Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200200227
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$277,000.00
Summary
Indigenous Engineering: interpreting engineering foundations of Budj Bim. The Budj Bim World Heritage Cultural Landscape is internationally recognised for preserving the world’s oldest aquaculture system, which provided an economic and social base for the Gunditjmara people of South-western Victoria for more than six millennia. This project aims to elucidate the engineering processes that enabled the Gunditjmara to site, plan, construct, operate and maintain this aquaculture complex, to show how ....Indigenous Engineering: interpreting engineering foundations of Budj Bim. The Budj Bim World Heritage Cultural Landscape is internationally recognised for preserving the world’s oldest aquaculture system, which provided an economic and social base for the Gunditjmara people of South-western Victoria for more than six millennia. This project aims to elucidate the engineering processes that enabled the Gunditjmara to site, plan, construct, operate and maintain this aquaculture complex, to show how it may have evolved over time, and how it responded to changing social and environmental circumstances. This project will develop geospatial methods to uncover and document the technological foundations of the aquaculture complex, and contribute to the understanding of the Gunditjmara technological knowledge and history. Read moreRead less
Creative Micro-computing in Australia, 1976-1992. 1980s micro-computers introduced many to the digital age. Despite the importance of early micro-computing to the digital present, this early period is yet to be scrutinised by digital media scholars. This project recovers the local history of this most important media technology in the period 1976-1992, across the spectrum of practices in digital arts and culture. Delving deeply into the history of creative software and hardware practices, seekin ....Creative Micro-computing in Australia, 1976-1992. 1980s micro-computers introduced many to the digital age. Despite the importance of early micro-computing to the digital present, this early period is yet to be scrutinised by digital media scholars. This project recovers the local history of this most important media technology in the period 1976-1992, across the spectrum of practices in digital arts and culture. Delving deeply into the history of creative software and hardware practices, seeking to understand early users and their encounters with computers, and collating metadata on the products of their practice, this project builds the foundation for securing and remembering Australian digital cultural heritage.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101173
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$336,764.00
Summary
Black Box Re-order: technology, air safety and Australian airspace, 1938–68. This project plans to trace pivotal developments in air safety through the three decades preceding Australia’s last major airliner crash in 1968. Modern Australia has an admirable aviation safety record, shaping national patterns of commerce, leisure and defence. This project aims to advance understanding of our contributions to global aviation safety. Through historical research, it seeks to help us understand how key ....Black Box Re-order: technology, air safety and Australian airspace, 1938–68. This project plans to trace pivotal developments in air safety through the three decades preceding Australia’s last major airliner crash in 1968. Modern Australia has an admirable aviation safety record, shaping national patterns of commerce, leisure and defence. This project aims to advance understanding of our contributions to global aviation safety. Through historical research, it seeks to help us understand how key human, technological and environmental factors changed local and international ideas about airspace, and how the complex systems governing our airways grew to function so effectively. It also promises new understanding of how Australians came to rely upon technological black boxes and large-scale infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100394
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
From scientific specimen to Indigenous cultural property: the collection and use of Indigenous DNA samples since the 1960s. This anthropological and historical project will explore the provenance and present use of DNA samples collected from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. It will produce a new conceptual framework that will inform the conduct of genetic research in Indigenous communities and the governance of Indigenous sample collections and biobanks.
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL110100243
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,120,561.00
Summary
Southern racial conceptions: comparative histories and contemporary legacies. This project will reveal intense scientific debate about what it meant to be human in the southern hemisphere during the twentieth century, placing Australian racial thought in a new context. Through comparative study, it shows the distinctive character and scope of racial ideas in southern settler societies, and assesses their global impact.
Aboriginal Communities as Sites of Experiment: Making Research Subjects. How did Aboriginal Australians come to be treated as research subjects in the twentieth century? This project aims to examine six exemplary cases where Aboriginal communities became sites of medical investigation and scientific experiment. It is designed to explore different patterns of sympathy and exploitation, intimacy and objectivity, in the interactions of scientists and Aboriginal people. The sites range from Brewarri ....Aboriginal Communities as Sites of Experiment: Making Research Subjects. How did Aboriginal Australians come to be treated as research subjects in the twentieth century? This project aims to examine six exemplary cases where Aboriginal communities became sites of medical investigation and scientific experiment. It is designed to explore different patterns of sympathy and exploitation, intimacy and objectivity, in the interactions of scientists and Aboriginal people. The sites range from Brewarrina to Hermannsburg, Palm Island and Groote Eylandt; the time period is from the 1910s through the 1990s. The research will endeavour to translate the history of Australian science into a series of Indigenous local histories. Such an approach is unprecedented and is expected to serve as a model for the study of the entanglements between science and Indigenous peoples.Read moreRead less
Engaging the global legacy and impact of the Aboriginal Artists Agency. The Aboriginal Artists Agency (AAA) was a driving force for change in the Australian arts industry. Founded in 1976, it was the first national body to administer copyrights for indigenous artists, create international demand for Australian culture and pioneer ways for Indigenous artists to reach audiences and markets worldwide. This project aims to investigate the seminal work of the AAA, secure and analyse its exclusive pri ....Engaging the global legacy and impact of the Aboriginal Artists Agency. The Aboriginal Artists Agency (AAA) was a driving force for change in the Australian arts industry. Founded in 1976, it was the first national body to administer copyrights for indigenous artists, create international demand for Australian culture and pioneer ways for Indigenous artists to reach audiences and markets worldwide. This project aims to investigate the seminal work of the AAA, secure and analyse its exclusive primary collection and assess the vast corporate knowledge of its personnel through new interviews. New frameworks for assessing Indigenous arts initiatives, it is hoped, will be generated through this unprecedented analysis of the AAA's role in reshaping attitudes towards Australian identities.Read moreRead less
The Queensland Atlas of Religion. This project aims to investigate, document and interpret the diversity of religion and religious practices in Queensland's past and present. Using an inter-disciplinary approach, it will generate the first major scholarly treatment of religions in Queensland via a large public reference website. It will be the first time that a place-based approach has been employed for a scholarly study of Queensland's religious pluralism and diversity, emphasising the patterns ....The Queensland Atlas of Religion. This project aims to investigate, document and interpret the diversity of religion and religious practices in Queensland's past and present. Using an inter-disciplinary approach, it will generate the first major scholarly treatment of religions in Queensland via a large public reference website. It will be the first time that a place-based approach has been employed for a scholarly study of Queensland's religious pluralism and diversity, emphasising the patterns of historical accommodation and inclusion needed to inform religious toleration and cross-community understanding today. In generating new knowledge, the Atlas aims to present its research outcomes in a well-tested and readily available digital format for broad public access.Read moreRead less
The legacy of 50 years of collecting at Milingimbi Mission. This project will bring life to Aboriginal material collections made at Milingimbi, in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. A model for museums and Aboriginal people will be made that will give more Aboriginal authority over collections and benefits the museum's knowledge base.
Land, language and heritage. The project will produce full documentation (written, audiovisual and web form) of the Jirrbal tribe from north Queensland, dealing with traditional life and language, ancient and recent history and cultural adaptation. The project works towards the empowerment of Indigenous Australians, reaffirmation of their identity and sustainable use of traditional environment.