Globalisation, photography, and race: the circulation and return of Aboriginal photographs in Europe. In the digital age, it has become an urgent matter to understand and balance the role of photographs of Aboriginal people within Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. This project explores their important global historical role, current meanings for descendants, and returns this significant Indigenous heritage from European collections.
Gender, power and identity in the early modern Nassau family. Our family identities shape our experiences of relationships, support structures, and interactions in broader communities around us but how do gender and power relationships affect expressions of family identities? Our project uses a case study of the early modern Nassau-Orange family, whose extensive and diverse sources include letters, art, architectural precincts, naming patterns, and even colonial endeavours. The word and colour o ....Gender, power and identity in the early modern Nassau family. Our family identities shape our experiences of relationships, support structures, and interactions in broader communities around us but how do gender and power relationships affect expressions of family identities? Our project uses a case study of the early modern Nassau-Orange family, whose extensive and diverse sources include letters, art, architectural precincts, naming patterns, and even colonial endeavours. The word and colour orange today symbolise Protestantism and the Dutch worldwide as a result of this pivotal family's self-presentation in the early modern period. We will produce monographs, PhD thesis, and research training in an international humanities team led by Australian researchers. Read moreRead less
War crimes and the Japanese military, 1941-1945. During the Second World War, Japanese military forces in Asia and the Pacific committed extraordinary atrocities against prisoners-of-war, civilian internees and local populations. These atrocities shocked Japan's Western enemies, not least because Japanese military behaviour in the early 20th century had been celebrated as remarkably humane. This project seeks to explain Japanese wartime brutality, identifying the specific circumstances in which ....War crimes and the Japanese military, 1941-1945. During the Second World War, Japanese military forces in Asia and the Pacific committed extraordinary atrocities against prisoners-of-war, civilian internees and local populations. These atrocities shocked Japan's Western enemies, not least because Japanese military behaviour in the early 20th century had been celebrated as remarkably humane. This project seeks to explain Japanese wartime brutality, identifying the specific circumstances in which it occurred and considering the particular wartime context. It challenges the prevalent explanation of Japanese wartime violence which locates the causes of brutality in deeply rooted aspects of Japanese national culture. This research is expected to contribute to understandings of war and violence.Read moreRead less
Prosecution, punishment and the printed word in enlightenment Scotland, from 1747 to 1815. This project examines the principles and workings of the Scottish criminal justice system and how these were represented in, and influenced by, print culture, from 1747 to 1815. It will further understanding of Australian history by looking at how legal representations of Australia influenced the Scottish Judiciary's transportation policy.
"These blessed 'censi'": the history of an ignored credit instrument in Florentine economic, social and religious life from 1570 to 1790. The project explores the role of 'Censi', a type of annuity, in the life and economy of Florence from 1570 to 1790. It seeks to demonstrate that 'Censi' made it possible for Florentines to maintain a substantial level of prosperity throughout this period, despite the loss of a long-held leadership in banking, international trade and industry.
Aftermaths of War: Violence, Trauma, Displacement, 1815-1950. This project aims to investigate the cultural, social and psychological aftermaths of wars between 1815 to 1950 from a comparative, transnational perspective. By connecting the displacement of people, the brutalization of warfare and the trauma associated with it, this study will offer a broader and more complex understanding of the experience of civilians and combatants in the wake of armed conflicts. In so doing, it will challenge t ....Aftermaths of War: Violence, Trauma, Displacement, 1815-1950. This project aims to investigate the cultural, social and psychological aftermaths of wars between 1815 to 1950 from a comparative, transnational perspective. By connecting the displacement of people, the brutalization of warfare and the trauma associated with it, this study will offer a broader and more complex understanding of the experience of civilians and combatants in the wake of armed conflicts. In so doing, it will challenge traditional periodizations which delineate between periods of war and peace, and seek to uncover the profound legacies of war not just within but beyond nation states. This will prompt a re-evaluation of our understanding of what constitutes warfare and its aftermaths.Read moreRead less
Medieval Irish law texts: scholarly, legal and social development. This interdisciplinary project focuses on a vast collection of Irish law texts. Those texts reflect developments in the Gaelic culture of Ireland over the entire medieval period. This project will bring a clearer understanding of the development of Celtic culture, which has been a strong factor in the creation of an Australian cultural identity.
Pearls, People, and Power: the Transformation of the Indian Ocean World. This multidisciplinary project aims to be the first transoceanic investigation of pearling in the Indian Ocean World (IOW), focusing on the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, India/Sri Lanka, Sulu Sea and northern Australia. It will use commodity-based historical analyses and object-centred biographies to undertake comparative studies of labour systems, trade networks and the cultural value of pearls/pearl shell during an era marked by ....Pearls, People, and Power: the Transformation of the Indian Ocean World. This multidisciplinary project aims to be the first transoceanic investigation of pearling in the Indian Ocean World (IOW), focusing on the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, India/Sri Lanka, Sulu Sea and northern Australia. It will use commodity-based historical analyses and object-centred biographies to undertake comparative studies of labour systems, trade networks and the cultural value of pearls/pearl shell during an era marked by the spread of European imperialism and industrialisation. The project includes historical, ethnographic and film components and is expected to produce texts, films and museum displays. It is also designed to deliver a new understanding of the IOW past, and a new appreciation of Australia's place in IOW history.Read moreRead less
Family, Politics and Society: The Valori Household and Florence, 1380-1650. This is a study of one family's engagement in the turbulent and dangerous world of Florentine politics over nine generations. A study of the Valori will enable us to identify the political assumptions that inspired them and other Florentines to fight against the trends towards despotism. An understanding of these assumptions and the civic values they engendered will benefit our society's efforts to strengthen family bond ....Family, Politics and Society: The Valori Household and Florence, 1380-1650. This is a study of one family's engagement in the turbulent and dangerous world of Florentine politics over nine generations. A study of the Valori will enable us to identify the political assumptions that inspired them and other Florentines to fight against the trends towards despotism. An understanding of these assumptions and the civic values they engendered will benefit our society's efforts to strengthen family bonds, instil civic responsibility and combat the political indifference which, in the opinion of our political leaders, threatens to 'disengage the young from the democratic process' (Governor-General Michael Jeffery, 26-1-2005).Read moreRead less
Beyond the Family: Fragmented Families and Household Strategies in England, 1400-1830. This project poses radical new questions to the history of families and domestic relations in England 1400-1830. We aim to provide the first systematic analysis of the extent, variety, and significance of non-nuclear family forms in this period, explore their affectual relationships, and locate them in European contexts. Using approaches from literary textual analysis to statistical demography, we will critiqu ....Beyond the Family: Fragmented Families and Household Strategies in England, 1400-1830. This project poses radical new questions to the history of families and domestic relations in England 1400-1830. We aim to provide the first systematic analysis of the extent, variety, and significance of non-nuclear family forms in this period, explore their affectual relationships, and locate them in European contexts. Using approaches from literary textual analysis to statistical demography, we will critique several areas of scholarship on family and household history, evoking new research on medieval and early modern non-nuclear family structures, and hopefully providing fresh perspectives on the historical context of the perceived 'breakdown' of nuclear families in modern western-type societies.Read moreRead less