A comparative historical study of English and French men's self-fashioning, with reference to gender, sexual and national identity, c1740-90. The project analyses the transformation of Anglo-French social attitudes towards elaborate male dress in the period c1740-1790. In so doing, it offers a new explanation for the demise of court dress and the rise of that sober bourgeois style which continues to dominate western male fashion. It will produce the first comprehensive comparative study of two c ....A comparative historical study of English and French men's self-fashioning, with reference to gender, sexual and national identity, c1740-90. The project analyses the transformation of Anglo-French social attitudes towards elaborate male dress in the period c1740-1790. In so doing, it offers a new explanation for the demise of court dress and the rise of that sober bourgeois style which continues to dominate western male fashion. It will produce the first comprehensive comparative study of two courtier figures, the French petit-maitre and the English macaroni, in order to advance the hypothesis that these national masculine identities were interdependent, and played a significant role in the redefinition of modern notions of gender, sexuality, health and consumerism.Read moreRead less
A comparative historical study of English and French men's self-fashioning, with reference to gender, sexual and national identity, c1740-90. The project analyses the transformation of Anglo-French social attitudes towards aristocratic male dress c1740-90. In so doing, it offers a new explanation for the demise of court dress in Enlightenment Europe and the rise of that sober protestant and bourgeois style which now dominates the appearance of western male elites. It will produce the first compr ....A comparative historical study of English and French men's self-fashioning, with reference to gender, sexual and national identity, c1740-90. The project analyses the transformation of Anglo-French social attitudes towards aristocratic male dress c1740-90. In so doing, it offers a new explanation for the demise of court dress in Enlightenment Europe and the rise of that sober protestant and bourgeois style which now dominates the appearance of western male elites. It will produce the first comprehensive comparative study of two courtier figures, the French petit-maitre and the English macaroni, in order to advance the hypothesis that these interdependent national and masculine identities played a significant role in the reformulation of modern notions of gender, sexuality, health and consumerism.Read moreRead less
Fashionable Times: An Inquiry into the History of China's Modernity. Fashion, once regarded as a purely Western phenomenon and equated with thoroughly modern life, has recently made an improbable appearance in histories both of urban life in late imperial China and of twentieth-century Chinese nationalism. To speak of Chinese fashion is effectively to raise a question about the origins and course of China's modernity. The project aims to respond to this question through a study of the culture of ....Fashionable Times: An Inquiry into the History of China's Modernity. Fashion, once regarded as a purely Western phenomenon and equated with thoroughly modern life, has recently made an improbable appearance in histories both of urban life in late imperial China and of twentieth-century Chinese nationalism. To speak of Chinese fashion is effectively to raise a question about the origins and course of China's modernity. The project aims to respond to this question through a study of the culture of clothing from Ming to Mao, the expected outcome being an illustrated monograph of interest to scholars and general readers in the fields of fashion theory, material culture, and Chinese history.Read moreRead less
The causes and consequences of the great famines of the last two centuries in Russia, China, Ireland and elsewhere. Famines have huge human, economic, social and cultural costs. A better understanding of the multi-faceted dimensions of past famines - the interplay between politics, economics, environment and culture in causing and shaping the response to famine events - will better inform public policy in regard to analogous large-scale crises, including the impact of flu pandemics and climate c ....The causes and consequences of the great famines of the last two centuries in Russia, China, Ireland and elsewhere. Famines have huge human, economic, social and cultural costs. A better understanding of the multi-faceted dimensions of past famines - the interplay between politics, economics, environment and culture in causing and shaping the response to famine events - will better inform public policy in regard to analogous large-scale crises, including the impact of flu pandemics and climate change. The comparative study of the causes, progress, responses to and effect of the great famines of the last two centuries might serve to better inform our understanding and response to such events. Read moreRead less
Hume's Sceptical Materialism. The early modern period is the decisive period in shaping the modern outlook, but its major figures are not well understood in Australia. This project will enable a broader and more unified understanding of the intellectual movements of the period (showing Hume to be not an intellectual outsider but someone offering a sceptical version of the radical Enlightenment) - and so will enable a better understanding of our intellectual heritage.
Science and the Shaping of Modernity, 1690-1755. It is important that we understand the values underlying our culture, and one form of such understanding is historical. The idea that science provides the standards for all forms of cognitive enquiry is an intrinsic part of modern culture, and the notions of impartiality and objectivity that it is taken to express are closely tied in with estimations of the value of our culture. The history of how this conception emerged in the early-modern period ....Science and the Shaping of Modernity, 1690-1755. It is important that we understand the values underlying our culture, and one form of such understanding is historical. The idea that science provides the standards for all forms of cognitive enquiry is an intrinsic part of modern culture, and the notions of impartiality and objectivity that it is taken to express are closely tied in with estimations of the value of our culture. The history of how this conception emerged in the early-modern period shows that there was nothing self-evident in the assimilation of cognitive values to scientific ones, however, or in the extrapolation of these to general cultural and political values. Read moreRead less
The persona of the philosopher in early modern Europe. The project aims to provide a new interpretation of the history of early modern European philosophy, organised around the key concept of the persona of the philosopher. By focusing on the shaping and reshaping of the philosophical persona - understood as a self cultivated for the purposes of conducting philosophical life and learning - the project will offer novel and fundamental insights into conflicts over the character of philosophy, its ....The persona of the philosopher in early modern Europe. The project aims to provide a new interpretation of the history of early modern European philosophy, organised around the key concept of the persona of the philosopher. By focusing on the shaping and reshaping of the philosophical persona - understood as a self cultivated for the purposes of conducting philosophical life and learning - the project will offer novel and fundamental insights into conflicts over the character of philosophy, its disciplinary borders, its relation to the new scientific enterprises of the era, and its relation to civil and religious life.Read moreRead less
A history of terra nullius. The concept of 'terra nullius' has been central to debates concerning the land rights of indigenous peoples. The term, however, has been understood almost in an historical vacuum. Partly in consequence, landmark legal rulings supposedly overturning the doctrine of terra nullius have left European colonisers' justifications of their appropriation of land largely conceptually intact. The central innovation of this history will be to show that when terra nullius, prop ....A history of terra nullius. The concept of 'terra nullius' has been central to debates concerning the land rights of indigenous peoples. The term, however, has been understood almost in an historical vacuum. Partly in consequence, landmark legal rulings supposedly overturning the doctrine of terra nullius have left European colonisers' justifications of their appropriation of land largely conceptually intact. The central innovation of this history will be to show that when terra nullius, properly understood, is rejected in order to establish native title, the implications for the European tradition of property rights and human rights more generally will be profound.Read moreRead less
State formation and European expansion. There is a direct national benefit from this research. The aim of an intellectual history of colonisation is to provide an account of what Europeans engaged in expansion understood themselves to be doing. This account explores the justifications and political motivations for expansion and is accordingly of fundamental importance to contemporary legal debates over dispossession and the larger legacy of colonisation.
Isaac Newton's Temple of Solomon and his analysis of sacred architecture: An interpretation and discussion of Babson Manuscript 0434. Babson Manuscript is an important Newtonian manuscript that contains significant cross disciplinary ideas. It requires a multi-disciplinary understanding and skills for its detailed evaluation. Interpretation and analysis of this significant Newtonian manuscript will advance Newtonian scholarship and will be a valuable resource for researchers of architectural his ....Isaac Newton's Temple of Solomon and his analysis of sacred architecture: An interpretation and discussion of Babson Manuscript 0434. Babson Manuscript is an important Newtonian manuscript that contains significant cross disciplinary ideas. It requires a multi-disciplinary understanding and skills for its detailed evaluation. Interpretation and analysis of this significant Newtonian manuscript will advance Newtonian scholarship and will be a valuable resource for researchers of architectural history. This project has both academic and public outcomes. Recently there has been an increased interest in what is commonly perceived as 'ancient wisdom.' Solomon's Temple is one of the most revered ancient symbols. This project will make the history and ideas of this symbol more accessible to the publicRead moreRead less