God, Blood, Country: An Ethnographic Study of Christian Institutions and Political Processes in Fiji. This Discovery project addresses the Australian government's commitments to law and justice in the Pacific by seeking to understand Christian institutions' roles in national political processes, focusing specifically on Fiji. Understanding the ways that citizens of the region see links between religious and political authority is a vital first step toward understanding present conflicts and pot ....God, Blood, Country: An Ethnographic Study of Christian Institutions and Political Processes in Fiji. This Discovery project addresses the Australian government's commitments to law and justice in the Pacific by seeking to understand Christian institutions' roles in national political processes, focusing specifically on Fiji. Understanding the ways that citizens of the region see links between religious and political authority is a vital first step toward understanding present conflicts and potential means of securing peace.Read moreRead less
Revitalisation Movements in Contemporary Indonesia: Nativist Reworkings of Custom and Religion in Reaction to Decentralisation, Islamisation and Globalisation. Australia needs to understand the ethno-cultural diversity of its neighbour Indonesia to appreciate the wider pluralist context in which political Islam, including the terrorist fringe (e.g. JI), operates. Understanding of emergent social movements among Indonesian minorities highlights the constraints upon political Islam and divergent p ....Revitalisation Movements in Contemporary Indonesia: Nativist Reworkings of Custom and Religion in Reaction to Decentralisation, Islamisation and Globalisation. Australia needs to understand the ethno-cultural diversity of its neighbour Indonesia to appreciate the wider pluralist context in which political Islam, including the terrorist fringe (e.g. JI), operates. Understanding of emergent social movements among Indonesian minorities highlights the constraints upon political Islam and divergent pressures upon Indonesian national integrity, crucial issues for formulating foreign policy. It also provides comparative understanding of Indonesian movements parallel to those harnessing Indigenous and migrant aspirations in Australia, which is central to domestic policies insuring minority rights in a multiculturalist framework.Read moreRead less
Government, Religion and the Problem of Moral Order in Contemporary Papua New Guinea. Successful Australian international relations depend on understanding the popular culture within which neighbouring people formulate grievances and desires for change. PNG is physically close to Australia; it was an administered colony and today as a regional ally it receives much Australian aid. Many Australian organizations, companies and citizens reside in PNG. This project will provide accurate knowledge o ....Government, Religion and the Problem of Moral Order in Contemporary Papua New Guinea. Successful Australian international relations depend on understanding the popular culture within which neighbouring people formulate grievances and desires for change. PNG is physically close to Australia; it was an administered colony and today as a regional ally it receives much Australian aid. Many Australian organizations, companies and citizens reside in PNG. This project will provide accurate knowledge of how popular religious movements can provide a political language for voicing everyday expectations and grievances. Social and cultural changes can produce new perceptions of injustice that are voiced as a moral critique of present day government, where the future kingdom of God or of the dead is used as a point of ethical contrast.Read moreRead less
Religion and Spirituality in the Contemporary World: An Indonesian Case Study. Religious extremism in Indonesia became a major security concern for Australia after the Bali bombing. Research thus focused on the networks of small and rather marginal Islamic radical groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), while the broader national and international trends that give rise to this and other, more moderate and popular new forms of religiosity remained unexplored. This emphasis on extremism contributed ....Religion and Spirituality in the Contemporary World: An Indonesian Case Study. Religious extremism in Indonesia became a major security concern for Australia after the Bali bombing. Research thus focused on the networks of small and rather marginal Islamic radical groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), while the broader national and international trends that give rise to this and other, more moderate and popular new forms of religiosity remained unexplored. This emphasis on extremism contributed to a stereotyping of Islam as intransigent, and of multi-ethnic and multi-religious Indonesia as an Islamic nation. The current project will deliver a more balanced appraisal of the impact of resurging religiosity in our region by focusing on the pluralistic and relativistic religious attitudes more representative of Indonesian society today.Read moreRead less
Ethnic, Religious and Social Bases of Community in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. This project will promote understanding of a fast developing region of Vietnam in which large amounts of Australian development aid resources have been spent and with which Australian companies have growing trade and investment activities. The Mekong delta is a multicultural and religiously diverse area, very different from other parts of the country. Yet we know very little about why the delta is so economically pro ....Ethnic, Religious and Social Bases of Community in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. This project will promote understanding of a fast developing region of Vietnam in which large amounts of Australian development aid resources have been spent and with which Australian companies have growing trade and investment activities. The Mekong delta is a multicultural and religiously diverse area, very different from other parts of the country. Yet we know very little about why the delta is so economically productive and why there has been little conflict between its many ethnic and religious groups. This project will advance Australia's reputation as a world leader in social scientific research on Vietnam.Read moreRead less
Muslims and Christians: Women, Religious Nationalism and Sustainability in the Asia Pacific Region. This project should provide agencies concerned with national security and immigration with an improved understanding of the impact of religious nationalism on communities and individuals. It should contribute to the effectiveness of Australian overseas aid initiatives, both government and voluntary, by increasing the available knowledge of how communities are sustaining themselves at present. It s ....Muslims and Christians: Women, Religious Nationalism and Sustainability in the Asia Pacific Region. This project should provide agencies concerned with national security and immigration with an improved understanding of the impact of religious nationalism on communities and individuals. It should contribute to the effectiveness of Australian overseas aid initiatives, both government and voluntary, by increasing the available knowledge of how communities are sustaining themselves at present. It should, further, produce findings that make it easier for health, education and welfare agencies to deal sensitively with Muslim communities within AustraliaRead moreRead less