi ....Soviet War Experiences, 1937-1950. This project aims to write a history of Soviet war experiences and chart the varieties of wartime experiences on Soviet held territories between the outbreak of the Second World War in Asia in 1937 and the end of the counter-insurgency in the western borderlands by 1950. Rather than extract one, allegedly 'typical' experience, this project aims to focus on the range, variety, and complexity of wartime experiences of ordinary (and some extraordinary) people living, fighting, surviving, dying, or passing through the lands controlled, sometimes more, sometimes less, by Stalin and his political apparatus during the years of war in the 1930s and 1940s.Read moreRead less