The Formation and Development of Chinese Philosophy as an Academic Discipline in Twentieth Century China. It is in Australia's national interest to pay close attention to the orientation of intellectual and political currents in China and to how these currents are increasingly merging and interacting. This project will enhance our capacity to interpret and engage with our regional environment by contributing to a clearer understanding of the changing relationship between Chinese intellectual tra ....The Formation and Development of Chinese Philosophy as an Academic Discipline in Twentieth Century China. It is in Australia's national interest to pay close attention to the orientation of intellectual and political currents in China and to how these currents are increasingly merging and interacting. This project will enhance our capacity to interpret and engage with our regional environment by contributing to a clearer understanding of the changing relationship between Chinese intellectual traditions and cultural identity. A commitment to understanding what Chinese philosophy means to China's educated elite also demonstrates a willingness to foster dialogue and communication that is sensitive to the intellectual and cultural traditions which are a source of pride and identity for several of our major regional partners. Read moreRead less
The Indian Roots of Modern Chinese Thought. The Project will strengthen Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with our regional and global environments by demonstrating the need for greater understanding of the nationalistic appeal that Yogâcâra thought has held for Chinese intellectuals; and the rise of New Confucianism as a philosophical movement associated with robust expressions of cultural nationalism. It will also further enhance Australia's international intellectual profile by bri ....The Indian Roots of Modern Chinese Thought. The Project will strengthen Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with our regional and global environments by demonstrating the need for greater understanding of the nationalistic appeal that Yogâcâra thought has held for Chinese intellectuals; and the rise of New Confucianism as a philosophical movement associated with robust expressions of cultural nationalism. It will also further enhance Australia's international intellectual profile by bringing together leading researchers to forge innovative research networks and methodologies to advance the knowledge bases of Chinese intellectual history, Chinese Philosophy and Buddhist Studies, and contribute to building Australian research capacity in these three key areas.Read moreRead less
Islam, Nationalism and Secession in Aceh, Indonesia. This project will produce the first in-depth analysis of the secessionist movement in Aceh, Indonesia, and of attempts to resolve the long-running violent conflict in that territory. By doing so, it will contribute to our understanding of processes of national disintegration and reintegration in Indonesia. The project will also contribute to broader theoretical debates in political science and related disciplines about the genesis and developm ....Islam, Nationalism and Secession in Aceh, Indonesia. This project will produce the first in-depth analysis of the secessionist movement in Aceh, Indonesia, and of attempts to resolve the long-running violent conflict in that territory. By doing so, it will contribute to our understanding of processes of national disintegration and reintegration in Indonesia. The project will also contribute to broader theoretical debates in political science and related disciplines about the genesis and development of nationalism, especially in Islamic societies, and on how national identity and violent separatist conflicts may be transformed by peace processes and autonomy arrangements.Read moreRead less
Controversies of legal interpretation: a philosophical investigation of reasoning and adjudication in some recent contentious cases. A series of High Court decisions in Australia since the 1980's generated a public controversy about the role of moral and political values in adjudication. It has been charged that judges are engaged, not in an exercise of technical legal interpretation, but rather in illegitimate and politically partisan ?judicial activism.? The project investigates the theoretica ....Controversies of legal interpretation: a philosophical investigation of reasoning and adjudication in some recent contentious cases. A series of High Court decisions in Australia since the 1980's generated a public controversy about the role of moral and political values in adjudication. It has been charged that judges are engaged, not in an exercise of technical legal interpretation, but rather in illegitimate and politically partisan ?judicial activism.? The project investigates the theoretical and applied questions of legal interpretation implicit in this argument. It rejects the charge of judicial activism. It proposes a ?value-maximizing? theory of reasoning and interpretation that characterizes adjudication in contentious cases as precisely a process of theorizing about relevant moral and political values.Read moreRead less
Health and Medicine in the Dutch East Indies: Medical Research, Health Programs, and Colonial Networks of Mediation. Investigating the culture of plural medicine in the former Dutch East Indies, where different medical cultures existed side by side, will bring a greater understanding of our closest neighbour, Indonesia, in an area of prime importance: medicine and health. It will provide a greater insight into the colonial heritage of the Dutch East Indies. It will also provide new insights in t ....Health and Medicine in the Dutch East Indies: Medical Research, Health Programs, and Colonial Networks of Mediation. Investigating the culture of plural medicine in the former Dutch East Indies, where different medical cultures existed side by side, will bring a greater understanding of our closest neighbour, Indonesia, in an area of prime importance: medicine and health. It will provide a greater insight into the colonial heritage of the Dutch East Indies. It will also provide new insights in the approach to health issues in today's Indonesia, because indigenous medicines are very popular. They are manufactured by a large industry which is currently hoping to expand its exports abroad. Read moreRead less
The Theological and Ideological Bases of al-Qa'ida's Political Tactics. This research moves beyond the conventional view of Islam and generates new understandings of the many complexities of political Islam, and the role of violence and terrorism; explores the theological and ideological foundations of al-Qa'ida's political tactics; the long-term objectives beyond al-Qa'ida's terrorist activity. It conceptualizes Islamic activism within time and space and, by implication, facilitates the formula ....The Theological and Ideological Bases of al-Qa'ida's Political Tactics. This research moves beyond the conventional view of Islam and generates new understandings of the many complexities of political Islam, and the role of violence and terrorism; explores the theological and ideological foundations of al-Qa'ida's political tactics; the long-term objectives beyond al-Qa'ida's terrorist activity. It conceptualizes Islamic activism within time and space and, by implication, facilitates the formulation of relevant policy responses. As a result, this project contributes to security and counter terrorism works and falls squarely within the National Research Priority, Safeguarding Australia (Terrorism and Transnational Crime). Read moreRead less
The ideological war within al-Qa'ida: The Jihadis' religio-political and intellectual revisions and ideas on counterterrorism, extremism and radicalisation. This research focuses on new directions in jihadist thought and practice. It generates a better grasp of the current ideological war within al-Qa'ida and explores its theo-political ideas which influenced al-Qa'ida's backbone Jihadi groups to renounce violence, abandon al-Qa'ida, and critically stressed wide disagreements with al-Qa'ida's id ....The ideological war within al-Qa'ida: The Jihadis' religio-political and intellectual revisions and ideas on counterterrorism, extremism and radicalisation. This research focuses on new directions in jihadist thought and practice. It generates a better grasp of the current ideological war within al-Qa'ida and explores its theo-political ideas which influenced al-Qa'ida's backbone Jihadi groups to renounce violence, abandon al-Qa'ida, and critically stressed wide disagreements with al-Qa'ida's ideological ideas. Utilising this thought as ideological tool to counterterrorism and radicalisation, this project contributes to national security and counterterrorism works and raises Australian understanding of Islam's place in the world, which is of importance given the large and growing Muslim community in Australia and the commitment to make Australia a tolerant, multicultural society.Read moreRead less
Political party financing and democratic consolidation in Indonesia. As Australia's vast neighbour to the north, Indonesia, is of critical importance to Australian national interests. Particularly essential in this regard is the stability of Indonesia's young democracy, which is increasingly threatened by the widespread perception that party politics are contaminated by corrupt, greedy and self-centred politicians. This sentiment is largely fuelled by complaints about questionable fundraising pr ....Political party financing and democratic consolidation in Indonesia. As Australia's vast neighbour to the north, Indonesia, is of critical importance to Australian national interests. Particularly essential in this regard is the stability of Indonesia's young democracy, which is increasingly threatened by the widespread perception that party politics are contaminated by corrupt, greedy and self-centred politicians. This sentiment is largely fuelled by complaints about questionable fundraising practices of political parties. Accordingly, this study will be of great interest to Australian policy-makers, aid officials and businesses that wish to address the deficiencies in Indonesia's political system through political and economic cooperation programs.Read moreRead less
Irregular migrants and political belonging in global cities. This project investigates impacts of irregular migration in three cities in the Asia-Pacific region. As Australia's role in security and development in Pacific states increases, there is every possibility that irregular labour migration may flow from these ties. This is likely to exacerbate tensions in Australia around multiculturalism and national identity that have surfaced recently in violent public disturbances and in debates on bo ....Irregular migrants and political belonging in global cities. This project investigates impacts of irregular migration in three cities in the Asia-Pacific region. As Australia's role in security and development in Pacific states increases, there is every possibility that irregular labour migration may flow from these ties. This is likely to exacerbate tensions in Australia around multiculturalism and national identity that have surfaced recently in violent public disturbances and in debates on border protection, migration and guest-worker schemes. This project will draw on regional and Australian experiences of irregular migration to inform policy and political questions on these prominent issues of citizenship, migration and globalisation.Read moreRead less
Discretionary Time: A New Method of Cross-National Welfare Comparison Focusing on Freedom. Cross-national comparisons of welfare regimes and their gender divisions explore issues of income and employment. Those bring liberation of a sort, but they do not exhaust people's freedom and autonomy. This Project will explore how paid and unpaid labour responsibilities interact, impinging on people's discretionary time and thus autonomy. A new measure of 'discretionary time' will be developed and its ....Discretionary Time: A New Method of Cross-National Welfare Comparison Focusing on Freedom. Cross-national comparisons of welfare regimes and their gender divisions explore issues of income and employment. Those bring liberation of a sort, but they do not exhaust people's freedom and autonomy. This Project will explore how paid and unpaid labour responsibilities interact, impinging on people's discretionary time and thus autonomy. A new measure of 'discretionary time' will be developed and its usefulness for cross-national comparisons illustrated through analysis of time use data from Australia, Finland, Canada and Sweden. Different ways of targeting social assistance to the most time-pressured groups in society will be examined for policy lessons from abroad.
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