Inner Eurasia: A World History of Eurasia's Heartlands. Inner Eurasia has played a distinctive and significant role in world history, particularly in the twentieth century when it was the heartland of world communism. Australia's history has been shaped profoundly by the political, military, cultural and commercial impact of the region's great empires. This project will expand Australian understanding of the region, and raise Australia's international visibility and competitiveness in both Inner ....Inner Eurasia: A World History of Eurasia's Heartlands. Inner Eurasia has played a distinctive and significant role in world history, particularly in the twentieth century when it was the heartland of world communism. Australia's history has been shaped profoundly by the political, military, cultural and commercial impact of the region's great empires. This project will expand Australian understanding of the region, and raise Australia's international visibility and competitiveness in both Inner Eurasian and World history. It will attract undergraduate and graduate students and international scholars. Its world history approach will augment Macquarie's significant contributions to the Australian National History Curriculum.Read moreRead less
Veteran Culture and the Military Memoirs of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. This project contributes to an understanding not only of veteran culture in early nineteenth-century France and Europe, but also of the ways in which veterans across western cultures assimilate, process and reconstruct memories of war. This necessarily will lead to a better understanding of role story-telling in the construction of national histories. In addition to offering new insights that will inform scholarsh ....Veteran Culture and the Military Memoirs of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. This project contributes to an understanding not only of veteran culture in early nineteenth-century France and Europe, but also of the ways in which veterans across western cultures assimilate, process and reconstruct memories of war. This necessarily will lead to a better understanding of role story-telling in the construction of national histories. In addition to offering new insights that will inform scholarship and teaching in the field history, it will also redress a significant gap in the international literature. The findings of this study thus assist in establishing Australian historical scholarship at the forefront of international research initiatives in memory, auto-biography and memoir writing. Read moreRead less
Genocide: Critical History of an Idea. Australians have been accused of genocide against Indigenous peoples. Australian troops are sent abroad to participate in humanitarian interventions based on the occurrence of genocide. Yet its meaning is bitterly contested. By explaining the origins of the genocide concept, how and why it has changed since its codification after World War II, as well as how it is used today, I will clarify knowledge of genocide's meanings in international law, politics and ....Genocide: Critical History of an Idea. Australians have been accused of genocide against Indigenous peoples. Australian troops are sent abroad to participate in humanitarian interventions based on the occurrence of genocide. Yet its meaning is bitterly contested. By explaining the origins of the genocide concept, how and why it has changed since its codification after World War II, as well as how it is used today, I will clarify knowledge of genocide's meanings in international law, politics and diplomacy. Australia's status and role in the international community is based in part on its stance against genocide. It is imperative, therefore, that its meanings are accurately understood.Read moreRead less
Co-operatives in Australia: Growth, decline and revival. The project aims to investigate the development of the co-operative business model in Australia before 2012, the UN International Year of Co-operatives. It will construct a Visual Atlas of Australian Co-operatives that charts the clustering, growth, decline and revival of Australian co-operatives, and study Australian agricultural and consumer co-operatives. It will construct a long-term historical framework that explains the growth, decli ....Co-operatives in Australia: Growth, decline and revival. The project aims to investigate the development of the co-operative business model in Australia before 2012, the UN International Year of Co-operatives. It will construct a Visual Atlas of Australian Co-operatives that charts the clustering, growth, decline and revival of Australian co-operatives, and study Australian agricultural and consumer co-operatives. It will construct a long-term historical framework that explains the growth, decline and revival of the business model of co-operatives. The project aims to help policy makers to enhance consumer choice about healthy food and make Australian agriculture more internationally competitive through the co-operative business model.Read moreRead less
Spinoza and literature for life: A practical theory of art. This project aims to construct a Spinozistic theory of art that shows how the enjoyment of art promotes the art of living well. Many artists have celebrated the inspirational force of Spinoza’s philosophy on their works, but philosophers have denied or neglected the relevance of his philosophy to art. By working across literary and philosophical resources, this project will show how Romantic, Victorian, and Modernist writers drew on his ....Spinoza and literature for life: A practical theory of art. This project aims to construct a Spinozistic theory of art that shows how the enjoyment of art promotes the art of living well. Many artists have celebrated the inspirational force of Spinoza’s philosophy on their works, but philosophers have denied or neglected the relevance of his philosophy to art. By working across literary and philosophical resources, this project will show how Romantic, Victorian, and Modernist writers drew on his thought. This project expects to contribute to Spinoza studies, philosophy and literature and ethics, and show how and why artistic enjoyment is essential for human health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Discipline, Morale and Winning Wars: Understanding the Relationships Between Discipline and Combat Performance in Low-Intensity Conflict. Discipline and morale are key elements in combat performance, particularly in Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC). This project examines the relationships between discipline, morale and combat performance using the Australian Army in Vietnam as a case study. It provides insights into better understanding and managing discipline and morale to produce and sustain comba ....Discipline, Morale and Winning Wars: Understanding the Relationships Between Discipline and Combat Performance in Low-Intensity Conflict. Discipline and morale are key elements in combat performance, particularly in Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC). This project examines the relationships between discipline, morale and combat performance using the Australian Army in Vietnam as a case study. It provides insights into better understanding and managing discipline and morale to produce and sustain combat performance. It assists the Army to avoid the negative effects of failures in discipline and morale that produced the My Lai massacre and the Abu Ghraib fiasco. It also helps position Australia internationally as a contributor to the better understanding of LIC, and fills a gap in Australian historiography of war.Read moreRead less
Understanding Low-Intensity Conflict. Since 1945, Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC) has become the dominant form of warfare. Conventional armies have a poor record of success in fighting LIC. This project uses the records of the Australian Army's operations in the Vietnam War to better understand it's operational performance there and to unearth insights into the conduct of LIC. The project has the potential to reduce casualties, both military and civilian, and assist the Army in selecting new war-fi ....Understanding Low-Intensity Conflict. Since 1945, Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC) has become the dominant form of warfare. Conventional armies have a poor record of success in fighting LIC. This project uses the records of the Australian Army's operations in the Vietnam War to better understand it's operational performance there and to unearth insights into the conduct of LIC. The project has the potential to reduce casualties, both military and civilian, and assist the Army in selecting new war-fighting technologies, designing training and developing doctrine for future LIC. The project will raise Australia's profile in theorising about this troubling but increasingly common form of warfare.Read moreRead less
Virtue with Aristotle: Recovering an Ancient Ethical Theory for Our Time. This project aims to show how Aristotle’s theory of virtue can guide our individual and collective attempts to live good human lives in challenging times. This project expects to produce the first comprehensive study of Aristotle’s concept of virtue in all three areas of human activity in which he applies it (moral action, theoretical cognition, and craft and artistic production) and to show its relevance for contemporary ....Virtue with Aristotle: Recovering an Ancient Ethical Theory for Our Time. This project aims to show how Aristotle’s theory of virtue can guide our individual and collective attempts to live good human lives in challenging times. This project expects to produce the first comprehensive study of Aristotle’s concept of virtue in all three areas of human activity in which he applies it (moral action, theoretical cognition, and craft and artistic production) and to show its relevance for contemporary ethical theory and practice. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced understanding of the concepts of virtue and flourishing and their historical roots in Aristotle’s ethical writings. This should provide significant benefits, such as building our collective resilience.Read moreRead less
Analysis in the idealist tradition: the development of Leibniz's analytic method by Kant and Hegel and its implications for contemporary philosophy. This project investigates the development of the 'analytic' method in the idealist philosophies of Leibniz, Kant and Hegel, and compares it to 'analysis' as used in analytic philosophy. It thereby seeks to find a ground for dialogue between strands within contemporary philosophy that are usually thought to be opposed.
Indigenous land claims in historical context. By enlightening the history of Indigenous legal opposition to dispossession from the beginning of colonisation, this project will provide a means of engaging with the political challenges and responses posed by legal conflicts with Indigenous peoples over the question of land.