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Religion and Imperialism in Australia from Colony to Nation. In international contexts, imperialism and religion have been recognised as two of the most powerful forces for social cohesion, identity, transformation and conflict. The preliminary work undertaken for this project indicates that Australia has not been immune from these significant historical forces. This project will be of national benefit in providing insight into the historical pattern of imperialism on the formation of religious ....Religion and Imperialism in Australia from Colony to Nation. In international contexts, imperialism and religion have been recognised as two of the most powerful forces for social cohesion, identity, transformation and conflict. The preliminary work undertaken for this project indicates that Australia has not been immune from these significant historical forces. This project will be of national benefit in providing insight into the historical pattern of imperialism on the formation of religious and cultural values. By contributing to the education of the scholarly and general public on religious issues, this project seeks to contribute to the quality of public debate and policy analysis in this key emerging field of national and international significance.Read moreRead less
Religion, welfare and problem populations in Australia, 1788-2006. Given that faith-based welfare providers have become more important in the welfare sector in recent years, it is important that their origins, similarities and differences are fully understood, especially as religious practice is easily stereotyped in the media. This project's historical focus will give policy makers and field workers a sense of perspective in dealing with contemporary problems. In revealing the varying effectiv ....Religion, welfare and problem populations in Australia, 1788-2006. Given that faith-based welfare providers have become more important in the welfare sector in recent years, it is important that their origins, similarities and differences are fully understood, especially as religious practice is easily stereotyped in the media. This project's historical focus will give policy makers and field workers a sense of perspective in dealing with contemporary problems. In revealing the varying effectiveness of religious groups to assist participation in the past, it will assist people to make informed and positive choices and thus strengthen the contemporary social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less
Religion and Political Transformation: A Transnational Study of South American Independence, 1750-1840. This pathbreaking international research project strongly contributes to the internationalisation of Australian humanities and social science research. It ensures Australia's substantial participation in seminal intellectual debates during the approaching bicentenaries of the birth of modernity in Spain and Latin America. It guarantees that Australia will not become just a consumer of overseas ....Religion and Political Transformation: A Transnational Study of South American Independence, 1750-1840. This pathbreaking international research project strongly contributes to the internationalisation of Australian humanities and social science research. It ensures Australia's substantial participation in seminal intellectual debates during the approaching bicentenaries of the birth of modernity in Spain and Latin America. It guarantees that Australia will not become just a consumer of overseas research in this field. It renews Australia's intellectual and cultural capital in Iberian and Latin American Studies at a crucial moment of generational change. It contributes to an understanding of the generic links between religious radicalism and political violence in an age of fast-moving, global transformation.Read moreRead less
Liberty, Anti-transportation and the Empire of Morality. The campaign to end convict transportation to Australia was a key step to the establishment of a liberal democracy founded on the highest moral principles. This project will safeguard Australia's national interest by creating new knowledge about the religious and political sources for the ideals of political and personal freedom that are foundational to the Australian national identity.
Forging antiquity: Authenticity, forgery, and fake papyri. This project aims to situate typology of forged papyri in a historical analysis of the development of forgery, authentication techniques, and public debates over forgeries from the 19th century to the present day. The project will contextualise technical study of fakes within authentication strategies in ancient papyri, traditional and emerging de-authentication practices, and the cultural context of forgery. A typology of forged papyri ....Forging antiquity: Authenticity, forgery, and fake papyri. This project aims to situate typology of forged papyri in a historical analysis of the development of forgery, authentication techniques, and public debates over forgeries from the 19th century to the present day. The project will contextualise technical study of fakes within authentication strategies in ancient papyri, traditional and emerging de-authentication practices, and the cultural context of forgery. A typology of forged papyri will enable collecting institutions to better assess fakes, permit easier detection of forgeries in antiquities markets, and provide a tool for scholars asked to assess the authenticity of papyri offered for sale or donation.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100330
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$359,966.00
Summary
Empire and religion in early modern Inner Asia, 1650-1800. This project aims to re-examine China’s imperial expansion from the perspective of the Qing dynasty’s chief rivals in Inner Asia—the Junghar Mongols. Stretching from Siberia to Afghanistan, their nomadic empire linked the steppe with the Silk Road, and the Buddhist and Islamic worlds. Grounded in multilingual research in Chinese and Russian archives, and wide reading in Inner Asian chronicles and hagiographies, the project seeks to eluci ....Empire and religion in early modern Inner Asia, 1650-1800. This project aims to re-examine China’s imperial expansion from the perspective of the Qing dynasty’s chief rivals in Inner Asia—the Junghar Mongols. Stretching from Siberia to Afghanistan, their nomadic empire linked the steppe with the Silk Road, and the Buddhist and Islamic worlds. Grounded in multilingual research in Chinese and Russian archives, and wide reading in Inner Asian chronicles and hagiographies, the project seeks to elucidate the micropolitics of the Eurasian borderlands, and the non-Chinese narratives that accompanied the creation of China as we know it today. By offering a new account of early modern Inner Asian history, this project expects to advance the fields of Chinese, Inner Asian and imperial history in Australia.Read moreRead less
Crises of Leadership in the Eastern Roman Empire (250-1000 CE). Armed conflict, the upheaval of social systems, and environmental crises cause citizens to question their leaders during periods of social change. They also increase religious extremism, including speculations about the imminent end of the world. The period 250-1000 CE reveals many examples of how such crises served leaders who knew how to profit from instability to expand their powers, and how they damaged the reputations of those ....Crises of Leadership in the Eastern Roman Empire (250-1000 CE). Armed conflict, the upheaval of social systems, and environmental crises cause citizens to question their leaders during periods of social change. They also increase religious extremism, including speculations about the imminent end of the world. The period 250-1000 CE reveals many examples of how such crises served leaders who knew how to profit from instability to expand their powers, and how they damaged the reputations of those who did not. Understanding how past leaders of the Roman world addressed these crises in practical and rhetorical ways may provide helpful and timely models of what works (and what does not) for contemporary community and political leaders, even in democratic political societies such as Australia.Read moreRead less
City space and urban experience at the end of the Italian Renaissance. This project aims to study how people lived in early-modern cities, using health records. In 1630, health officials ordered a door-to-door survey of every poor household in plague-stricken Florence. The surviving reports of this extraordinary ‘Visitation’ are a time-capsule of urban experience, which seldom leaves any written trace. This project will mine the Visitation to reveal how citizens moved through public streets and ....City space and urban experience at the end of the Italian Renaissance. This project aims to study how people lived in early-modern cities, using health records. In 1630, health officials ordered a door-to-door survey of every poor household in plague-stricken Florence. The surviving reports of this extraordinary ‘Visitation’ are a time-capsule of urban experience, which seldom leaves any written trace. This project will mine the Visitation to reveal how citizens moved through public streets and private spaces; and use their own words to bring back to life their sensory impressions. The resulting study is expected to reveal how contemporary thinking about the city arose from patterns of everyday behaviour.Read moreRead less
A Secular State? Reason, Religion, and the Australian Polity 1788-1945. What does it mean to say that Australia is a secular state? How did that self-conception develop and how has the meaning of 'secular' changed over the course of the nation's history? These are the fundamental questions that shape this study of the inter-relationship of the secular and religion within the Australian polity from 1788 to the end of World War II. The project will be illuminated by the increasingly sophisticated ....A Secular State? Reason, Religion, and the Australian Polity 1788-1945. What does it mean to say that Australia is a secular state? How did that self-conception develop and how has the meaning of 'secular' changed over the course of the nation's history? These are the fundamental questions that shape this study of the inter-relationship of the secular and religion within the Australian polity from 1788 to the end of World War II. The project will be illuminated by the increasingly sophisticated literature on secularisation and the international comparisons it aims to facilitate. The outcome is expected to be a historically informed explanation of distinctively Australian attitudes to secularity, which may provide the basis for a more informed national debate over issues of religion and citizenship.Read moreRead less
Communication networks in Upper Egyptian monastic communities in the 6th to 8th centuries CE. This project will enhance Australia's hard-earned profile in the field of early Christianity in its Late classical context, contextualising Coptic studies within this wider field, and promoting internationally the quality of local research into early Christianity, Late Antique Egypt, and papyrology. It enables an understanding of the processes which stand behind the communication networks of the modern ....Communication networks in Upper Egyptian monastic communities in the 6th to 8th centuries CE. This project will enhance Australia's hard-earned profile in the field of early Christianity in its Late classical context, contextualising Coptic studies within this wider field, and promoting internationally the quality of local research into early Christianity, Late Antique Egypt, and papyrology. It enables an understanding of the processes which stand behind the communication networks of the modern world. It directly contributes to the preservation of the culture of Australia's own Coptic community, facilitating access to its cultural heritage, and provides a research focus to complement Macquarie's new commitment to the teaching of the Coptic language and history.Read moreRead less