Central Asia between Islam and the Great Powers: The Implications of September 11. The so-called 'Islamic threat' has become a significant but elusive factor in the politics of Central Asia. It now also looms large in official thinking in Beijing, Moscow and Washington. By combining diverse and complementary research skills and backgrounds, this study will shed new light on the impact of Islam in this emerging centre of geopolitical rivalry and beyond. The analysis will centre on the unexplored ....Central Asia between Islam and the Great Powers: The Implications of September 11. The so-called 'Islamic threat' has become a significant but elusive factor in the politics of Central Asia. It now also looms large in official thinking in Beijing, Moscow and Washington. By combining diverse and complementary research skills and backgrounds, this study will shed new light on the impact of Islam in this emerging centre of geopolitical rivalry and beyond. The analysis will centre on the unexplored but critical interaction between the domestic and foreign policies of the Central Asian republics on the one hand, and the complex and evolving relationship between them and the great powers on the other.Read moreRead less
State, Class and Islamic Populism: Indonesia in Comparative Perspective. This study will provide a different basis for the assessment of Australian policy responses to Islamic radicalism in Indonesia. It will expose the social foundations of Islamic populism as a particular expression of political Islam and in so doing allow the Australian public and policymakers to understand the complex networks and relationships that generate and sustain Islamic populism, including its radical streams. It wil ....State, Class and Islamic Populism: Indonesia in Comparative Perspective. This study will provide a different basis for the assessment of Australian policy responses to Islamic radicalism in Indonesia. It will expose the social foundations of Islamic populism as a particular expression of political Islam and in so doing allow the Australian public and policymakers to understand the complex networks and relationships that generate and sustain Islamic populism, including its radical streams. It will enable an identification and differentiation of the social forces resisting or advancing democratic governance reforms in Indonesia. With this knowledge, programmes intended to help develop domestic pro-democratic coalitions to stem the rise of radical Islamic groups have a sounder social scientific base.Read moreRead less
Religion and Governance in India, c.1000-2000 CE. This project will add significantly to the fund of Australian knowledge about the most important country in our region. It will feed into the continuing debate in this country on the proper balance between secularism and 'multiculturalism'. It will enhance our international scholarly reputation. By illuminating ways in which Indian governments have managed to mediate and contain social tensions produced by warring fundamentalisms, it will assist ....Religion and Governance in India, c.1000-2000 CE. This project will add significantly to the fund of Australian knowledge about the most important country in our region. It will feed into the continuing debate in this country on the proper balance between secularism and 'multiculturalism'. It will enhance our international scholarly reputation. By illuminating ways in which Indian governments have managed to mediate and contain social tensions produced by warring fundamentalisms, it will assist our policy-makers in identifying aspects of Australian communal life at risk of expolitation by zealots linked to overseas terrorist networks, thereby adding to our security.Read moreRead less