Sonic practice in Japan: sound in everyday life. This anthropological project focuses on 'sonic practice' - a way of understanding how sound is made significant to people in their everyday life - and its impact on social relations in Japan.
Sisters and Sojourners: Stories of Rural Women in Urban China. A large increase in unofficial rural to urban migration has been one of the most significant aspects of social change in China in the last two decades. This project aims to advance our understanding of this phenomenon through a study of rural Chinese women's experiences of migration to the city, and in particular, the effects of migration upon their sense of identity, worldview and relationships with others. The project will involv ....Sisters and Sojourners: Stories of Rural Women in Urban China. A large increase in unofficial rural to urban migration has been one of the most significant aspects of social change in China in the last two decades. This project aims to advance our understanding of this phenomenon through a study of rural Chinese women's experiences of migration to the city, and in particular, the effects of migration upon their sense of identity, worldview and relationships with others. The project will involve ethnographic fieldwork, centring on the collection and analysis of rural migrant women's life stories. It will result in the publication of a book and three scholarly articles.Read moreRead less
The Commercialization of Ritual and Transformation of Kinship in Urban China. This project analyses transformations in the practice of kinship in urban China by examining the commercial enterprises that conduct funerals and weddings. Through a focus on the imagination of kinship performed in these rituals, it will address major scholarly debates on three topics: the relationship between urbanisation and practices of kinship; the wider social ramifications of the commercialisation of ritual; and ....The Commercialization of Ritual and Transformation of Kinship in Urban China. This project analyses transformations in the practice of kinship in urban China by examining the commercial enterprises that conduct funerals and weddings. Through a focus on the imagination of kinship performed in these rituals, it will address major scholarly debates on three topics: the relationship between urbanisation and practices of kinship; the wider social ramifications of the commercialisation of ritual; and how to theorise Chinese modernity. In addition to contributing to theoretical debates, the project will make a major empirical contribution to China studies by providing the first systematic depiction of contemporary urban funerals.Read moreRead less
Chieftainship and social change in the Trobriand islands: A new theory of leadership and sub-state political dynamics for the Pacific. Australia's closest neighbours to the north and east are Pacific nation-states where in many instances 'chieftainship' has been a dominant locus of social organisation and change from pre-colonial times to the present. While these systems in their modern forms have appeared to outsiders as 'weak', 'unstable' or 'failing', the real problem is that they have been p ....Chieftainship and social change in the Trobriand islands: A new theory of leadership and sub-state political dynamics for the Pacific. Australia's closest neighbours to the north and east are Pacific nation-states where in many instances 'chieftainship' has been a dominant locus of social organisation and change from pre-colonial times to the present. While these systems in their modern forms have appeared to outsiders as 'weak', 'unstable' or 'failing', the real problem is that they have been poorly understood by social scientists, policy-makers and others. This research will develop a more accurate theory of the dynamics of Pacific chieftainship that will enhance Australia's understanding of its neighbours and the effectiveness of our policies and approach to the region. Read moreRead less
Indigenous Diaspora: a new direction in the ethnographic study of the migration of Australian Aboriginal people from remote areas. This project relates directly to current policy debates about the future of Aboriginal populations in remote Australia and proposals for encouraging mobility between homeland centres and distant jobs and education. It seeks to understand the process and the social and cultural implications of the urbanisation of remote Aboriginal people. As such, it addresses the pri ....Indigenous Diaspora: a new direction in the ethnographic study of the migration of Australian Aboriginal people from remote areas. This project relates directly to current policy debates about the future of Aboriginal populations in remote Australia and proposals for encouraging mobility between homeland centres and distant jobs and education. It seeks to understand the process and the social and cultural implications of the urbanisation of remote Aboriginal people. As such, it addresses the priority goal of understanding and strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals lead healthy, productive and fulfilling lives (Research Priority 2). It will also provide a model for the extension of existing anthropological research on remote Aboriginal communities.Read moreRead less
Intercommunal and Translocal Space in Fairfield: Tracking Indochinese Australian Lives. While providing important socio-cultural information about Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese communities in western Sydney, this project takes an innovative approach to the study of 'minority' communities in multicultural societies. By locating itself at the points of contact between communities, the proposed research recognises that subjects are often members of multiple social groups, and that they shift back a ....Intercommunal and Translocal Space in Fairfield: Tracking Indochinese Australian Lives. While providing important socio-cultural information about Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese communities in western Sydney, this project takes an innovative approach to the study of 'minority' communities in multicultural societies. By locating itself at the points of contact between communities, the proposed research recognises that subjects are often members of multiple social groups, and that they shift back and forth across their boundaries. Such a perspective enables one to avoid the fallacy of locating 'the multicultural' in minority subjects/cultures, and thus 'multicultural problems' within particular 'problem communities'. Rather, it situates the multicultural in the interstices between 'mainstream' and 'minority' AustraliaRead moreRead less
Recycling modernity: an anthropological study of India's mobile phone repair and recycling economies. This project helps us understand the implications that consumer capitalism and e-waste has on emerging economies. It will be the first anthropological study to examine the repair and recycling economies of India, seeking a new theoretical framework for understanding the paradox of India's consumer culture.
Contexts of Collection- a dialogic approach to understanding the making of the material record of Yolngu cultures. The research project will make people aware of the collaborative nature of the material record of Yolngu societies that has been made over time by the participation of researchers, collectors, filmmakers and Yolngu people themselves. It will demonstrate the ways in which digital technology can be used as an integral part of a research process to produce outcomes that can be made acc ....Contexts of Collection- a dialogic approach to understanding the making of the material record of Yolngu cultures. The research project will make people aware of the collaborative nature of the material record of Yolngu societies that has been made over time by the participation of researchers, collectors, filmmakers and Yolngu people themselves. It will demonstrate the ways in which digital technology can be used as an integral part of a research process to produce outcomes that can be made accessible to a wide range of different users. It will help people understand the complex historical processes that have resulted in the present museum and archival record and facilitate their use.Read moreRead less
Sentiments of the City: An Ethnography of Transformations in Urban Life and Intimate Relations in India. Australian scholarship has a long and illustrious history of intellectual engagements with India. Through exploring two specific sites of the momentous changes taking place in Indian cultural and social life, viz. those in the spheres of intimacies and urban life, this project will reinvigorate this history. It will also add to our understanding of the effects of globalization upon a major -- ....Sentiments of the City: An Ethnography of Transformations in Urban Life and Intimate Relations in India. Australian scholarship has a long and illustrious history of intellectual engagements with India. Through exploring two specific sites of the momentous changes taking place in Indian cultural and social life, viz. those in the spheres of intimacies and urban life, this project will reinvigorate this history. It will also add to our understanding of the effects of globalization upon a major -- and increasingly important -- Asian country. The findings will be of interest to anthropologists, historians, urban studies scholars, and scholars interested in changing ideas of gender and power in the current era.Read moreRead less
Ethnic, Religious and Social Bases of Community in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. This project will promote understanding of a fast developing region of Vietnam in which large amounts of Australian development aid resources have been spent and with which Australian companies have growing trade and investment activities. The Mekong delta is a multicultural and religiously diverse area, very different from other parts of the country. Yet we know very little about why the delta is so economically pro ....Ethnic, Religious and Social Bases of Community in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. This project will promote understanding of a fast developing region of Vietnam in which large amounts of Australian development aid resources have been spent and with which Australian companies have growing trade and investment activities. The Mekong delta is a multicultural and religiously diverse area, very different from other parts of the country. Yet we know very little about why the delta is so economically productive and why there has been little conflict between its many ethnic and religious groups. This project will advance Australia's reputation as a world leader in social scientific research on Vietnam.Read moreRead less