Life after care: the life-histories of those who left institutional and other forms of out-of-home care, 1945-1989. This project, developed in close collaboration with the Industry Partner, MacKillop Family Services, will examine the impact of having been in out-of-home care for the subsequent identities and life histories of successive generations of care leavers. While focused on Catholic institutions in Victoria, it will provide more general insights into the role of church-based children's h ....Life after care: the life-histories of those who left institutional and other forms of out-of-home care, 1945-1989. This project, developed in close collaboration with the Industry Partner, MacKillop Family Services, will examine the impact of having been in out-of-home care for the subsequent identities and life histories of successive generations of care leavers. While focused on Catholic institutions in Victoria, it will provide more general insights into the role of church-based children's homes. Based on archival and oral history methods, it will also be an opportunity for those who experienced care to tell the story of life after leaving care.Read moreRead less
The search for family: A history of adoption in Australia. How has Australia cared for its children? This study will fill a significant gap in the nation's self-understanding by explaining the historical factors driving the changing place, meaning and significance of adoption. Whilst participants and practitioners debate its social worth, the policy pendulum is swinging back to an acceptance of adoption. Australian society is in urgent need of an open hearing of the contesting voices, and a bala ....The search for family: A history of adoption in Australia. How has Australia cared for its children? This study will fill a significant gap in the nation's self-understanding by explaining the historical factors driving the changing place, meaning and significance of adoption. Whilst participants and practitioners debate its social worth, the policy pendulum is swinging back to an acceptance of adoption. Australian society is in urgent need of an open hearing of the contesting voices, and a balanced account of the historical impact of adoption. Our project promises both, thus 'understanding and strengthening (a) key element of Australia's social fabric' - the family.Read moreRead less
History of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, 1930-2003. This project will research and write the history of the Melbourne based Anglican welfare organisation, the Brotherhood of St Laurence since its foundation. It will be a multi-focussed history, which will reassess the Brotherhood's origins in the social divisions of the depression, examine its culture, including the interaction between its religious and secular missions, investigate its record of innovative social policy and service delivery, ....History of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, 1930-2003. This project will research and write the history of the Melbourne based Anglican welfare organisation, the Brotherhood of St Laurence since its foundation. It will be a multi-focussed history, which will reassess the Brotherhood's origins in the social divisions of the depression, examine its culture, including the interaction between its religious and secular missions, investigate its record of innovative social policy and service delivery, and interrogate its changing relationship with the local communities where it has a physical presence. The research will include interviews with present and former staff. The age of some of these makes this aspect of the research urgent.Read moreRead less
The other welfare state: the non-government welfare sector in Victoria, 1945 - 1995. This project investigates the history and development of the non-government welfare sector in Victoria in the half-century following 1945. Through archival research and oral histories, the project consists of case studies of four key faith-based agencies, as a lens through which to examine how the sector has related to governments and how it has imagined its purposes and its 'clients'. Little attention has been ....The other welfare state: the non-government welfare sector in Victoria, 1945 - 1995. This project investigates the history and development of the non-government welfare sector in Victoria in the half-century following 1945. Through archival research and oral histories, the project consists of case studies of four key faith-based agencies, as a lens through which to examine how the sector has related to governments and how it has imagined its purposes and its 'clients'. Little attention has been given to the post-war history of this sector in Australia, but its escalating role today in service delivery is reflected in an international literature on the changing role of non-government organisations within modern welfare regimes.Read moreRead less
The History of an Urban Chinese Factory Community in Transition. Changes over the past five decades at a Chinese state-owned industrial enterprise and its adjoining residential compound will be explored largely through in-depth oral histories by a collaborative team of Australian and Chinese researchers; and the implications for China's ongoing economic and urban social transformation will be addressed. This will be the first study of its kind, and the University of California Press, a leading p ....The History of an Urban Chinese Factory Community in Transition. Changes over the past five decades at a Chinese state-owned industrial enterprise and its adjoining residential compound will be explored largely through in-depth oral histories by a collaborative team of Australian and Chinese researchers; and the implications for China's ongoing economic and urban social transformation will be addressed. This will be the first study of its kind, and the University of California Press, a leading publisher in this field, is keen to publish a book based on the study.Read moreRead less
Voicing the Welfare State: Experiences of the Sixteenth-Century French Poor. This research enhances our historical understanding of poverty and its support mechanisms in Europe's past, through reconstruction of a comprehensive and detailed picture of the sixteenth-century French poor. New methodologies and techniques for recovery of formal and informal social networks will be developed. Historical models of such mechanisms provide context of the long history of Australia's welfare structure mode ....Voicing the Welfare State: Experiences of the Sixteenth-Century French Poor. This research enhances our historical understanding of poverty and its support mechanisms in Europe's past, through reconstruction of a comprehensive and detailed picture of the sixteenth-century French poor. New methodologies and techniques for recovery of formal and informal social networks will be developed. Historical models of such mechanisms provide context of the long history of Australia's welfare structure models, philosophy and participation strategies. The programme provides expert research training for early career researchers, in a collaborative Humanities team environment. Australian historians can thus continue to generate globally competitive and significant research.Read moreRead less
History of the Victorian Women's Refuge Movement, 1974-2004. Using a rich archive of source material and in-depth interviews, this PhD project will trace the unique history of the women's refuge movement in Victoria, from its initiation in 1974 through to a period of significant change in 2004. In doing so, the project will consider the ways that a diverse range of organisations worked together to achieve significant social change. These changes will be located within the wider domestic violence ....History of the Victorian Women's Refuge Movement, 1974-2004. Using a rich archive of source material and in-depth interviews, this PhD project will trace the unique history of the women's refuge movement in Victoria, from its initiation in 1974 through to a period of significant change in 2004. In doing so, the project will consider the ways that a diverse range of organisations worked together to achieve significant social change. These changes will be located within the wider domestic violence policy context and the research will inform future policy development through the careful consideration of services provided in the past.Read moreRead less
The Social Sciences and the Making of Postwar Australia. This project explores the foundational significance of the social sciences in the creation of modern Australia. Using the history of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia as a focus, it will provide the first broad historical analysis of the various social scientific fields in Australia since WWII. In doing so it will highlight the previously under-examined but critical influence these fields of knowledge exerted over civil socie ....The Social Sciences and the Making of Postwar Australia. This project explores the foundational significance of the social sciences in the creation of modern Australia. Using the history of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia as a focus, it will provide the first broad historical analysis of the various social scientific fields in Australia since WWII. In doing so it will highlight the previously under-examined but critical influence these fields of knowledge exerted over civil society and public policy. Its finding will be of great significance both to our industry partner, in fulfilling its role as advocate for the social sciences, and to an understanding of the development of post-war Australian society.Read moreRead less
The face of the poor: a history of poverty through the eyes of the St Vincent de Paul Society. This project will develop a detailed understanding of the changing role of the church sector in the provision of 'front-line' social welfare. It will train a postgraduate student in the skills of archival and policy analysis, at a time when many welfare agencies are employing staff in research and policy functions. By focusing on a voluntary organisation, it will provide insight into the historical rol ....The face of the poor: a history of poverty through the eyes of the St Vincent de Paul Society. This project will develop a detailed understanding of the changing role of the church sector in the provision of 'front-line' social welfare. It will train a postgraduate student in the skills of archival and policy analysis, at a time when many welfare agencies are employing staff in research and policy functions. By focusing on a voluntary organisation, it will provide insight into the historical role of volunteers in Australian welfare. By illuminating how the roles of the church agencies in the mixed economy of welfare have changed over time, the project will contribute to the goal of strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. Read moreRead less
Gender, power and identity in the early modern Nassau family. Our family identities shape our experiences of relationships, support structures, and interactions in broader communities around us but how do gender and power relationships affect expressions of family identities? Our project uses a case study of the early modern Nassau-Orange family, whose extensive and diverse sources include letters, art, architectural precincts, naming patterns, and even colonial endeavours. The word and colour o ....Gender, power and identity in the early modern Nassau family. Our family identities shape our experiences of relationships, support structures, and interactions in broader communities around us but how do gender and power relationships affect expressions of family identities? Our project uses a case study of the early modern Nassau-Orange family, whose extensive and diverse sources include letters, art, architectural precincts, naming patterns, and even colonial endeavours. The word and colour orange today symbolise Protestantism and the Dutch worldwide as a result of this pivotal family's self-presentation in the early modern period. We will produce monographs, PhD thesis, and research training in an international humanities team led by Australian researchers. Read moreRead less