Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Australia: researching and relating Australia's manuscript holdings to new technologies and new readers. Building on the productive partnership forged with the State Library of Victoria in the presentation of a recent large-scale manuscript exhibition, this project will research the Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in Australia with reference to the interests of scholars and the general public. National and community benefits include access online to t ....Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Australia: researching and relating Australia's manuscript holdings to new technologies and new readers. Building on the productive partnership forged with the State Library of Victoria in the presentation of a recent large-scale manuscript exhibition, this project will research the Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in Australia with reference to the interests of scholars and the general public. National and community benefits include access online to this precious heritage material and its global connections, and communication of research findings in publications and events designed for a variety of readers and audiences. The project will foster collaboration between curators, librarians and academic scholars and ensure Australia's timely participation in important international initiatives in this fieldRead moreRead less
Knowledge transfer and administrative professionalism in a pre-typographic society: observing the scribe at work in Roman and early Islamic Egypt. This examination of documents on papyrus from first millennium CE Egypt concentrates not on scribes but the evidence for the activity of writing. It will illuminate ancient scribal practice while informing understandings of ancient education, administrations, and the way knowledge has been passed down from antiquity to the present.
A History of the Uses of Imagination and Authority in Australia, 1870-1919. This project is designed as the third and final stage of a process of connected research on the subject of European settlement in Australia. The work will focus especially on themes of oral and literary communication and the resulting sense of place and community. Prevailing attitudes to and uses of authority will be a central theme. The project will also draw together much recent work on the period leading up to the ....A History of the Uses of Imagination and Authority in Australia, 1870-1919. This project is designed as the third and final stage of a process of connected research on the subject of European settlement in Australia. The work will focus especially on themes of oral and literary communication and the resulting sense of place and community. Prevailing attitudes to and uses of authority will be a central theme. The project will also draw together much recent work on the period leading up to the federation of the Australian colonies, federation itself and World War One and in the process will explore continuities with earlier periods of Australian history.Read moreRead less
A study of the writings of Alan Paton, a major literary and political figure. The outcome of this project will constitute an important contribution to the current debate in Australia and other Western countries about ethical responses to violence. Alan Paton is a major South African literary and political figure who faced extremism both from his country's government and its opponents. The proposed study of his letters will be an important addition to the literary corpus of one of Africa's fore ....A study of the writings of Alan Paton, a major literary and political figure. The outcome of this project will constitute an important contribution to the current debate in Australia and other Western countries about ethical responses to violence. Alan Paton is a major South African literary and political figure who faced extremism both from his country's government and its opponents. The proposed study of his letters will be an important addition to the literary corpus of one of Africa's foremost thinkers and writers, and will constitute an advance upon and contribution to the body of knowledge about the cultural history of Africa in the twentieth and twenty-first century. The project will raise the profile of Australian scholarship in the field of African literature and history.
Read moreRead less
Ancient Egyptian papyri: unlocking secrets to the history of writing. This project aims to investigate the chemical composition of papyri from ancient Egypt and their inks to identify scribes, date texts, detect forgeries, match fragmentary texts, and illuminate environmental and technological change. Papyrus and carbon-based ink were the primary writing materials in the ancient Mediterranean world from 2600 BCE to 1000 CE, but the uncertain provenance and date caused by clandestine excavation a ....Ancient Egyptian papyri: unlocking secrets to the history of writing. This project aims to investigate the chemical composition of papyri from ancient Egypt and their inks to identify scribes, date texts, detect forgeries, match fragmentary texts, and illuminate environmental and technological change. Papyrus and carbon-based ink were the primary writing materials in the ancient Mediterranean world from 2600 BCE to 1000 CE, but the uncertain provenance and date caused by clandestine excavation and the antiquities trade limits our understanding of them. The non-destructive and inexpensive analysis will provide new understanding of environmental, technological, and socio-cultural change in ancient cultures from Egypt to Rome by providing new insights into writing technology, scribal identity, dating, and authenticity.Read moreRead less
Cities of Words: Women's cultures of reading and writing in colonial Melbourne and beyond. This project will promote community awareness of the honour bestowed upon Melbourne and Australia by the United Nations, by uncovering the foundations of Melbourne's literary cultures and situating them nationally and internationally. By showing that Melbourne has ever been a city of words it will provide impetus for present and future literary activity, and enhance the understanding of the cultural life o ....Cities of Words: Women's cultures of reading and writing in colonial Melbourne and beyond. This project will promote community awareness of the honour bestowed upon Melbourne and Australia by the United Nations, by uncovering the foundations of Melbourne's literary cultures and situating them nationally and internationally. By showing that Melbourne has ever been a city of words it will provide impetus for present and future literary activity, and enhance the understanding of the cultural life of the city and the country. It takes part in an international conversation about the transcultural importance of books, reading and writing, staking a claim for Melbourne, and Australia, in the global exchange of ideas.Read moreRead less
Nuanced recollection and representation: the political and rhetorical strategies of The Peterborough Chronicle. This study will enhance our understanding of essential aspects of historical writing in Anglo-Saxon and early Norman England. The analysis, to be presented in a digital facsimile presentation of this invaluable historical document, will be published in Oxford University's new Bodleian Digital Texts Series. This series, produced at The University of Melbourne with The Bodleian Library ....Nuanced recollection and representation: the political and rhetorical strategies of The Peterborough Chronicle. This study will enhance our understanding of essential aspects of historical writing in Anglo-Saxon and early Norman England. The analysis, to be presented in a digital facsimile presentation of this invaluable historical document, will be published in Oxford University's new Bodleian Digital Texts Series. This series, produced at The University of Melbourne with The Bodleian Library as collaborator, sets the standard internationally for the digital analysis and presentation of materials preserved in manuscript form, and consequently is establishing the University as a centre of excellence for this kind of work.Read moreRead less
A study of writers and regional identity in the Pacific, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. There is currently heightened community concern about supra-national loyalties that transcend and seem to threaten national boundaries. This project will help to inform discussion about the role of transnational belonging and the complexities of regional identities, so that it can be seen that multiple loyalties are common and often enriching. It will increase the audience for some neglected lif ....A study of writers and regional identity in the Pacific, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. There is currently heightened community concern about supra-national loyalties that transcend and seem to threaten national boundaries. This project will help to inform discussion about the role of transnational belonging and the complexities of regional identities, so that it can be seen that multiple loyalties are common and often enriching. It will increase the audience for some neglected life writing in the Pacific area, particularly from Indigenous writers.Read moreRead less
Complex Words: Literary Judgments in the British Commonwealth, 1920-1970. Examining the 'traffic' in ideas about literature between Britain and Australia in the context of a broad comparative study will add a historical perspective to contemporary debates over globalization and 'cultural imperialism', and Australian culture's place in those debates. Because the project engages with questions that are studied extensively by historians elsewhere in the world, it will integrate Australian history f ....Complex Words: Literary Judgments in the British Commonwealth, 1920-1970. Examining the 'traffic' in ideas about literature between Britain and Australia in the context of a broad comparative study will add a historical perspective to contemporary debates over globalization and 'cultural imperialism', and Australian culture's place in those debates. Because the project engages with questions that are studied extensively by historians elsewhere in the world, it will integrate Australian history further into European and North American discussions of imperialism and the circulation and reception of ideas and books.Read moreRead less
Judith Anderson 1897-1992: Voice and Emotion in the Making of an International Star. Australian-born Dame Judith Anderson was considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. Renowned for her thrilling voice and portrayal of deep emotion and illicit sexuality and power, she influenced how women looked, spoke, and felt from the early 1920s through her roles on Broadway and in Hollywood films. This biography will preserve and make accessible a valuable part of our cultural heritage ....Judith Anderson 1897-1992: Voice and Emotion in the Making of an International Star. Australian-born Dame Judith Anderson was considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. Renowned for her thrilling voice and portrayal of deep emotion and illicit sexuality and power, she influenced how women looked, spoke, and felt from the early 1920s through her roles on Broadway and in Hollywood films. This biography will preserve and make accessible a valuable part of our cultural heritage. It will give Australians and Americans a better understanding of the two-way cultural relationship between their two countries. It will help place Australian scholarship at the cutting edge of historical research on twentieth century auditory culture.Read moreRead less