Asbestos: The History of a Commodity. This is the first world history of the asbestos industry and its social impact. It investigates key aspects of the mineral's life story in regard to mining, manufacture, medical discovery, labour, social movements, the law and the state. The project is theoretically innovative in linking the distinct bodies of knowledge that flow from each of those sites. It also raises significant questions that cannot be answered within separate disciplines. The result ....Asbestos: The History of a Commodity. This is the first world history of the asbestos industry and its social impact. It investigates key aspects of the mineral's life story in regard to mining, manufacture, medical discovery, labour, social movements, the law and the state. The project is theoretically innovative in linking the distinct bodies of knowledge that flow from each of those sites. It also raises significant questions that cannot be answered within separate disciplines. The resulting book and articles will provide practical tools for those seeking improved working conditions and assist those seeking legal redress for asbestos related disease.Read moreRead less
Translocal Identities in the Malay World: Travel, Commerce, Community Building and Religious Reform in Insular and Peninsular Southeast Asia. First, the project contributes to an understanding of the region. Second, understanding how different governments in the region have and are managing religious and cultural diversity may provide lessons for Australia. Third, a study of migration within the region can make a significant contribution to debates within Australia on immigration from Asia. Four ....Translocal Identities in the Malay World: Travel, Commerce, Community Building and Religious Reform in Insular and Peninsular Southeast Asia. First, the project contributes to an understanding of the region. Second, understanding how different governments in the region have and are managing religious and cultural diversity may provide lessons for Australia. Third, a study of migration within the region can make a significant contribution to debates within Australia on immigration from Asia. Fourth, there are benefits in greater understanding of Islamic networks in Southeast Asia as these are of strategic significance for Australia. Finally, there are benefits in informing an Australian public that Southeast Asia should not be equated solely with negative aspects but also with civility and tolerance.Read moreRead less
Understanding a Changing Australia. This project will use a body of interview material collected in the late 1980s supplemented with new material to investigate how Australians have made sense of the social and political changes of the past two decades. An APD Fellow will focus on changes in people's understandings of indigenous issues in these decades, and the project as a whole will include a comparison of metropolitian and rural/regional responses. The project will integrate participants' r ....Understanding a Changing Australia. This project will use a body of interview material collected in the late 1980s supplemented with new material to investigate how Australians have made sense of the social and political changes of the past two decades. An APD Fellow will focus on changes in people's understandings of indigenous issues in these decades, and the project as a whole will include a comparison of metropolitian and rural/regional responses. The project will integrate participants' responses to the changes of the past two decades with analysis of their life histories and characteristic political ideology.Read moreRead less
Promoting Whiteness: Race Science and the Making of the Middle-Class Woman in Australia, 1880-1940. Many Australians remain confused about precisely how race relations operated and were defined in the early twentieth century. Since, elite women were central actors in promoting racial ideologies, this study will provide the a broad insight into precisely how racial ideologies came to permeate white Australian society and their importance for both national and individual identity. Such insights ar ....Promoting Whiteness: Race Science and the Making of the Middle-Class Woman in Australia, 1880-1940. Many Australians remain confused about precisely how race relations operated and were defined in the early twentieth century. Since, elite women were central actors in promoting racial ideologies, this study will provide the a broad insight into precisely how racial ideologies came to permeate white Australian society and their importance for both national and individual identity. Such insights are of critical importance to understanding the impact of racial thought in the past, and its continuing effects, and thus for our ability to move beyond the current acrimonious debates over race within Australia and in within our region.Read moreRead less
Cultural maintenance, cultural change: a comparative history of Yiddish Melbourne. Given the aging of the Australian population, immigration remains a vital national concern - indeed, its significance is likely to increase over the coming decades. This context makes clear the national and community benefit of research into the effectiveness of immigration policy and the experience of immigrants. This study will be of particular importance for its innovative approach to evaluation of the success ....Cultural maintenance, cultural change: a comparative history of Yiddish Melbourne. Given the aging of the Australian population, immigration remains a vital national concern - indeed, its significance is likely to increase over the coming decades. This context makes clear the national and community benefit of research into the effectiveness of immigration policy and the experience of immigrants. This study will be of particular importance for its innovative approach to evaluation of the successes and failures of policy, of the factors which facilitate immigrant success, and the adaptation to Australian life of members the second and third generation.
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Whiteness: writing, reading, race. The national and community benefits of this project lie in the contribution it will make to the wider work of Australian reconciliation through its analyses of writing as one of the important meeting grounds between white and Aboriginal Australians. By analysing the race relations of writing culture, the project will contribute to the important work of understanding white-Indigenous relations in contemporary postcolonial Australia.
A study of the rise of Islam and community survival in Indigenous Australia. The recovery of the history of Islam in Indigenous Australia makes available new information about the sources of national identity. It provides compelling arguments to dismantle community stereotypes that have prevented the recognition of an exemplary hybrid community tradition as integral to our collective sense of self. Linked to the contemporary phenomenon of Indigenous Islamicisation, this study makes possible a ne ....A study of the rise of Islam and community survival in Indigenous Australia. The recovery of the history of Islam in Indigenous Australia makes available new information about the sources of national identity. It provides compelling arguments to dismantle community stereotypes that have prevented the recognition of an exemplary hybrid community tradition as integral to our collective sense of self. Linked to the contemporary phenomenon of Indigenous Islamicisation, this study makes possible a new and timely dialogue between Australian Muslims, Indigenous communities and Australian society generally. Identifying new sources and resources of community-making at a local, national and international level, this study significantly enriches Australia's capacity to negotiate its place in the world. Read moreRead less
Jean Martin and the Social Sciences in Australia. Jean Martin was a major founder of the social sciences in Australia, a pioneer in institution building and cultural traffic. She built institutions and networks by working Sociology and Anthropology together, combining intellectual cultures from Australia, America, Germany and Britain. A collectively authored book will establish the nature of Martin's contribution to social science and society, and uncover the nature of intellectual innovation, ....Jean Martin and the Social Sciences in Australia. Jean Martin was a major founder of the social sciences in Australia, a pioneer in institution building and cultural traffic. She built institutions and networks by working Sociology and Anthropology together, combining intellectual cultures from Australia, America, Germany and Britain. A collectively authored book will establish the nature of Martin's contribution to social science and society, and uncover the nature of intellectual innovation, networking and institution-building in social sciences in Australia and beyond. This project develops new perspectives on the culture of the social sciences, Australian nation-building and civil society in the twentieth century.Read moreRead less
Asia-Pacific Cosmopolitanisms: Managing Diversity and Identity Politics in a Changing Region. Why can people of diverse cultural and other backgrounds sometimes devise ways of living together while, at other times, they can be drawn into racism and violence? Are there ways of coping with, managing - even celebrating - human social, cultural, biological and sexual diversity that do not lead to conflict and exclusion? Are we seeing new cosmopolitanisms emerging? This research will investigate thes ....Asia-Pacific Cosmopolitanisms: Managing Diversity and Identity Politics in a Changing Region. Why can people of diverse cultural and other backgrounds sometimes devise ways of living together while, at other times, they can be drawn into racism and violence? Are there ways of coping with, managing - even celebrating - human social, cultural, biological and sexual diversity that do not lead to conflict and exclusion? Are we seeing new cosmopolitanisms emerging? This research will investigate these questions by focusing on the Asia-Pacific region. The research will result in several publications (monographs, articles, etc.), a website/discussion forum, research database/resources facilities, a conference, and the consolidation of long-term collaborative links with Asian intellectuals.Read moreRead less
Comparative dimensions of active citizenship: an analysis of indicators of inclusivity and exclusivity in civil society. Active citizenship is a key concept in debates around the nature of civil society and the changing forms of citizenship. To date, grounded studies of the concept have been few. The project's significance lies in its focus on developing indicators of active citizenship. This enables the empirical charting of active citizenship. The comparative aspect to the project will heighte ....Comparative dimensions of active citizenship: an analysis of indicators of inclusivity and exclusivity in civil society. Active citizenship is a key concept in debates around the nature of civil society and the changing forms of citizenship. To date, grounded studies of the concept have been few. The project's significance lies in its focus on developing indicators of active citizenship. This enables the empirical charting of active citizenship. The comparative aspect to the project will heighten our ability to understand these processes in Australia in relation to other countries.
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