A constructive critique of the political approach to the philosophy of human rights. This project explores the many uses of human rights discourse in contemporary politics. It focuses on an increasingly popular 'political' approach that identifies human rights as grounds for action against states which violate these rights. This project has implications for how the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 should be implemented.
Radical Conservatism and the Political Crisis of Modernity 1900-2000. This project seeks to examine the responses made by three of the most important conservative thinkers of the modern age to the crisis in liberal values and democratic principles that took place between 1900 and 1945 in Europe and elsewhere. The theorists in question are Max Weber, Oswalt Spengler and Carl Schmitt. A comparative study of their writings will be made, focussing upon the impact of their work on radical conservati ....Radical Conservatism and the Political Crisis of Modernity 1900-2000. This project seeks to examine the responses made by three of the most important conservative thinkers of the modern age to the crisis in liberal values and democratic principles that took place between 1900 and 1945 in Europe and elsewhere. The theorists in question are Max Weber, Oswalt Spengler and Carl Schmitt. A comparative study of their writings will be made, focussing upon the impact of their work on radical conservative groups in Germany and the policies formed by the latter. The study will conclude with an application of their findings to our understanding of the rise of a populist radical conservatism in contemporary Australia.Read moreRead less
Democratic Resilience: The Public Sphere and Extremist Attacks. The project aims to explain responses to extremist attacks intended to sow division, and why some democracies prove fragile, succumbing to polarisation or exclusion of key groups, while others prove resilient by sustaining integrative, tolerant discourse. The project develops new knowledge through an innovative synthesis of cultural sociology and deliberative democracy to analyse nine cases of responses in the public realm to attack ....Democratic Resilience: The Public Sphere and Extremist Attacks. The project aims to explain responses to extremist attacks intended to sow division, and why some democracies prove fragile, succumbing to polarisation or exclusion of key groups, while others prove resilient by sustaining integrative, tolerant discourse. The project develops new knowledge through an innovative synthesis of cultural sociology and deliberative democracy to analyse nine cases of responses in the public realm to attacks. Expected outcomes include a new account of the democratic public sphere, and identification of how meaningful, civil communication whose health is vital to democracy, especially in a multicultural society, can be maintained. Benefits include identification of measures to counter extremist political disruption.Read moreRead less
Political normativity and the feasibility requirement. Commonsense says that claims about how social and political life ought to be arranged must not make infeasible demands. This project will investigate this piece of commonsense and explore its implications for a number of pressing issues, such as climate change, multiculturalism, political participation, inequality, historical justice, and the rules of war.
The uneasy alliance between democracy and justice. This project will make a significant contribution to the understanding of our commitment to democratic values and practices, and what it entails for our local, regional and international obligations. It will directly address the challenge of maintaining social cohesion in an era of rapid social, economic and political change. And it will offer a fresh perspective on important public debates to do with Australian national identity and the relatio ....The uneasy alliance between democracy and justice. This project will make a significant contribution to the understanding of our commitment to democratic values and practices, and what it entails for our local, regional and international obligations. It will directly address the challenge of maintaining social cohesion in an era of rapid social, economic and political change. And it will offer a fresh perspective on important public debates to do with Australian national identity and the relation between democratic rights and individual responsibility. The project will also contribute to helping maintain and develop Australian research excellence and innovation in the field of political philosophy.Read moreRead less
Fragility and Security: Human Rights, State Wrongs and Democratic Solidarity. This project will contribute to understanding our region and the world by providing a normative framework from which to judge the democratic value of security and human rights. In doing so, it will inform contemporary debates about border protection and clarify the role that Australian citizens should play in determining the nation's security interests and defending human rights. Moreover, an account of democratic soli ....Fragility and Security: Human Rights, State Wrongs and Democratic Solidarity. This project will contribute to understanding our region and the world by providing a normative framework from which to judge the democratic value of security and human rights. In doing so, it will inform contemporary debates about border protection and clarify the role that Australian citizens should play in determining the nation's security interests and defending human rights. Moreover, an account of democratic solidarity will be developed, which would strengthen the bonds between citizens and non-citizens from different cultures thereby enhancing Australia's reputation as a tolerant, multicultural society. The implications of the findings for contemporary debates about the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia will be considered.Read moreRead less
Assessing the harms of online speech. This project aims to clarify the ways in which online speech can inflict harm. It is accepted in speech-act theory that speech is conduct that is capable of inflicting harm. This project aims to map and compare legal cases in which there was disagreement over the nature of the speech at issue because it occurred online. It will assess the harms of that speech from the perspective of speech-act theory, and the findings will be applied to the democratic argume ....Assessing the harms of online speech. This project aims to clarify the ways in which online speech can inflict harm. It is accepted in speech-act theory that speech is conduct that is capable of inflicting harm. This project aims to map and compare legal cases in which there was disagreement over the nature of the speech at issue because it occurred online. It will assess the harms of that speech from the perspective of speech-act theory, and the findings will be applied to the democratic argument in favour of free speech. This project should lead to societal benefits in reducing expressive harms, and cultural benefits in enhancing all users' ability to participate in important, legitimating deliberation online.Read moreRead less
The Persona of State: Conceptualising the State in International Relations. This project will develop a comprehensive theoretical account of the State as a conceptual necessity in international relations. Despite universal acknowledgement of the State as central to the discipline, no comprehensive conceptualisation has been attempted from an international perspective. The State will be investigated as a persona, embodying various properties, necessary from a range of perspectives, in various for ....The Persona of State: Conceptualising the State in International Relations. This project will develop a comprehensive theoretical account of the State as a conceptual necessity in international relations. Despite universal acknowledgement of the State as central to the discipline, no comprehensive conceptualisation has been attempted from an international perspective. The State will be investigated as a persona, embodying various properties, necessary from a range of perspectives, in various forms in modern history. This should provide in a monograph and articles a multi-faceted but easily comprehensible theory of the state that is not only a powerful analytical tool, but will provide a solid basis for subsequent theorising about international relations.Read moreRead less
A naturalistic approach to rights, norms and practices of freedom. We offer a naturalistic account of the dynamic relations between rights, norms and freedom. Case studies of the emergence of new rights for women and indigenous peoples will show how this approach generates new ways of understanding human rights, cultural norms and the interactions between them. Further outcomes will include a multidimensional approach to moral cosmopolitanism which provides a distinctive pluralistic alternativ ....A naturalistic approach to rights, norms and practices of freedom. We offer a naturalistic account of the dynamic relations between rights, norms and freedom. Case studies of the emergence of new rights for women and indigenous peoples will show how this approach generates new ways of understanding human rights, cultural norms and the interactions between them. Further outcomes will include a multidimensional approach to moral cosmopolitanism which provides a distinctive pluralistic alternative to current theories.Read moreRead less
Communicating power: Political consultants, symbolic production and media democracy. The project will investigate the professionalization of political communication with a specific focus on the role of political consultants and communication specialists in contemporary Australian politics. The principal research aim is to identify and analyse the frames of reference and evaluative modes structuring the work of political consultants. Political consultants will be analysed as a subset of new 'symb ....Communicating power: Political consultants, symbolic production and media democracy. The project will investigate the professionalization of political communication with a specific focus on the role of political consultants and communication specialists in contemporary Australian politics. The principal research aim is to identify and analyse the frames of reference and evaluative modes structuring the work of political consultants. Political consultants will be analysed as a subset of new 'symbolic' managers and mediators in a society in which information is the key productive resource. The project will generate a detailed analysis of how the professionalization of political communication is transforming representative democracy in network society.Read moreRead less