IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technologies: The Global Experience. The 40th anniversary of the birth of the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) will occur in 2018. This project aims to produce a history of IVF and the range of assisted reproductive technologies with which it is associated. These new forms of conception, gestation and parenting have transformed understandings of the family and have led to regulatory and policy responses and public debate, which can only be u ....IVF and Assisted Reproductive Technologies: The Global Experience. The 40th anniversary of the birth of the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) will occur in 2018. This project aims to produce a history of IVF and the range of assisted reproductive technologies with which it is associated. These new forms of conception, gestation and parenting have transformed understandings of the family and have led to regulatory and policy responses and public debate, which can only be understood in a global frame. A series of transnational case studies, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region, will be designed to explore the development of the present consumer, medical and regulatory environments and provide a historically informed basis for dealing with policy deliberations locally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Indigenous land claims in historical context. By enlightening the history of Indigenous legal opposition to dispossession from the beginning of colonisation, this project will provide a means of engaging with the political challenges and responses posed by legal conflicts with Indigenous peoples over the question of land.
The humanity of man and animal in Ancient Greece. This project aims to explore how the line between humans and animals is drawn and re-drawn in a number of ancient world texts and contexts, including language, history, literature, art, religion and science. As the real and imagined cradle of Western civilisation, the ancient Greek world is frequently invoked in current debates about what separates humans from animals. Yet, in the modern debate the ancient position is restricted mainly to philoso ....The humanity of man and animal in Ancient Greece. This project aims to explore how the line between humans and animals is drawn and re-drawn in a number of ancient world texts and contexts, including language, history, literature, art, religion and science. As the real and imagined cradle of Western civilisation, the ancient Greek world is frequently invoked in current debates about what separates humans from animals. Yet, in the modern debate the ancient position is restricted mainly to philosophy. The expected outcome of this project is a comprehensive study of the place of the animal in ancient Greek conceptions of humanity. It will refocus classical scholarship and prompt the re-evaluation of our contemporary understanding of what makes us human.Read moreRead less
How Do Stone Tools Reflect Cognition Among the First Australians and their Precursors? The popularity of the Indonesian 'hobbit' (Homo floresiensis) discovery provides an ideal platform for interpreting Australasian prehistory to a wider community. This project explores the arrival of modern humans in Indonesia, their interaction with 'hobbits', and the colonisation of Australia by comparing the different ways these hominins made stone tools. Although research indicates a significant level of ....How Do Stone Tools Reflect Cognition Among the First Australians and their Precursors? The popularity of the Indonesian 'hobbit' (Homo floresiensis) discovery provides an ideal platform for interpreting Australasian prehistory to a wider community. This project explores the arrival of modern humans in Indonesia, their interaction with 'hobbits', and the colonisation of Australia by comparing the different ways these hominins made stone tools. Although research indicates a significant level of behavioural unity in our genus, 'hobbits' were not like us. 'Us' refers, of course, to modern humans, and hence this research is of global relevance. By applying a 'design space' model to toolmaking in the past, this project will demonstrate that the earliest trends in technology apply equally to human groups throughout the world. Read moreRead less
The Idea of American Exceptionalism: A Cultural and Social History. This project addresses current debates over American Exceptionalism (United States historical development considered outside the normal path of history), treating the topic not as a set of substantive empirical propositions to be challenged, but as the cultural and social history of an idea. It aims to show how Exceptionalism evolved, how a cluster of sub-concepts mutually reinforced it and how its attractiveness and its religio ....The Idea of American Exceptionalism: A Cultural and Social History. This project addresses current debates over American Exceptionalism (United States historical development considered outside the normal path of history), treating the topic not as a set of substantive empirical propositions to be challenged, but as the cultural and social history of an idea. It aims to show how Exceptionalism evolved, how a cluster of sub-concepts mutually reinforced it and how its attractiveness and its religious, economic and political content changed over time. This approach analyses the historical conditions promoting (and challenging) Exceptionalism as belief and national identity. It bypasses difficult dichotomies between myth and reality and rancorous political arguments for and against the concept.Read moreRead less
A new timeline for Human evolution using a pioneer non-destructive direct dating methodology. Knowledge of the timing and distribution of the human lineage is critical for developing and testing evolutionary hypotheses. Unfortunately, many existing chronologies are based on the dating of materials thought to be stratigraphically associated with the fossil, rather than the fossil itself. Significant, recent advances in dating methods allow for the accurate non-destructive direct dating of human r ....A new timeline for Human evolution using a pioneer non-destructive direct dating methodology. Knowledge of the timing and distribution of the human lineage is critical for developing and testing evolutionary hypotheses. Unfortunately, many existing chronologies are based on the dating of materials thought to be stratigraphically associated with the fossil, rather than the fossil itself. Significant, recent advances in dating methods allow for the accurate non-destructive direct dating of human remains. This project offers to establish a reliable and consistent chronology for modern human occurrences. This proposal is significant in addressing fundamental problems in our understanding of modern human expansion, by the application of newly-developed techniques that will allow for the reliable direct dating of key modern human fossils. Read moreRead less
World War One Refugees in Austria-Hungary and the international community, 1914-1923. This project investigates how refugee movements in the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War One contributed to the empire's collapse in 1918. It explores the impact of war, forced migrations, nationalism and the international community on the breakdown of modern state and civil society structures in Central and Eastern Europe.
The function of images in magical papyri and artefacts of ritual power from Late Antiquity. A study of images in magical papyri and related artefacts from Late Antiquity, drawn for the purpose of healing and protection or to achieve success in personal relations and business. The research outcome will be a new holistic understanding of the design and use of such objects, and the transmission of traditions of knowledge in ancient society.
Corporations as sovereigns. This project aims to investigate the history of the relationship between the corporation and the state to understand tensions between states and large multinational corporations. Such tensions are as old as the state system itself and can only be reconstructed through history. The project will focus on chartered companies’ attempt to present themselves as forms of sovereign, or quasi-sovereign, political systems, bringing them into rivalry with the sovereign claims of ....Corporations as sovereigns. This project aims to investigate the history of the relationship between the corporation and the state to understand tensions between states and large multinational corporations. Such tensions are as old as the state system itself and can only be reconstructed through history. The project will focus on chartered companies’ attempt to present themselves as forms of sovereign, or quasi-sovereign, political systems, bringing them into rivalry with the sovereign claims of states. This project is expected to provide a deeper understanding of the political character of corporations.Read moreRead less
The Spandrel Hypothesis: Towards a unified theory of stone flaking. The archaeological story of human evolution and prehistory has a strong Old World bias – the impression is that main events were in Africa and Europe and Australasia was mostly irrelevant. This is particularly true where stone tools are concerned: Australasian tools appear not to track the progression in technology that appears to be present in the Old World Standard Sequence. This project will test whether the Standard Sequence ....The Spandrel Hypothesis: Towards a unified theory of stone flaking. The archaeological story of human evolution and prehistory has a strong Old World bias – the impression is that main events were in Africa and Europe and Australasia was mostly irrelevant. This is particularly true where stone tools are concerned: Australasian tools appear not to track the progression in technology that appears to be present in the Old World Standard Sequence. This project will test whether the Standard Sequence has been overinterpreted and the pattern recognised for Australasia is in fact applicable world-wide. The results of the project will enhance the way Australia interprets itself and the Australasian region to the rest of the world. This is a goal of Research Priority 4 (Safeguarding Australia).Read moreRead less