Faith in Development: Religion, Gender and Resource Extraction in PNG. Australia’s neighbour, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in PNG, is about to become the world's newest nation. The proposed reopening of a highly divisive copper mine to finance its independence raises pressing economic and political issues for Australia. Both in Bougainville and its diaspora in Australia, people are passionate about Bougainville's future. But what kind of development do they aspire to and why? This coll ....Faith in Development: Religion, Gender and Resource Extraction in PNG. Australia’s neighbour, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in PNG, is about to become the world's newest nation. The proposed reopening of a highly divisive copper mine to finance its independence raises pressing economic and political issues for Australia. Both in Bougainville and its diaspora in Australia, people are passionate about Bougainville's future. But what kind of development do they aspire to and why? This collaborative, interdisciplinary and multi-sited project aims to examine the neglected roles of religion and gender in shaping people's 'faith' in development. The expected outcomes will improve understanding of Bougainvillean notions of development, facilitating better frameworks for development practices and outcomes.Read moreRead less
Music, Mobile Phones and Community Justice in Melanesia. This project seeks to understand how communities mobilise in Melanesia through the integration of digital media, mobile phones and music. Community integration and cohesion has long been connected to music as a vital medium in the region. This project plans to draw on new uses of mobile phones for creating, disseminating and listening to music to transform related social, cultural and industrial practices in Melanesia. The intended outcome ....Music, Mobile Phones and Community Justice in Melanesia. This project seeks to understand how communities mobilise in Melanesia through the integration of digital media, mobile phones and music. Community integration and cohesion has long been connected to music as a vital medium in the region. This project plans to draw on new uses of mobile phones for creating, disseminating and listening to music to transform related social, cultural and industrial practices in Melanesia. The intended outcomes of this project — novel phone apps and distribution strategies — will be designed to enable the creation and dissemination of community-building music more widely and affordably, and to provide an income-stimulating model of music distribution for Melanesian musicians.Read moreRead less
Fashioning Fiji: Investigating Creative Industries in a Developing Context. Governments, NGOs and other entities have turned their attention to the creative industries as an alternative space for national economic development. This project focuses upon the development and growth of the Fijian fashion industry across national (Suva), regional (Sydney and Auckland) and global (London) sites. It explores this growth in relation to three key factors: the integration of technology in the processes of ....Fashioning Fiji: Investigating Creative Industries in a Developing Context. Governments, NGOs and other entities have turned their attention to the creative industries as an alternative space for national economic development. This project focuses upon the development and growth of the Fijian fashion industry across national (Suva), regional (Sydney and Auckland) and global (London) sites. It explores this growth in relation to three key factors: the integration of technology in the processes of design and production; the use of digital and social media to build and expand markets; and capacity building for fashion entrepreneurs. Using digital ethnography and anthropological approaches, this study analyses how creative industries can be supported and sustained in developing contexts.Read moreRead less
Lost oceans? Threats to Pacific Island maritime claims and response options. This project aims to examine the potential impacts of a recent and major evolution in the law of the sea on the capacity of islands to generate broad maritime claims, with particular reference to the Pacific Island countries. It is the first systematic geospatial/legal analysis of maritime claims from Pacific islands in light of the recent South China Sea landmark international judicial decision. Expected outcomes inc ....Lost oceans? Threats to Pacific Island maritime claims and response options. This project aims to examine the potential impacts of a recent and major evolution in the law of the sea on the capacity of islands to generate broad maritime claims, with particular reference to the Pacific Island countries. It is the first systematic geospatial/legal analysis of maritime claims from Pacific islands in light of the recent South China Sea landmark international judicial decision. Expected outcomes include a detailed risk assessment to inform local policy-makers and an enhanced capacity to protect rights over valuable marine resources, contributing to food and regional security.Read moreRead less