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.
The Western Nation-State, Cultural Pluralism and the Transnational Circulation of Political Emotions in the Shi'a Lebanese Diaspora. At its most general level, this research aims to expose and explain the importance of emotions in the formation of all cultures. In so doing it opens the way for a more complex understanding of some of the invisible but important forces that shape intercultural relations within culturally plural nations. It will thus open the possibilities for ameliorating and refi ....The Western Nation-State, Cultural Pluralism and the Transnational Circulation of Political Emotions in the Shi'a Lebanese Diaspora. At its most general level, this research aims to expose and explain the importance of emotions in the formation of all cultures. In so doing it opens the way for a more complex understanding of some of the invisible but important forces that shape intercultural relations within culturally plural nations. It will thus open the possibilities for ameliorating and refining government policies concerned with the management of pluralism. At a more particular level, the research hopes to produce critical knowledge about diasporic Arab Muslim cultures that will ameliorate the thorny relations these cultures have today with western governments.Read moreRead less
Spaces of Becoming: Spatial Strategies and the Formation of Modern Identities in Urban South Asia. The intensification of urbanisation in South Asia calls for new ways of understanding the politics of identity, and social complexity. This project will explore ways in which urban spaces (such as places of worship, streetscapes, markets, festival grounds, procession routes, and 'neighbourhoods') are used by different groups as a fundamental principle of organising social relations, including trans ....Spaces of Becoming: Spatial Strategies and the Formation of Modern Identities in Urban South Asia. The intensification of urbanisation in South Asia calls for new ways of understanding the politics of identity, and social complexity. This project will explore ways in which urban spaces (such as places of worship, streetscapes, markets, festival grounds, procession routes, and 'neighbourhoods') are used by different groups as a fundamental principle of organising social relations, including transmission of culture and creation of identity.
This interdisciplinary project argues that historicism - an exclusive temporal emphasis - can not capture the fundamental relationship between spaces and social processes that shapes contemporary cultural and social complexity in South Asia.
Read moreRead less
New Regional Labour Circuits in the South Pacific: Gender, Culture and Transnationalism. This project aims to produce vital knowledge about transforming Pacific and Pacific Islander migration. Pacific mobility is being shaped by new patterns of international trade, investment and aid adopted by key regional players—China, United States, Australia and New Zealand especially—the effects of which are not yet well understood. Using a multi-sited analysis of regional labour circuits focusing on the C ....New Regional Labour Circuits in the South Pacific: Gender, Culture and Transnationalism. This project aims to produce vital knowledge about transforming Pacific and Pacific Islander migration. Pacific mobility is being shaped by new patterns of international trade, investment and aid adopted by key regional players—China, United States, Australia and New Zealand especially—the effects of which are not yet well understood. Using a multi-sited analysis of regional labour circuits focusing on the Cook Islands, Australia and New Zealand, this project aims to connect these broad geopolitical shifts to the movement of individuals and families, and to their gendered and culturally embedded economic practices.Read moreRead less
Angulimala walks - from understanding violence in Cambodia to building cultural competence in Australian international development. The purpose of this project is to make sure that people affected by violence in formerly war-torn countries like Cambodia (including those who migrated to Australia) are helped in culturally appropriate ways. The project will lead to a framework for 'cultural competence' to be used by Australia's international development and health sectors.
The Maronites of Lebanon: Arab Christians in the Era of ISIS. This project aims to capture ethnographically the way Maronite culture is evolving in response to regional pressures. The Maronites of Lebanon were the dominant community of modern Lebanon. Since the end of the civil war (1975–90), they have lost their economic power to the Sunnis associated with the Gulf capitalism that has rebuilt Lebanon. They have also lost their military and political power to the Shi'a who have accumulated milit ....The Maronites of Lebanon: Arab Christians in the Era of ISIS. This project aims to capture ethnographically the way Maronite culture is evolving in response to regional pressures. The Maronites of Lebanon were the dominant community of modern Lebanon. Since the end of the civil war (1975–90), they have lost their economic power to the Sunnis associated with the Gulf capitalism that has rebuilt Lebanon. They have also lost their military and political power to the Shi'a who have accumulated military strength through their struggle against Israel's occupation and their links to Iran. The Maronites are also declining numerically and, most dramatically today, like all Arab Christians, living with the spectre of Islamic fundamentalism in the region, particularly the threat of ISIS (Islamic State).Read moreRead less
Becoming at home: the good starts for refugee youth cohort, transition to early adulthood and settlement outcomes. This project follows a cohort of young adults with refugee backgrounds who have been living in Australia for around ten years, and will examine settlement and social integration outcomes. This study will provide a robust evidence-base that can inform humanitarian settlement policy and programs.
Forced transnationalism: sending migrants' children home. Parents in some migrant groups in Australia send their children to the homeland in response to 'bad' behaviour. This project will entail a case study of Tongan migrants and their Australian born children and publications will address the implications of this practice for young people and their families and for both the home country and Australia.
Sorcery and Human Security in Vanuatu: Violence, Health, Governance, and the Implications for Effective Development. Belief in sorcery and violence caused by accusations of sorcery are endemic across the Western Pacific and pose serious challenges for effective healthcare and governance. Using Vanuatu as a case study, this research is the first to systematically analyse the link between sorcery and human security in the region. This includes addressing the current lack of awareness in key develo ....Sorcery and Human Security in Vanuatu: Violence, Health, Governance, and the Implications for Effective Development. Belief in sorcery and violence caused by accusations of sorcery are endemic across the Western Pacific and pose serious challenges for effective healthcare and governance. Using Vanuatu as a case study, this research is the first to systematically analyse the link between sorcery and human security in the region. This includes addressing the current lack of awareness in key development sectors of the social, health and governance implications of sorcery beliefs. The study will provide evidence and a framework for integrating local belief contexts into international development practice. It will also develop innovative theoretical approaches to understanding sorcery beliefs and related practices in terms of transformations of modernity.Read moreRead less
Imagining the Asian Child: Towards an Anthropology of New Asian Childhoods. This innovative study will be of both popular and scholarly interest. The future of childhoods is a key concern in Australia and globally, with growing anxieties about a number of related issues: declining birthrates, ageing populations and allegedly rising welfare burdens, youth crime, and children's experiences in families. Asian and family studies are both acknowledged scholarly strengths in Australia: the project, ....Imagining the Asian Child: Towards an Anthropology of New Asian Childhoods. This innovative study will be of both popular and scholarly interest. The future of childhoods is a key concern in Australia and globally, with growing anxieties about a number of related issues: declining birthrates, ageing populations and allegedly rising welfare burdens, youth crime, and children's experiences in families. Asian and family studies are both acknowledged scholarly strengths in Australia: the project, drawing on the principal investigator's expertise in both fields, will place regional developments in a global context, and will appeal to a range of social scientists and cultural theorists interested in comparative studies of family and childhoods.Read moreRead less