Family Internet: theorising domestic Internet consumption, production and use within Australian families. The proposed research interrogates the role of the Internet in Australian domestic contexts, specifically among families with school-aged children. The investigation will inform discussion about ways in which the Internet is becoming integrated within family life, including the relocation of school and work agendas to the domestic sphere.
The significance of the research lies in the growin ....Family Internet: theorising domestic Internet consumption, production and use within Australian families. The proposed research interrogates the role of the Internet in Australian domestic contexts, specifically among families with school-aged children. The investigation will inform discussion about ways in which the Internet is becoming integrated within family life, including the relocation of school and work agendas to the domestic sphere.
The significance of the research lies in the growing sociocultural importance of the Internet and its potential role as a catalyst for, and an enabler of, knowledge creation and management. Age, gender, power, pleasure, competencies and roles relating to Internet use within Australian family settings will all be addressed.
Read moreRead less
Anti-Ageing Devices: On the Cultural Politics of Staying Young in a Globalised World. This project explores the proximity of the promotional materials of anti-ageing entrepreneurs to the "healthy ageing" policies central to Australia's strategies for the governance of later life. Little is known about how these initiatives are received at the users' end. By approaching "healthy ageing" campaigns as part of a continuum of images and forces that reconfigure the popular understanding of the life co ....Anti-Ageing Devices: On the Cultural Politics of Staying Young in a Globalised World. This project explores the proximity of the promotional materials of anti-ageing entrepreneurs to the "healthy ageing" policies central to Australia's strategies for the governance of later life. Little is known about how these initiatives are received at the users' end. By approaching "healthy ageing" campaigns as part of a continuum of images and forces that reconfigure the popular understanding of the life course, the project seeks to inform the long-term policy debate regarding the healthcare of Australia's ageing population. Addressing ARC priority goals "Ageing well, ageing productively" and "Preventative health," the study will be of interest and use to policy makers, industry, advocacy groups, consumers, and the wider community.Read moreRead less
Skin Jobs: Biopolitics, Embodiment and Haptic Technologies. Haptic technologies use a combination of mechanical pressure and electrical impulses to simulate human touch, and have potential applications in a wide variety of fields including medicine, education, disability services, and entertainment. This project will contribute to the development of this technology, by locating the cultural meanings associated with touch and so enabling applications to be developed for specific audiences and u ....Skin Jobs: Biopolitics, Embodiment and Haptic Technologies. Haptic technologies use a combination of mechanical pressure and electrical impulses to simulate human touch, and have potential applications in a wide variety of fields including medicine, education, disability services, and entertainment. This project will contribute to the development of this technology, by locating the cultural meanings associated with touch and so enabling applications to be developed for specific audiences and users. The project thereby contributes to the development of smart technologies and, in its combination of resources from science and the arts, promotes a culture of innovation - both of which are essential to Australia's economic future.Read moreRead less
Making a Spectacle of Disagreement: Media and Controversy in Modern Chinese Thought. Polemical and combative rhetoric, as well as tactics of dispute and provocation, are an integral part of key debates that have shaped a century of modern Chinese thought. This study is the first attempt to survey and analyse intellectual contestations and controversies in twentieth-century and contemporary China in relation to their publication in different forms of media (especially electronic media) that have ....Making a Spectacle of Disagreement: Media and Controversy in Modern Chinese Thought. Polemical and combative rhetoric, as well as tactics of dispute and provocation, are an integral part of key debates that have shaped a century of modern Chinese thought. This study is the first attempt to survey and analyse intellectual contestations and controversies in twentieth-century and contemporary China in relation to their publication in different forms of media (especially electronic media) that have been available to Chinese intellectuals and the concerned public. We expect to provide a new critical account of Chinese intellectual history and contribute to knowledge of the socio-political and cultural impacts of new media in a non-Western context.Read moreRead less
The Life of Language and the Language of Life: reconsidering the division between the sciences and the humanities. This innovative theoretical approach will enable a close analysis of the common foundational concepts that connect the empirical and interpretive sciences. It will:
i) contribute to the knowledge base of the sociology and philosophy of science and social theory so that Australia is a leading expert in this field of inquiry.
ii) further the unique contribution of Australian 'femin ....The Life of Language and the Language of Life: reconsidering the division between the sciences and the humanities. This innovative theoretical approach will enable a close analysis of the common foundational concepts that connect the empirical and interpretive sciences. It will:
i) contribute to the knowledge base of the sociology and philosophy of science and social theory so that Australia is a leading expert in this field of inquiry.
ii) further the unique contribution of Australian 'feminisms of the body' to the ethical and political questions that surround the foundations of biological life.
iii) initiate different styles of dialogue between social and scientific researchers that will encourage more informed debate about the direction of Australian technological innovation.
Read moreRead less
Migration memories: an analysis of representations of Australian migration histories. This project is an innovative analysis of the representation of Australian migration heritage through community and archival research and imaginative forms of representation. The research focuses on underexplored regional locations and involves developing a pilot museum exhibition. The research for the exhibition will use the material of personal memory to create a dynamic connection between individual stories ....Migration memories: an analysis of representations of Australian migration histories. This project is an innovative analysis of the representation of Australian migration heritage through community and archival research and imaginative forms of representation. The research focuses on underexplored regional locations and involves developing a pilot museum exhibition. The research for the exhibition will use the material of personal memory to create a dynamic connection between individual stories, historical narratives and places. Community engagement with the exhibition will be investigated as part of the research process. This research will bridge the gap that exists in Australia between theoretical work on history and memory, migration and diaspora, and interpretive and museological practice.Read moreRead less
Optimising Volunteer Management Strategy at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (Victoria). This project reconceptualises volunteering as a ?cultural practice? (de Certeau 1984) to enable the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) to optimise its volunteer management through an enhanced understanding of who its volunteers are and why they volunteer for the ?blood bank?. Its operating premise is that knowing one's volunteer workforce is essential to their effective management. It builds on ....Optimising Volunteer Management Strategy at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (Victoria). This project reconceptualises volunteering as a ?cultural practice? (de Certeau 1984) to enable the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) to optimise its volunteer management through an enhanced understanding of who its volunteers are and why they volunteer for the ?blood bank?. Its operating premise is that knowing one's volunteer workforce is essential to their effective management. It builds on the platform of volunteer studies established by social research and extends it via a critical reconsideration of the work of Michel de Certeau.Read moreRead less