Authenticity: Globalisation and Indigenous Culture. Who speaks for the Fourth World? Why is there an obsession with 'authenticity' whenever Indigenous people are being discussed? This study explores those questions by examining a combination of sources, ranging from international museum collections to the advertising campaigns of multinational companies; from literature to the cultural festivals of the Olympic Games. The research is original, comparative, empirical. It explores the intersectio ....Authenticity: Globalisation and Indigenous Culture. Who speaks for the Fourth World? Why is there an obsession with 'authenticity' whenever Indigenous people are being discussed? This study explores those questions by examining a combination of sources, ranging from international museum collections to the advertising campaigns of multinational companies; from literature to the cultural festivals of the Olympic Games. The research is original, comparative, empirical. It explores the intersections between postcolonial and cultural studies to speak -- not for Indigenous peoples -- but to the non-Indigenous representation of First Nations. Why? Because this provides key insights into the future of race relations in western democracies.Read moreRead less
The colonial souvenir market and Indigenous agency in Oceania. This project focuses on the objects from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century which were sold as Indigenous 'curios' to the general public through a Sydney museum. While much of the literature on collecting has focused on the role of institutional collecting the project examines popular objects which the general public purchased. This project will contribute to the growing importance of research into colonialism in the reg ....The colonial souvenir market and Indigenous agency in Oceania. This project focuses on the objects from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century which were sold as Indigenous 'curios' to the general public through a Sydney museum. While much of the literature on collecting has focused on the role of institutional collecting the project examines popular objects which the general public purchased. This project will contribute to the growing importance of research into colonialism in the region, drawing together the results of research from the fields of archaeology, anthropology and material culture studies.Read moreRead less
Diaspora, Hybridity and the Nation: Asian-Australian Perspectives in Literature and Theatre. Australia's engagement with Asia remains central to our national security and economic development. Better understanding about Asians in Australia will enhance Australia's capacity to interpret itself to the Asian region. This research also addresses major concerns that are of significance to the wellbeing and cohesiveness of the nation: race relations, reconciliation, nationhood, and globalisation. By f ....Diaspora, Hybridity and the Nation: Asian-Australian Perspectives in Literature and Theatre. Australia's engagement with Asia remains central to our national security and economic development. Better understanding about Asians in Australia will enhance Australia's capacity to interpret itself to the Asian region. This research also addresses major concerns that are of significance to the wellbeing and cohesiveness of the nation: race relations, reconciliation, nationhood, and globalisation. By foregrounding the contribution of Asian-Australians in the cultural life of the nation, the research serves to enrich public life and foster stronger community relations.Read moreRead less
Assessing collaborative, community-based museum practice and changing cultures of citizenship at the National Museum of the American Indian. Focusing on the role and influence of indigenous citizenship within the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC, this project will contextualise and contribute to developing new understandings of reconciliation for the Australian nation. The knowledge acquired by this project will also be of significant benefit to the National Museum of Aust ....Assessing collaborative, community-based museum practice and changing cultures of citizenship at the National Museum of the American Indian. Focusing on the role and influence of indigenous citizenship within the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC, this project will contextualise and contribute to developing new understandings of reconciliation for the Australian nation. The knowledge acquired by this project will also be of significant benefit to the National Museum of Australia, which shares the National Museum of the American Indian’s interest in developing partnerships with community-based museums that improve the understanding, experience and representation of an expanded concept of citizenship in a multicultural and postcolonial world.Read moreRead less
Being Asian in Australia and the United States: Analysing Ethnic Representations in Visual Arts, Popular Culture, Academia and Community Festivals. Australia's engagement with Asia and North America remains central to our national security and economic development. This research offers a unique window into the experiences and sensibilities of a constituency within the Australian population which has been relatively unacknowledged in the official domain. A better understanding about Asians in Aus ....Being Asian in Australia and the United States: Analysing Ethnic Representations in Visual Arts, Popular Culture, Academia and Community Festivals. Australia's engagement with Asia and North America remains central to our national security and economic development. This research offers a unique window into the experiences and sensibilities of a constituency within the Australian population which has been relatively unacknowledged in the official domain. A better understanding about Asians in Australia and the US will enhance Australia's capacity to interpret itself to Asia and North America. Information about transnational Asian communities is an important means of improving our ability to respond to changing conditions within Australia and the region at large.Read moreRead less
The world novel, distant suffering and humanitarian sensibility after 1989. As war and terror flicker across our televisions, writers like Rushdie, McEwan and Hosseini have turned the novel into a global form, expressing a new humanitarian ethic. This project explores the makings of these World Novels across sites of ongoing global conflict, and traces their plea for sympathy back to the novel's beginnings, in the eighteenth-century.
Urban Imaginaries/Cultural Landscapes: An Asia-Pacific Transnational and Cross-Cultural Research Collaboration. The aim of the program is to foster research collaboration between the ANU's Humanities Research Centre and Lingnan University's Cultural Research and Development Program by examining public culture, transnational culture, urban landscapes and urban cultural identities in the contemporary Asia-Pacific and Australian context. We will do this by extending ties with researchers from the ....Urban Imaginaries/Cultural Landscapes: An Asia-Pacific Transnational and Cross-Cultural Research Collaboration. The aim of the program is to foster research collaboration between the ANU's Humanities Research Centre and Lingnan University's Cultural Research and Development Program by examining public culture, transnational culture, urban landscapes and urban cultural identities in the contemporary Asia-Pacific and Australian context. We will do this by extending ties with researchers from the region including early career and students and by developing a comparative cross-cultural methodology capable of encompassing specific socio-historical patterns and processes of dynamically changing public cultural formations in contemporary urban centres in the Asia-Pacific, including Australia. Specific outcomes include a book, e-journal and a multi-media exhibition.
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Sustainable Development, Cultural Diversity, and Global Transformations: An Ethnography of Agricultural and Environmental Practices in East Timor. Civil unrest, low productivity, and environmental degradation in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, PNG, Nauru, and Indonesia, highlight the new challenges for international development policy. By providing culturally specific analyses of development processes and by advancing new policy directions, the study will enhance the capacities of Australian NG ....Sustainable Development, Cultural Diversity, and Global Transformations: An Ethnography of Agricultural and Environmental Practices in East Timor. Civil unrest, low productivity, and environmental degradation in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, PNG, Nauru, and Indonesia, highlight the new challenges for international development policy. By providing culturally specific analyses of development processes and by advancing new policy directions, the study will enhance the capacities of Australian NGOs, as well as international NGOs with Australian offices, government agencies and Indigenous communities, effectively to tackle acute poverty and environmental degradation in our region. These issues are increasingly pertinent to Australia.Read moreRead less
Causes and consequences of population turnover in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory experiences an extraordinarily high rate of population turnover. Approximately one quarter (compared to less than 10% for most other states) of the Territory's resident population in 2001 had lived somewhere else 5 years earlier. The research will examine the characteristics and causes of this turnover as well as its long-term implications for the composition and associated planning capacity of the N ....Causes and consequences of population turnover in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory experiences an extraordinarily high rate of population turnover. Approximately one quarter (compared to less than 10% for most other states) of the Territory's resident population in 2001 had lived somewhere else 5 years earlier. The research will examine the characteristics and causes of this turnover as well as its long-term implications for the composition and associated planning capacity of the NT population. Of particular interest is the effect of population transience on the establishment, maintenance, and continuation of knowledge systems, both desert and tropical.Read moreRead less
A socio-ecological comparison of nations making a transition to renewable energy. This project aims to use ethnography to investigate how legitimacy for renewable energy can be won or lost. The project will focus on Germany, India and Australia, regions that are undergoing ‘energy transition.’ It, conducts in-depth studies of changing socio-ecological relations, theorising through comparative analysis, and creating new data on the socio-cultural forces for emission reduction. The project will an ....A socio-ecological comparison of nations making a transition to renewable energy. This project aims to use ethnography to investigate how legitimacy for renewable energy can be won or lost. The project will focus on Germany, India and Australia, regions that are undergoing ‘energy transition.’ It, conducts in-depth studies of changing socio-ecological relations, theorising through comparative analysis, and creating new data on the socio-cultural forces for emission reduction. The project will analyse what can be done to enhance the transition to renewable energy. The expected outcomes are grounded in the comparative study of regions that are making a transition to renewable power.Read moreRead less