Cinema and the Senses: Temporality of the films of Stanley Kubrick, Terrence Malick and Kumar Shahani. The resulting monograph, articles and seminars will provide new methodologies for Australian cinema studies which has tended to depend on Euro-American models. The project offers three distinct ways of thinking about an ecology of the human senses in and through cinema. The ideas on cine-synaesthesia would link up with current research on this topic in other disciplines such as neurophysiology, ....Cinema and the Senses: Temporality of the films of Stanley Kubrick, Terrence Malick and Kumar Shahani. The resulting monograph, articles and seminars will provide new methodologies for Australian cinema studies which has tended to depend on Euro-American models. The project offers three distinct ways of thinking about an ecology of the human senses in and through cinema. The ideas on cine-synaesthesia would link up with current research on this topic in other disciplines such as neurophysiology, painting and music. The interdisciplinarity of the project offers, to the public sphere of Australian cinema, cross-cultural and cross-media perspectives on film aesthetics. Read moreRead less
Postoccidental Englishes and Rap. This project examines the conjunction between new Englishes and rap music. Applied linguistic research on world Englishes has focused predominantly on newly emergent standardized national varieties, and thus has tended to overlook the changing oral codes in domains such as popular music. By looking at the global spread of rap in relationship to the global spread of English, this project has great significance for 1.Expanding our knowledge about the implications ....Postoccidental Englishes and Rap. This project examines the conjunction between new Englishes and rap music. Applied linguistic research on world Englishes has focused predominantly on newly emergent standardized national varieties, and thus has tended to overlook the changing oral codes in domains such as popular music. By looking at the global spread of rap in relationship to the global spread of English, this project has great significance for 1.Expanding our knowledge about the implications and processes of this spread; 2. Developing a model of postoccidental Englishes that goes beyond current frameworks; and 3. Creating educational materials that can engage with student interests and desires.Read moreRead less
Continental Theory in the Wake of Cognitive Literary Studies. In an era that is plainly 'post-theoretical', the recent pioneering attempts to bridge the gap between literary studies and the cognitive neurosciences have far-reaching consequences for the study of English literature. This project will address those consequences by implementing a comparative critical study of continental theory and cognitive poetics, and through this comparison enlarge and refine urgent debates about the future of t ....Continental Theory in the Wake of Cognitive Literary Studies. In an era that is plainly 'post-theoretical', the recent pioneering attempts to bridge the gap between literary studies and the cognitive neurosciences have far-reaching consequences for the study of English literature. This project will address those consequences by implementing a comparative critical study of continental theory and cognitive poetics, and through this comparison enlarge and refine urgent debates about the future of the humanities and the kinds of teaching practices carried out therein. The project will therefore provide important groundwork for future research carried out at the frontier of literature, critical theory and cognitive science.Read moreRead less
The Other Orient. Reinterpreting Orientalist Art by studying the priorities of Ottoman painters and patrons in Constantinople, 1839-1909. My aim is to produce a new understanding of Orientalism through intensive research into the role of Ottoman elites in the development of art in nineteenth-century Constantinople. This will be the first comprehensive study of the complex web of cross-cultural interactions in the capital of the Ottoman Empire in this period, including the major art exhibitions, ....The Other Orient. Reinterpreting Orientalist Art by studying the priorities of Ottoman painters and patrons in Constantinople, 1839-1909. My aim is to produce a new understanding of Orientalism through intensive research into the role of Ottoman elites in the development of art in nineteenth-century Constantinople. This will be the first comprehensive study of the complex web of cross-cultural interactions in the capital of the Ottoman Empire in this period, including the major art exhibitions, the Sultan's patronage and the unique collaborations between European and Ottoman women artists and patrons. The result will be a major innovation within post-colonial and feminist art histories through the inclusion of indigenous perspectives on the production and reception of Orientalist art. The outcome will be two refereed journal articles and a book entitled, The Other Orient.Read moreRead less
Reverse Diaspora: Australian Expatriate Writers in Britain since the 1830s. The changing relations between Australia and Britain are explored in this project through writers of literature and drama. Reverse Diaspora explores the aspirations, problems and achievements of eighty expatriate Australians who have chosen to live and work in Britain since the early nineteenth century. From one point of view they represent a 'brain drain'; from another they are exporters of Australian ideas, experience ....Reverse Diaspora: Australian Expatriate Writers in Britain since the 1830s. The changing relations between Australia and Britain are explored in this project through writers of literature and drama. Reverse Diaspora explores the aspirations, problems and achievements of eighty expatriate Australians who have chosen to live and work in Britain since the early nineteenth century. From one point of view they represent a 'brain drain'; from another they are exporters of Australian ideas, experience and talent. This study will increase knowledge and understanding of the lives, creative achievements and public impact of Australians abroad. It will enhance Australians' capacity to interpret their national culture in their region and the world.Read moreRead less
The influence of Contemporary Japanese architecture: its meanings and its miss-readings. Contemporary architecture and urbanism in Australia has generally been concerned with addressing 'modernity' while little concerned with specific culture or place, and with little discernable ideology. Consequently, the City of Sydney is much used by international film-makers as an undifferentiated generic metropolis backdrop. In contrast, Japan's contemporary architects have developed a politically-charged ....The influence of Contemporary Japanese architecture: its meanings and its miss-readings. Contemporary architecture and urbanism in Australia has generally been concerned with addressing 'modernity' while little concerned with specific culture or place, and with little discernable ideology. Consequently, the City of Sydney is much used by international film-makers as an undifferentiated generic metropolis backdrop. In contrast, Japan's contemporary architects have developed a politically-charged architecture which registers the complexity of their national identity while turning its back on nationalism. This project will contrast the ideologies of leading contemporary architects in Japan and Australia and will serve as a benchmark against which contemporary Australian architecture can be assessed.Read moreRead less
Branding Cities on the West Pacific Rim: Cinematic Traditions and Tourism Marketing Strategies in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney. This innovative project emphasises brand-building as a part of visual culture, and cinema as a contributory influence to marketing decisions. It will produce a landmark study of media synergies in the contemporary world. It compares cinematic traditions and tourism marketing in cosmopolitan cities in the Australiasian region. The comparison, based on archival analysis ....Branding Cities on the West Pacific Rim: Cinematic Traditions and Tourism Marketing Strategies in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney. This innovative project emphasises brand-building as a part of visual culture, and cinema as a contributory influence to marketing decisions. It will produce a landmark study of media synergies in the contemporary world. It compares cinematic traditions and tourism marketing in cosmopolitan cities in the Australiasian region. The comparison, based on archival analysis and on interviews with producers, policy makers, and consumers, will determine whether images of the city converge or compete in business practice and cultural production. The research complements recent major Australian initiatives to re-evaluate creativity in the media.Read moreRead less
Risk, Media and Identity in Kosovo: Local/Global Trends in Democratization. In the new, post-Cold War global order, overt conflict and everyday risk for national populations has been endemic. What some call military humanism, followed by democratic reform and human renewal have marked the recent and current histories of Kosovo, Bosnia, East Timor, Afghanistan and various African states. Focussing on media and popular culture, this project will take Kosovo as a case study of democratic reform and ....Risk, Media and Identity in Kosovo: Local/Global Trends in Democratization. In the new, post-Cold War global order, overt conflict and everyday risk for national populations has been endemic. What some call military humanism, followed by democratic reform and human renewal have marked the recent and current histories of Kosovo, Bosnia, East Timor, Afghanistan and various African states. Focussing on media and popular culture, this project will take Kosovo as a case study of democratic reform and renewal. Drawing centrally on cultural and risk theory, it will examine new journalism training, the expansion of local radio, religious pilgrimage/tourism, and media coverage of memories of violence and risk in today's Kosovo.Read moreRead less
Peripheral Horizons: Reinterpreting Orientalist visual culture through a comparative study of women's Orientalism in Australia, the USA and Europe, 1855-1914. My project will make a crucial contribution to understanding Australia's place in the world through a comparative study of artistic responses to the Middle East in Australia, the USA, Britain and continental Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Now more than ever is there an urgent need for an understanding of this ....Peripheral Horizons: Reinterpreting Orientalist visual culture through a comparative study of women's Orientalism in Australia, the USA and Europe, 1855-1914. My project will make a crucial contribution to understanding Australia's place in the world through a comparative study of artistic responses to the Middle East in Australia, the USA, Britain and continental Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Now more than ever is there an urgent need for an understanding of this historical context for Australia's cultural perceptions of the Middle East. This project, which is the first comparative art historical study of its kind, will also make a vital contribution to our understanding of the similarities and differences between Australia's approach to this region and that of her western allies.Read moreRead less
Digital Technologies, Mediated Futures: Envisioning Culture in Arnhem Land. This research offers an exciting new way to understand how Aboriginal people are envisioning, and working towards, a culturally viable future for themselves and their children. Digital media technologies allow Yolngu elders to connect with current and future generations in new, but nevertheless, culturally appropriate ways. They allow them to work innovatively to strengthen the social fabric of communities in crisis. ....Digital Technologies, Mediated Futures: Envisioning Culture in Arnhem Land. This research offers an exciting new way to understand how Aboriginal people are envisioning, and working towards, a culturally viable future for themselves and their children. Digital media technologies allow Yolngu elders to connect with current and future generations in new, but nevertheless, culturally appropriate ways. They allow them to work innovatively to strengthen the social fabric of communities in crisis. For mainstream Australian society, this project represents an important opportunity for to learn directly from, and about, indigenous cultures. It offers a significant opportunity to take up the ethical and imaginative challenges of seeing the world from indigenous perspectives. Read moreRead less