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
Anzac Day at home and abroad: a centenary history of Australia's national day. Australia is fast approaching the centenary of Anzac Day and many believe this is the one day of the year that captures the spirit of the nation. This project will examine Anzac Day's complex and much contested history, retrieving private and collective memories of war through archival research and novel and participatory public history.
Seeing Change: Science, Culture and Technology in the Antipodes from the age of Darwin - a multi-media research collaboration. To build a collaboration across the humanities, natural sciences, business technology and public culture sectors that will use new forms of digital and visual research to demonstrate the neglected importance of Australasia in the formation of nineteenth-century evolutionary thought and to suggest the relevance of these ideas to understanding contemporary issues of enviro ....Seeing Change: Science, Culture and Technology in the Antipodes from the age of Darwin - a multi-media research collaboration. To build a collaboration across the humanities, natural sciences, business technology and public culture sectors that will use new forms of digital and visual research to demonstrate the neglected importance of Australasia in the formation of nineteenth-century evolutionary thought and to suggest the relevance of these ideas to understanding contemporary issues of environmental sustainability and the development of frontier technologies within our society and region. 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.
Hazards, Tipping Points, Adaptation and Collapse in the Indo-Pacific World. The project aims to provide a new understanding of Indo-Pacific history post-1000 based on an improved understanding of the interrelationship between natural environmental cycles and events, and social and political cycles and events. By employing specialists and methodologies in both the social and natural sciences, the project aims to identify tipping points or thresholds beyond which both social and natural systems ch ....Hazards, Tipping Points, Adaptation and Collapse in the Indo-Pacific World. The project aims to provide a new understanding of Indo-Pacific history post-1000 based on an improved understanding of the interrelationship between natural environmental cycles and events, and social and political cycles and events. By employing specialists and methodologies in both the social and natural sciences, the project aims to identify tipping points or thresholds beyond which both social and natural systems change irrevocably. The anticipated outcome of the project highlights the importance of natural hazards as potential catalysts of historical change. Current societies might learn from these experiences to better understand disaster risk reduction in the context of anticipated climate variability.Read moreRead less
Australian generations: life histories, generational change and Australian memory. As the nation faces dramatic social and environmental change, understanding diverse experiences and memories of Australia's past becomes increasingly important. This project will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by explaining the experience, memory and significance of the past for different Australian generations. Sixty national radio programs will make the research widely accessible. Future resea ....Australian generations: life histories, generational change and Australian memory. As the nation faces dramatic social and environmental change, understanding diverse experiences and memories of Australia's past becomes increasingly important. This project will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by explaining the experience, memory and significance of the past for different Australian generations. Sixty national radio programs will make the research widely accessible. Future researchers and educators will benefit from unprecedented online access to an immensely rich national oral history collection. The National Library, ABC, university partnership will ensure that professional innovation in radio history, oral history and digital archiving is cascaded to cultural institutions in Australia and abroad.Read moreRead less
Social histories of Holden in Australia. This project aims to investigate the social histories of Holden’s manufacturing operations in Australia in the post-World War II (WW2) period through oral interviews and archival research. It will place workers, workplace culture, and the communities in which Holden’s factories were based at the centre of the company’s history. A key focus will be an evaluation of recent assistance provided by Holden to workers to transition to new jobs. The project will ....Social histories of Holden in Australia. This project aims to investigate the social histories of Holden’s manufacturing operations in Australia in the post-World War II (WW2) period through oral interviews and archival research. It will place workers, workplace culture, and the communities in which Holden’s factories were based at the centre of the company’s history. A key focus will be an evaluation of recent assistance provided by Holden to workers to transition to new jobs. The project will produce 100 oral histories and the interviews and interpretive work undertaken during the project will be incorporated into exhibitions at the National Motor Museum and print and online publications. These outcomes will enhance our understanding of Australia's automotive heritage and workplace culture.Read moreRead less
GM Holden and the Mobilisation of Private Industry during World War II. Through a focus on General Motors Holden (GMH), this project aims to explain how Australian industry adapted, diversified, and developed new workforce skills during World War II. Its significance lies in expanding knowledge of GMH’s under-recognised role and impact on Australia’s industrial economy during a pivotal moment in the nation's history. In doing so, it will contribute to broader current discussions about the import ....GM Holden and the Mobilisation of Private Industry during World War II. Through a focus on General Motors Holden (GMH), this project aims to explain how Australian industry adapted, diversified, and developed new workforce skills during World War II. Its significance lies in expanding knowledge of GMH’s under-recognised role and impact on Australia’s industrial economy during a pivotal moment in the nation's history. In doing so, it will contribute to broader current discussions about the importance of maintaining Australian manufacturing industries and their capacity to adapt rapidly in times of crisis to meet national needs. The expected outcomes and benefits include the generation of new interpretive texts and exhibitions for libraries and museums, and building research capacity in early career researchers.Read moreRead less
Australia's Post World War II War Crimes Trials: A systemic and comprehensive Law Reports Series. The publication of the project's Law Reports Series will, in effect, constitute the official history of this extensive Australian war crimes trial experience - in itself, an important national benefit. However, ready access to the previously buried historical primary source material also has profound potential for contemporary application. The proliferation of new international criminal tribunals ....Australia's Post World War II War Crimes Trials: A systemic and comprehensive Law Reports Series. The publication of the project's Law Reports Series will, in effect, constitute the official history of this extensive Australian war crimes trial experience - in itself, an important national benefit. However, ready access to the previously buried historical primary source material also has profound potential for contemporary application. The proliferation of new international criminal tribunals with a concomitant explosion of case law has created a hunger for access to past judicial precedent. Reliance on the results of this project in war crimes trials around the world is guaranteed.Read moreRead less
A Study of the Fulbright Program in Australia 1949-2009. This history of the Fulbright Program of educational exchange between Australia and the USA will explore a significant and undervalued aspect of the post-war relationship between the two countries. It will enhance our understanding of the sources of innovative ideas and their transfer, by investigating whether the 2600 Australian Fulbright scholars since 1949 were influential in re-orienting local research practice and public policy initia ....A Study of the Fulbright Program in Australia 1949-2009. This history of the Fulbright Program of educational exchange between Australia and the USA will explore a significant and undervalued aspect of the post-war relationship between the two countries. It will enhance our understanding of the sources of innovative ideas and their transfer, by investigating whether the 2600 Australian Fulbright scholars since 1949 were influential in re-orienting local research practice and public policy initiatives along US models. It will broaden awareness of the Fulbright Program's place in the Australian experience of globalisation, and contribute to a critical understanding of cultural diplomacy as a key feature of foreign policy.Read moreRead less