Witnesses to War: Australian War Correspondents from the Boer to the Gulf War. This national project will be the first study to examine the collective history of Australian journalists and photojournalists who have covered major wars and international conflicts from the Boer War to the 'war on terror'. It will be a timely and path breaking contribution to history, offering a new understanding of key issues including the journalists' experiences; the discourses that defined Australian national id ....Witnesses to War: Australian War Correspondents from the Boer to the Gulf War. This national project will be the first study to examine the collective history of Australian journalists and photojournalists who have covered major wars and international conflicts from the Boer War to the 'war on terror'. It will be a timely and path breaking contribution to history, offering a new understanding of key issues including the journalists' experiences; the discourses that defined Australian national identity; truth and mythmaking; war correspondents' influence on public commemoration and how they shaped attitudes to war, allies, enemies and race; how reporting changed; and the role of political and military censorship. Read moreRead less
A history of press photography in Australia. Press photography has long influenced how Australians have understood themselves and their world. In collaboration with the National Library of Australia and the Walkley Foundation, the project explores the evolving role of photographs in breaking news, and historical shifts in photographic technologies, media practices and ethics.
Conviction Politics: the convict routes of Australian democracy. This transnational digital history project aims to demonstrate the importance of collective convict protest to the early development of democracy in colonial Australia. It generates new knowledge about Australian convict history, documenting for the first time the extent and character of convict activism 1788-1850 and offers fresh perspectives on the role of ‘political’ transportees in the mobilisation of the wider convict and free ....Conviction Politics: the convict routes of Australian democracy. This transnational digital history project aims to demonstrate the importance of collective convict protest to the early development of democracy in colonial Australia. It generates new knowledge about Australian convict history, documenting for the first time the extent and character of convict activism 1788-1850 and offers fresh perspectives on the role of ‘political’ transportees in the mobilisation of the wider convict and free population for reform. Expected project outcomes include building international and interdisciplinary HASS/STEM/industry collaborations in digital methods for archive research and communication, delivering significant benefits, notably innovative media ensuring impact with domestic and international audiences.Read moreRead less
Beijing: China's Heritage and the City as Spectacle. This project will provide the major national focus for trans-historical research on China, that is research that is grounded in traditional Sinological skills but that addresses some of the most important and long-term issues of Chinese history, culture and society and their contemporary relevance in North-east Asia and the Asia Pacific. It will provide a national hub for the focused study of late-traditional China and its contemporary relevan ....Beijing: China's Heritage and the City as Spectacle. This project will provide the major national focus for trans-historical research on China, that is research that is grounded in traditional Sinological skills but that addresses some of the most important and long-term issues of Chinese history, culture and society and their contemporary relevance in North-east Asia and the Asia Pacific. It will provide a national hub for the focused study of late-traditional China and its contemporary relevance to Australia.
This project through publications and an innovative web-presence will provide a unique opportunity for a multifaceted understanding of the underpinnings of the cultural heft that China will increasingly demonstrate in the years to come.Read moreRead less
Spectacle and Multimedia in Late-Eighteenth-Century Europe: a programme of written and multi-media histories. I aim to demonstrate that Philippe de Loutherbourg, an eighteenth-century European artist and set-designer, pioneered revolutionary developments in the technology and culture of multi-media through the agency of 'spectacles.' These multi-sensory displays for entertainment and knowledge foreshadow the advent of modern cinema and multimedia, and suggest new ways of praticing history throug ....Spectacle and Multimedia in Late-Eighteenth-Century Europe: a programme of written and multi-media histories. I aim to demonstrate that Philippe de Loutherbourg, an eighteenth-century European artist and set-designer, pioneered revolutionary developments in the technology and culture of multi-media through the agency of 'spectacles.' These multi-sensory displays for entertainment and knowledge foreshadow the advent of modern cinema and multimedia, and suggest new ways of praticing history through multimedia re-creations.Read moreRead less
Facing new worlds: comparative histories of Australasia and North America. This project aims to develop comparative research into Indigenous and settler experiences in Australasia and North America in order to discover new connections or distinctions between the two regions for both public and academic audiences. The project will centre on a major exhibition with a focus on biography and life representation and will develop new methodologies for examining the shared or different histories of com ....Facing new worlds: comparative histories of Australasia and North America. This project aims to develop comparative research into Indigenous and settler experiences in Australasia and North America in order to discover new connections or distinctions between the two regions for both public and academic audiences. The project will centre on a major exhibition with a focus on biography and life representation and will develop new methodologies for examining the shared or different histories of complex indigenous-settler relations across "New World" sites. The expected outcomes of this project are to promote a deeper appreciation of Australia’s place in a Pacific world with as yet unexplored links to the Americas, and also to model new ways for art history and socio-cultural history to come together to explicate a shared, complicated past.Read moreRead less
'Puppet States' Revisited: Empire and Sovereign Subordination in Modern Asia. The term 'puppet state' is a part of public discourse in Australia. It is used by scholars, journalists, commentators and members of the public to characterize specific international relationships in the contemporary world. While being used as an analytical term, it carries a strong pejorative connotation. This project will contribute significantly to giving the term clarity and stability of meaning that will enhance t ....'Puppet States' Revisited: Empire and Sovereign Subordination in Modern Asia. The term 'puppet state' is a part of public discourse in Australia. It is used by scholars, journalists, commentators and members of the public to characterize specific international relationships in the contemporary world. While being used as an analytical term, it carries a strong pejorative connotation. This project will contribute significantly to giving the term clarity and stability of meaning that will enhance the quality of public discussion of international affairs and lead to a more informed approach to safeguarding Australia. The insights we generate by this comparison will illuminate the controversial contemporary issue of international intervention in the territory of sovereign states.Read moreRead less
The Social History of Punishment in Modern China. The project will investigate the cultural and historical roots of the political and social practices of punishment in modern Chinese history in order to answer the question of why harsh punitive measures have been so readily used and accepted. The subject has never been adequately researched. Extensive use will be made of interviewing, archival materials, and a wide range of other documentation. It is important to comprehend from an historical pe ....The Social History of Punishment in Modern China. The project will investigate the cultural and historical roots of the political and social practices of punishment in modern Chinese history in order to answer the question of why harsh punitive measures have been so readily used and accepted. The subject has never been adequately researched. Extensive use will be made of interviewing, archival materials, and a wide range of other documentation. It is important to comprehend from an historical perspective the past and present Chinese mentality regarding punitiveness and law-and-order in order to come to grips with human rights issues and China's legal system.Read moreRead less
Indigenous peoples, the British Empire, and self-government for the Australian colonies. This study enhances our understanding of the foundations and representative functions of Australian democratic institutions, especially as they concern Indigenous-settler-missionary-imperial relationships. In drawing out the connections between two major questions for Australian history and modern society - democracy and Indigenous dispossession - the project will contribute deeper historical knowledge to cu ....Indigenous peoples, the British Empire, and self-government for the Australian colonies. This study enhances our understanding of the foundations and representative functions of Australian democratic institutions, especially as they concern Indigenous-settler-missionary-imperial relationships. In drawing out the connections between two major questions for Australian history and modern society - democracy and Indigenous dispossession - the project will contribute deeper historical knowledge to current public debate about Indigenous policy past and present. It will also illuminate the importance of understanding Australian history in broad transcolonial and transnational contexts and enhance the contribution of Australian historians to imperial, missionary, and comparative settler-society histories.Read moreRead less
Manchu Rivers and Mountains: rediscovering the Bannerman cultural world of nineteenth-century China and its modern heritage. The late-imperial history of China is the subject of unprecedented popular and specialist interest both in China and internationally. This Project marks an innovative Australian contribution to Chinese culture and history, mapping the cultural and social landscape of the ruling elite. As Australia engages more seriously with the Chinese world in its full complexity and his ....Manchu Rivers and Mountains: rediscovering the Bannerman cultural world of nineteenth-century China and its modern heritage. The late-imperial history of China is the subject of unprecedented popular and specialist interest both in China and internationally. This Project marks an innovative Australian contribution to Chinese culture and history, mapping the cultural and social landscape of the ruling elite. As Australia engages more seriously with the Chinese world in its full complexity and historical depth, we provide insights into the functioning of elite cultural practice during the height and initial decline of dynastic China. At a time when the dynastic past is valued positively once more in China, the Project will have lasting historical value and focus international attention on a rich area that relates to the articulation of the country's 'soft power'.Read moreRead less