Regimes of reading. The project analyses the ways in which reading and interpretation have been socially organised across a range of cultures, from ancient Rome to the contemporary world of virtual reality. It focuses in particular on conflict between different practices of reading in order to highlight the cultural assumptions underlying the uses of texts.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101359
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Imagining diversity: race and ethnicity in popular fantasy. How do fantasy worlds represent and reconstruct real world approaches to racial and cultural difference? This project examines the ways reader and writers of popular culture think and talk about race and ethnicity, offering insight into contemporary discourses of diversity and an essential window into Australia's multicultural society.
Insights from the Invisible Drama: Shakespeare, Lost Plays and Theatre History, c.1585-1613. Early modern English theatre has been understood almost exclusively in terms of plays that were printed or survived in manuscript. Traditional theatre history narratives have ignored the evidence pertaining to over 700 plays written and performed in Shakespeare’s London but which are now lost or survive only in fragments. This project will consult unpublished archival evidence and under-analysed historic ....Insights from the Invisible Drama: Shakespeare, Lost Plays and Theatre History, c.1585-1613. Early modern English theatre has been understood almost exclusively in terms of plays that were printed or survived in manuscript. Traditional theatre history narratives have ignored the evidence pertaining to over 700 plays written and performed in Shakespeare’s London but which are now lost or survive only in fragments. This project will consult unpublished archival evidence and under-analysed historical records to produce new knowledge about plays, playwrights, companies, venues, and repertory practices in England during Shakespeare’s professional career (c.1585 to 1613). By addressing this gap, this project will generate new understandings of Shakespeare’s theatrical marketplace.Read moreRead less
Minds, Bodies, Machines: a cultural and intellectual history of technologies in the 21st century. This project benefits the intellectual and cultural life of the nation by establishing a unique dialogue between the I.T. community and University researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Using an
interdisciplinary methodology to explore technologically-driven social change across a period of more than two hundred years, the project will generate new and fresh ways of thinking about emerg ....Minds, Bodies, Machines: a cultural and intellectual history of technologies in the 21st century. This project benefits the intellectual and cultural life of the nation by establishing a unique dialogue between the I.T. community and University researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Using an
interdisciplinary methodology to explore technologically-driven social change across a period of more than two hundred years, the project will generate new and fresh ways of thinking about emerging areas of intense debate and controversy, such as humanoid robotics and artificial intelligence. The dialogue we propose will foster an environment of enhanced innovation, one in which knowledge translates directly and indirectly into social and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
The role of public culture in the construction of contemporary Australian literature. Literature is not simply a body of texts; it is a cultural technology, affected by changing patterns of production and consumption. Witness the 'cult of celebrity', the phenomenal recent growth of literary festivals, literary internet sites, reading groups, changing patterns of literary marketing, education, employment and leisure. Academic scholarship, largely text-based, fails to engage with these public and ....The role of public culture in the construction of contemporary Australian literature. Literature is not simply a body of texts; it is a cultural technology, affected by changing patterns of production and consumption. Witness the 'cult of celebrity', the phenomenal recent growth of literary festivals, literary internet sites, reading groups, changing patterns of literary marketing, education, employment and leisure. Academic scholarship, largely text-based, fails to engage with these public and popular phenomena. Our project develops methods for describing and evaluating how these practices construct literary value and cultural identity, in ways that will bring academic literary analysis into a more informed, more creative engagement with public and popular culture in Australia.Read moreRead less
Digital dissent in the People's Republic: the language of protest and criticism in Sino-cyberspace. As Australia's relations with China continue to deepen, it is vital for Australia to acquire in-depth knowledge of how rapidly China is changing as a consequence of digital information flows. The project provides that knowledge through its analysis of digital dissent. The project explores how non-state players in the People's Republic respond and react to urgent problems in their midst. It will ....Digital dissent in the People's Republic: the language of protest and criticism in Sino-cyberspace. As Australia's relations with China continue to deepen, it is vital for Australia to acquire in-depth knowledge of how rapidly China is changing as a consequence of digital information flows. The project provides that knowledge through its analysis of digital dissent. The project explores how non-state players in the People's Republic respond and react to urgent problems in their midst. It will also shed light on present-day tensions in China between state and civil society. More specifically, the project will deepen Australia's critical engagement with China by focussing on such issues of consequence as censorship, corruption, environmental pollution, governance reform and calls for democracy and human rights.Read moreRead less
Transforming the early modern archive: the Emmerson Collection at SLV. In 2015, State Library Victoria (SLV) received the bequest of the Emmerson Collection: a national treasure of over 5000 early modern rare books and manuscripts, the first and only early modern archive of scale to be held by an Australian institution. Bringing together experts in early modern studies and the digital humanities with specialist library staff, this project will uncover the contents and scope of the collection and ....Transforming the early modern archive: the Emmerson Collection at SLV. In 2015, State Library Victoria (SLV) received the bequest of the Emmerson Collection: a national treasure of over 5000 early modern rare books and manuscripts, the first and only early modern archive of scale to be held by an Australian institution. Bringing together experts in early modern studies and the digital humanities with specialist library staff, this project will uncover the contents and scope of the collection and promote its international scholarly significance to the wider world. In doing so, it will develop new digital tools designed to unlock the value of this unique public resource for a wide range of end-users.Read moreRead less
Vietnamese Women: Voices and Narratives of the Diaspora. Migration and multiculturalism are hotly debated issues in Australia today. Engagement with Asia being one of the 3 pillars of Australian national security, it is all the more vital to conduct research on how Asian migrants have successfully integrated into Australian society. The Vietnamese overcame early difficulties to settle successfully here. Women played a major part in this. Their story is a tribute both to their determination to ad ....Vietnamese Women: Voices and Narratives of the Diaspora. Migration and multiculturalism are hotly debated issues in Australia today. Engagement with Asia being one of the 3 pillars of Australian national security, it is all the more vital to conduct research on how Asian migrants have successfully integrated into Australian society. The Vietnamese overcame early difficulties to settle successfully here. Women played a major part in this. Their story is a tribute both to their determination to adapt to a new land and to Australia's willingness to accept new arrivals. This study will help address national and gender stereotypes, assist in fostering positive community relations, provide a deeper understanding of a significant refugee group, and contribute to strengthening Australia's social fabric.Read moreRead less
Anglophone Caribbean (auto)biography, plantation slavery, and the traffic of colonial reform and modernisation 1807-1834. The project, the preliminary work for which has already received major international recognition, will significantly enhance the international profile of Australian scholarship in postcolonial studies, nineteenth-century studies, and the history of feminism. It will consolidate Australia's considerable reputation for fine scholarship on the cultural history of slavery and its ....Anglophone Caribbean (auto)biography, plantation slavery, and the traffic of colonial reform and modernisation 1807-1834. The project, the preliminary work for which has already received major international recognition, will significantly enhance the international profile of Australian scholarship in postcolonial studies, nineteenth-century studies, and the history of feminism. It will consolidate Australia's considerable reputation for fine scholarship on the cultural history of slavery and its abolition, and at a time of reinvigorated debate in the field. Within the discipline of English the project will challenge scholars to think more creatively and enterprisingly about the nature and scope of extant archival sources and the necessity of close historical research in interpreting them. Read moreRead less
Paradise Lost - Utopia Reclaimed: Writing the Wrongs of French Exploration in the Antipodes. When France's attempts to claim regions of Australia failed, the dream of an Antipodean paradise was lost. In its breach rose a new utopian frontier. Paradoxically, this anticipatory perspective revives a form of utopianism previously established in classical French-Australian writings. Whether framing an ideal France australe or criticising a non-utopian British reality, the ongoing role of utopianism i ....Paradise Lost - Utopia Reclaimed: Writing the Wrongs of French Exploration in the Antipodes. When France's attempts to claim regions of Australia failed, the dream of an Antipodean paradise was lost. In its breach rose a new utopian frontier. Paradoxically, this anticipatory perspective revives a form of utopianism previously established in classical French-Australian writings. Whether framing an ideal France australe or criticising a non-utopian British reality, the ongoing role of utopianism in French-Australian (post)colonial discourse may be analysed as a case study for cross-cultural encounters. The findings, publishable in English and French monographs, will open up new methods for understanding Australia's past, present and future relations with one of its major cultural influences.Read moreRead less