Descartes' Ontology of Everyday Life. Australia has a strong international reputation in philosophy and the history of philosophy. This project will contribute to our standing in the international community of scholars and to the teaching of Australian students in the historical origins of contemporary ideas and problems. It will furthermore contribute to the growing recognition of early modern interdisciplinary studies within Australia by drawing on ideas from the history of science, early mode ....Descartes' Ontology of Everyday Life. Australia has a strong international reputation in philosophy and the history of philosophy. This project will contribute to our standing in the international community of scholars and to the teaching of Australian students in the historical origins of contemporary ideas and problems. It will furthermore contribute to the growing recognition of early modern interdisciplinary studies within Australia by drawing on ideas from the history of science, early modern philosophy, medieval philosophy and the history of early modern thought and ideas.Read moreRead less
Medicine and Culture: Bioethics in Historical Perspective, 1850 to the present. Australia has long been looked to as an example for legislative and community responses to new medical technologies and as a leader in debates about medical ethics. The project will contribute to the international profile of Australia as a leader in health policy issues, as well as sustaining a focus on informed community debate.
Trust and the Changing Moral Economy of Australian Medicine. There is strong evidence that patients sue their doctors because of inadequate doctor/patient communication, and this has been directly linked to low levels of trust. But unless doctors have become worse communicators over time, poor communication fails to explain recent rises in litigation rates. This historical study will examine the multiple factors affecting changing doctor/patient relationships. It will offer new insights into the ....Trust and the Changing Moral Economy of Australian Medicine. There is strong evidence that patients sue their doctors because of inadequate doctor/patient communication, and this has been directly linked to low levels of trust. But unless doctors have become worse communicators over time, poor communication fails to explain recent rises in litigation rates. This historical study will examine the multiple factors affecting changing doctor/patient relationships. It will offer new insights into the circumstances that fostered trust in medicine in the past, which will assist in understanding the current dynamics of changes in trust. This will help policy makers seeking to promote and maintain good health by strengthening the values of trust and reciprocity within Australia's healthcare system.Read moreRead less
Chemical and isotopic fingerprinting of ancient porcelains and pottery. This project aims to establish provenance of ancient porcelains and pottery of archaeological or antique collection significance using trace element and lead-strontium-neodymium (Pb-Sr-Nd) isotopic compositions, which serve as fingerprints of porcelains and pottery of different places or ages. High quality multi-element and isotopic data will be obtained using facilities at ACQUIRE¡¯s state-of-the-arts geochemistry laborator ....Chemical and isotopic fingerprinting of ancient porcelains and pottery. This project aims to establish provenance of ancient porcelains and pottery of archaeological or antique collection significance using trace element and lead-strontium-neodymium (Pb-Sr-Nd) isotopic compositions, which serve as fingerprints of porcelains and pottery of different places or ages. High quality multi-element and isotopic data will be obtained using facilities at ACQUIRE¡¯s state-of-the-arts geochemistry laboratory. The results will have significant implications for investigation of ancient cultures, technology and trades, artefact authentication and even forensic studies. Established database is potentially patentable for commercialization in the antiquity market.Read moreRead less
The philosophical foundations of women’s rights: a new history, 1600-1750. This project aims to show that the history of women’s rights is much longer and richer than previously thought. There is a common perception that the notion of women’s rights first emerged in the late eighteenth century. This project expects to generate a new understanding of feminist history by investigating texts calling for the recognition of women’s dignity, worth, nobility, and excellence (cognate concepts to rights) ....The philosophical foundations of women’s rights: a new history, 1600-1750. This project aims to show that the history of women’s rights is much longer and richer than previously thought. There is a common perception that the notion of women’s rights first emerged in the late eighteenth century. This project expects to generate a new understanding of feminist history by investigating texts calling for the recognition of women’s dignity, worth, nobility, and excellence (cognate concepts to rights) in England and Europe from 1600 to 1750, against the backdrop of the rise of Cartesianism. The anticipated outcome is greater awareness of an enduring feminist tradition within the history of philosophy. The expected social benefits include a shift in public thinking about feminist history and women in philosophy.Read moreRead less
A Cultural and Intellectual History of Automated Labour . This project will trace how debates about labour automation have been shaped by cultural depictions of work, from the eighteenth century to today. It will produce new knowledge about how people have viewed industrial transformation, from the steam engine to modern forms of labour saving - electronic, digital, biological, and artificial intelligence. The project will combine historical study with an examination of the way artists and write ....A Cultural and Intellectual History of Automated Labour . This project will trace how debates about labour automation have been shaped by cultural depictions of work, from the eighteenth century to today. It will produce new knowledge about how people have viewed industrial transformation, from the steam engine to modern forms of labour saving - electronic, digital, biological, and artificial intelligence. The project will combine historical study with an examination of the way artists and writers have responded to labour automation. Expected benefits include informing public debate about the future of work, and shaping policy in arts-science museums and laboratories. Outcomes will include publications, public forums, conferences, training of research students and international collaboration. Read moreRead less
Progressive education and race: A transnational Australian history 1920-50s. This project will provide a new history of progressive education in Australia in the mid-twentieth century by investigating its neglected relationship to and effect upon Indigenous education and colonial governance. Using transnational and comparative methods, it will examine how international progressive ideas informed local initiatives, explore the role of Indigenous advocacy for educational reform and build a genealo ....Progressive education and race: A transnational Australian history 1920-50s. This project will provide a new history of progressive education in Australia in the mid-twentieth century by investigating its neglected relationship to and effect upon Indigenous education and colonial governance. Using transnational and comparative methods, it will examine how international progressive ideas informed local initiatives, explore the role of Indigenous advocacy for educational reform and build a genealogy of educability and colonial childhood. Brought together for the first time, these investigations will strengthen understanding of Australian Aboriginal and educational history in global and regional contexts and contribute new knowledge and perspectives to current debates about equity, race and divided educational futures.Read moreRead less
Memory, notebooks and archives: making early modern science. What information should be memorized? To what extent should we rely on looking things up? Striking the proper balance between what we retain in memory and what is best checked in books, databases or archives is a preoccupation in public discussion. The project gives this issue an historical perspective, showing how priorities have changed from an emphasis on memory and personal notebooks to an acceptance of retrieval from external sour ....Memory, notebooks and archives: making early modern science. What information should be memorized? To what extent should we rely on looking things up? Striking the proper balance between what we retain in memory and what is best checked in books, databases or archives is a preoccupation in public discussion. The project gives this issue an historical perspective, showing how priorities have changed from an emphasis on memory and personal notebooks to an acceptance of retrieval from external sources. Focussing on the period of the Scientific Revolution, it contributes to the understanding of our early modern European heritage - a field in which Australian scholars have a strong reputation.
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Pursuing Public Health in The Preindustrial World, 1100-1800. This project aims to recover community-health practices in three world regions before the takeoff of European industrialization. It challenges a common chronology and geography in public health history by examining how especially non-urban societies in Europe, the Middle East and India adjusted their behaviors and environments to manage health risks, often relying on the principles of humoral (or Galenic) medicine. A multidisciplinary ....Pursuing Public Health in The Preindustrial World, 1100-1800. This project aims to recover community-health practices in three world regions before the takeoff of European industrialization. It challenges a common chronology and geography in public health history by examining how especially non-urban societies in Europe, the Middle East and India adjusted their behaviors and environments to manage health risks, often relying on the principles of humoral (or Galenic) medicine. A multidisciplinary team will conduct spatial, material, pictorial and text-based analyses, which will collectively extricate public health from Eurocentric narratives of modernization and illuminate preventative-medical cultures often ignored or studied in isolation.Read moreRead less
Child, Nation, Race and Empire: a critical analysis of child rescue narratives in Britain, Australia and Canada 1850-1915. The aftermath of past child welfare practices has generated pain and anger across Australia. Through an analysis of the literature which informed such practices the project will strengthen Australia's social fabric by providing a much-needed historical context for the individuals, voluntary and government organizations seeking to understand how actions cast as benevolent cou ....Child, Nation, Race and Empire: a critical analysis of child rescue narratives in Britain, Australia and Canada 1850-1915. The aftermath of past child welfare practices has generated pain and anger across Australia. Through an analysis of the literature which informed such practices the project will strengthen Australia's social fabric by providing a much-needed historical context for the individuals, voluntary and government organizations seeking to understand how actions cast as benevolent could cause such harm. Such an understanding will also be cautionary for those engaged in the promotion of intercountry aid and adoption programs, which make similarly emotional appeals thus enhancing Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment.Read moreRead less