PACIFISM IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 'Pacifism in English Literature' will be a single author monograph examining and analysing English literature from the point of view of classical pacifist thought. It will be a development from my two former ARC-funded books, 'Natural Law in English Renaissance Literature' (1996) and 'Natural Rights in English Romanticism of the 1790s' (2001). This will be achieved by the same successful research process as the other books - by ARC funding giving teaching relief f ....PACIFISM IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 'Pacifism in English Literature' will be a single author monograph examining and analysing English literature from the point of view of classical pacifist thought. It will be a development from my two former ARC-funded books, 'Natural Law in English Renaissance Literature' (1996) and 'Natural Rights in English Romanticism of the 1790s' (2001). This will be achieved by the same successful research process as the other books - by ARC funding giving teaching relief for one semester per year for three years.Read moreRead less
Pearls, People, and Power: the Transformation of the Indian Ocean World. This multidisciplinary project aims to be the first transoceanic investigation of pearling in the Indian Ocean World (IOW), focusing on the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, India/Sri Lanka, Sulu Sea and northern Australia. It will use commodity-based historical analyses and object-centred biographies to undertake comparative studies of labour systems, trade networks and the cultural value of pearls/pearl shell during an era marked by ....Pearls, People, and Power: the Transformation of the Indian Ocean World. This multidisciplinary project aims to be the first transoceanic investigation of pearling in the Indian Ocean World (IOW), focusing on the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, India/Sri Lanka, Sulu Sea and northern Australia. It will use commodity-based historical analyses and object-centred biographies to undertake comparative studies of labour systems, trade networks and the cultural value of pearls/pearl shell during an era marked by the spread of European imperialism and industrialisation. The project includes historical, ethnographic and film components and is expected to produce texts, films and museum displays. It is also designed to deliver a new understanding of the IOW past, and a new appreciation of Australia's place in IOW history.Read moreRead less
A cultural history of West Australian popular music, 1945 to 2010. The Valentines, The Triffids, The John Butler Trio all had their origins in the western Australian musical scene. This is the first cultural history of West Australia's popular music industry. It documents the life and times of its musical artists, bands, managers, recording studios, relevant radio programs since 1945.
Irish Convicts and Early Australian Society: A Reassessment in Two hemispheres. Based on new archival research in Ireland and Australia and the development of a data bank comprising information on more than one thousand male and female Irish convicts who arrived on eight transports between 1800 and 1806, this project examines the process of transportation within the context of a much wider Irish diaspora in the Age of Revolutions. It seeks to bring Irish convicts into the mainstream of colonial ....Irish Convicts and Early Australian Society: A Reassessment in Two hemispheres. Based on new archival research in Ireland and Australia and the development of a data bank comprising information on more than one thousand male and female Irish convicts who arrived on eight transports between 1800 and 1806, this project examines the process of transportation within the context of a much wider Irish diaspora in the Age of Revolutions. It seeks to bring Irish convicts into the mainstream of colonial studies by examining the traditional view of their ?otherness? and by focusing as much on their lives before transportation as after. A book, articles and conference papers will result.Read moreRead less
The coming of the dingo and its interaction with Indigenous Australians. This project will identify more precisely the time of the entry of dingoes into Australia and will investigate their impact on the lives of Indigenous Australians. Archaeological and anthropological evidence suggests that Indigenous people rapidly incorporated dingoes into their lives. Dingoes were used for a variety of purposes and were particularly valued as hunters by women, effectively increasing their access to meat. ....The coming of the dingo and its interaction with Indigenous Australians. This project will identify more precisely the time of the entry of dingoes into Australia and will investigate their impact on the lives of Indigenous Australians. Archaeological and anthropological evidence suggests that Indigenous people rapidly incorporated dingoes into their lives. Dingoes were used for a variety of purposes and were particularly valued as hunters by women, effectively increasing their access to meat. Impact would include a re-organisation of gender roles and an associated improvement in women's fecundity. By examining evidence for such changes, this project will significantly contribute to knowledge about implications of the arrival of a living technology in Australia and, more generally, the human/dog relationship.Read moreRead less
Modern human origins and early behavioural complexity in Australia and Southeast Asia. This project tackles a fundamental issue in world prehistory: how and when did humans first cross from Southeast Asia into Australia. Three new archaeological excavations using novel methods of analysis will assess the nature of behavioural complexity and human evolution at the time when Australia was first colonised over 45,000 years ago.
The Reception of Aboriginal Art in the Twentieth Century. The investigation will analyse:
* the reception of Aboriginal art during the twentieth century, and will demonstrate the extent of national investment in this reception;
* the subtle and often ambivalent relationship between the disciplines of anthropology and art (including art historians, artists or curators) in the reception of Aboriginal art, as well as being alert to other factors (eg Aboriginal activism and political processes);
....The Reception of Aboriginal Art in the Twentieth Century. The investigation will analyse:
* the reception of Aboriginal art during the twentieth century, and will demonstrate the extent of national investment in this reception;
* the subtle and often ambivalent relationship between the disciplines of anthropology and art (including art historians, artists or curators) in the reception of Aboriginal art, as well as being alert to other factors (eg Aboriginal activism and political processes);
* the historical importance of discourses of identity and nationhood in the reception of Aboriginal art;
* the possibilities for re-thinking the received histories of Australian art in light of shifts in the reception of Aboriginal art.
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Water and the making of urban Australia since 1900. This project aims to produce new understandings of both the historical drivers of today’s urban water systems, and how these systems have impacted on human and ecological welfare. This will be achieved through the first integrated and comparative historical study of the provision, use and cultures of water in Australia’s five largest cities from 1900 to the present. Such historical knowledge is critical at a time when the water systems of Austr ....Water and the making of urban Australia since 1900. This project aims to produce new understandings of both the historical drivers of today’s urban water systems, and how these systems have impacted on human and ecological welfare. This will be achieved through the first integrated and comparative historical study of the provision, use and cultures of water in Australia’s five largest cities from 1900 to the present. Such historical knowledge is critical at a time when the water systems of Australia’s largest cities are under growing pressure from environmental change and population growth. Project findings will inform the development of policies and practices that produce sustainable, equitable urban water systems.Read moreRead less
Medieval war in modern imagination. This project analyses for the first time the growth of medievalist imaginations of war in Australia from colonial times onward. It also investigates for the first time the influence of medievalism on Australian war literature and cinema, exploring how common themes in the representation of Australian war - male group loyalty, anti-authoritarianism, self-sacrifice and posthumous honour - relate to medievalist traditions. The project is of great relevance to cur ....Medieval war in modern imagination. This project analyses for the first time the growth of medievalist imaginations of war in Australia from colonial times onward. It also investigates for the first time the influence of medievalism on Australian war literature and cinema, exploring how common themes in the representation of Australian war - male group loyalty, anti-authoritarianism, self-sacrifice and posthumous honour - relate to medievalist traditions. The project is of great relevance to current discussions of Australian national identity, and to the public conception of our military role in world and regional affairs, with special relevance to understandings of Australian masculinity, ethnicity and border defence.Read moreRead less
The cult of the Duce in the wider world. The burying of dictators remains a pressing issue in this world, as does the problem in a liberal democracy where and when to limit charisma and 'celebrity' and what to do with the overweening personality. Mussolini was the first politician, possessed of an image and myth aimed at the masses. Our international and interdisciplinary research will probe the processes of this cult. Our case study on migrant Australia will give the project special immediacy ....The cult of the Duce in the wider world. The burying of dictators remains a pressing issue in this world, as does the problem in a liberal democracy where and when to limit charisma and 'celebrity' and what to do with the overweening personality. Mussolini was the first politician, possessed of an image and myth aimed at the masses. Our international and interdisciplinary research will probe the processes of this cult. Our case study on migrant Australia will give the project special immediacy in this country. Read moreRead less