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Echoes of the earliest Homo sapiens movement out of Africa. The "Out of Africa" and "Multiregional Evolution" theories have proposed sharply different accounts for the origins of our species Homo sapiens. These have converged on opposite readings of the Australian human fossil record. Recent perspectives resulting from research on Pleistocene Australian mitochondrial DNA, and by osteologists on early Homo sapiens remains in Africa and Israel, hint at a chapter, as yet unwritten, in our species' ....Echoes of the earliest Homo sapiens movement out of Africa. The "Out of Africa" and "Multiregional Evolution" theories have proposed sharply different accounts for the origins of our species Homo sapiens. These have converged on opposite readings of the Australian human fossil record. Recent perspectives resulting from research on Pleistocene Australian mitochondrial DNA, and by osteologists on early Homo sapiens remains in Africa and Israel, hint at a chapter, as yet unwritten, in our species' Late Pleistocene dispersal from Africa. This project's collaborative research on fossils from Sri Lanka and Australasia will explore and test the implications for the colonisation history of the Indian Ocean region.Read moreRead less
Testimonial narratives in the post-colonial era. This project aims to benefit the Australian public by analysing some of the ways testimony has been used as a means of coming to terms with the past in Australia. It aims to amplify the significance of Australian collections, such as the Bringing Them Home Oral History archive at the National Library, both within Australia and internationally, and thereby bring Australian materials and experiences into transnational discussions of testimony and co ....Testimonial narratives in the post-colonial era. This project aims to benefit the Australian public by analysing some of the ways testimony has been used as a means of coming to terms with the past in Australia. It aims to amplify the significance of Australian collections, such as the Bringing Them Home Oral History archive at the National Library, both within Australia and internationally, and thereby bring Australian materials and experiences into transnational discussions of testimony and contested histories. It aims to benefit the research communities in Canada and Australia by providing an interpretative framework for researching and teaching testimonial materials, and by strengthening links between the two countries.Read moreRead less
Comparative Border Studies. While borders are of increasing interest to Australian scholars and policy-makers, much existing research in Australia is focused on issues of border security or border integrity. There is an urgent need to supplement this work with theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the field of border studies. North America is a key site for international research in this field. Collaboration with North American scholars is thus an important step in developing and expandi ....Comparative Border Studies. While borders are of increasing interest to Australian scholars and policy-makers, much existing research in Australia is focused on issues of border security or border integrity. There is an urgent need to supplement this work with theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the field of border studies. North America is a key site for international research in this field. Collaboration with North American scholars is thus an important step in developing and expanding Australian expertise in border studies. This project will provide the intellectual environment and collaborative networks necessary to establish the first dedicated Centre for Border Studies in Australia.Read moreRead less
Crafting Authoritarian Politics. Although Russia is nominally a democracy, strong elements of authoritarianism remain dominant. This project examines how Russia has accommodated these authoritarian themes within a representative democracy and, more generally, seeks to shed new light on the process of democratization in postcommunist societies. Russia is the 8th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest economy based on GDP; it also remains nuclear-armed. Understanding th ....Crafting Authoritarian Politics. Although Russia is nominally a democracy, strong elements of authoritarianism remain dominant. This project examines how Russia has accommodated these authoritarian themes within a representative democracy and, more generally, seeks to shed new light on the process of democratization in postcommunist societies. Russia is the 8th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest economy based on GDP; it also remains nuclear-armed. Understanding the dynamics of democratization in Russia has implications for political stability across a large section of the world which is currently in transition from authoritarianism to democracy.Read moreRead less
International interventions: ethical, legal and political issues. The project is the first stage of a larger study in partnership with Canadian researchers. The pilot will develop case studies showing the political, ethical and legal issues currently influencing intervention within other States for peacekeeping, peacemaking or humanitarian reasons. There is currently no internationally agreed legal, ethical or political code underlying such decisions to intervene. Humanitarian disasters are like ....International interventions: ethical, legal and political issues. The project is the first stage of a larger study in partnership with Canadian researchers. The pilot will develop case studies showing the political, ethical and legal issues currently influencing intervention within other States for peacekeeping, peacemaking or humanitarian reasons. There is currently no internationally agreed legal, ethical or political code underlying such decisions to intervene. Humanitarian disasters are likely to increase with the proliferation of new states and re-emergence of ethnic and religious intolerance. Australia's defence policy recognises that peacekeeping is a significant function for our armed forces. Australia should influence thinking on when the international community should act.Read moreRead less
A historical approach to the development of households. The LI Grant will enable our team to participate in international discussion to build new knowledge about households and families. We will exchange expertise with the UK specialist partners, gaining access to the latest quantitative scholarship in urban household history, providing qualitative analyses using innovative reading techniques in return. The exchange will result in new methodologies to uncover non-nuclear family relationships and ....A historical approach to the development of households. The LI Grant will enable our team to participate in international discussion to build new knowledge about households and families. We will exchange expertise with the UK specialist partners, gaining access to the latest quantitative scholarship in urban household history, providing qualitative analyses using innovative reading techniques in return. The exchange will result in new methodologies to uncover non-nuclear family relationships and household forms as we continue archival research. Presenting our findings to UK scholars through the proposed schedule of visits, symposia, residencies, e-networking and collaborative publication, will facilitate international consideration of the research questions generated by our project.Read moreRead less
Cultures of Trade in the Indian Ocean. A decline in cultural understandings in the IO is threatening trade opportunities. 'Value', accordingly, must be understood both in economic and cultural terms. Another outcome of this collaboration will be an analysis of the ways in which current regional security issues are being posed, and it is essential to have an international network of scholars to provide an appropriate comparative perspective. By giving us a clearer understanding of the impact of c ....Cultures of Trade in the Indian Ocean. A decline in cultural understandings in the IO is threatening trade opportunities. 'Value', accordingly, must be understood both in economic and cultural terms. Another outcome of this collaboration will be an analysis of the ways in which current regional security issues are being posed, and it is essential to have an international network of scholars to provide an appropriate comparative perspective. By giving us a clearer understanding of the impact of culture on commercial relations and of Australia's place in the Indian Ocean Region, the project will help Australia to build strong, peaceful and mutually beneficial relations with its neighbours.Read moreRead less
Economics, politics and culture in early post-independence Indonesia. Recent events in East Timor have highlighted the problems faced by new states after the initial honeymoon following independence is over. By examining the experience of Indonesia in the 1950s from the longer perspective of the 21st century, this project aims to better understand the significance of apparently simple but highly significant decisions made in the first years after decolonization and comparable major regime chang ....Economics, politics and culture in early post-independence Indonesia. Recent events in East Timor have highlighted the problems faced by new states after the initial honeymoon following independence is over. By examining the experience of Indonesia in the 1950s from the longer perspective of the 21st century, this project aims to better understand the significance of apparently simple but highly significant decisions made in the first years after decolonization and comparable major regime changes.Read moreRead less
Migration, Ethnicity and Workforce Segmentation in the Asia-Pacific. Globalisation has produced new polarised patterns in working populations, including ethnically segmented labour. The related dynamics of work, ethnicity and labour segmentation have very significant long-term consequences. Systematic studies are available for advanced economies, but are far less developed for newly industrialised countries. This program investigates these changes in major Asia-Pacific urban-industrial centres. ....Migration, Ethnicity and Workforce Segmentation in the Asia-Pacific. Globalisation has produced new polarised patterns in working populations, including ethnically segmented labour. The related dynamics of work, ethnicity and labour segmentation have very significant long-term consequences. Systematic studies are available for advanced economies, but are far less developed for newly industrialised countries. This program investigates these changes in major Asia-Pacific urban-industrial centres. Innovative analyses from large-scale datasets and from strategic localised case studies will meet this shortfall in knowledge. They will also connect with more extensive ongoing studies of social transformations. Research outcomes and theoretical re-assessments will be presented in two workshops, and published in refereed journals and a book.Read moreRead less
The end of Westphalia? Re-envisioning Sovereignty. This initial project aims to undertake a systematic re-evaluation of state sovereignty. In doing so, we seek to reconceptualise the meaning of sovereignty, how that meaning has changed over time according to a variety of historical conditions, and the implications of this for traditional Westphalian conceptions during a time when state authority is increasingly challenged by an array of new actors. The broader project will then build on the new ....The end of Westphalia? Re-envisioning Sovereignty. This initial project aims to undertake a systematic re-evaluation of state sovereignty. In doing so, we seek to reconceptualise the meaning of sovereignty, how that meaning has changed over time according to a variety of historical conditions, and the implications of this for traditional Westphalian conceptions during a time when state authority is increasingly challenged by an array of new actors. The broader project will then build on the new possibilities for the evolution of sovereignty, first by suggesting necessary changes to existing legal and political institutions, and secondly by offering practical policy recommendations for states.Read moreRead less