Social, economic and health vulnerabilities in Indonesia. This project aims to study and provide ways to overcome vulnerability in Indonesia. Half the Indonesian population is still clustered around the poverty line, contributing to their vulnerability. This project will identify vulnerable groups and why they are vulnerable. Using a common framework of the life course in eight Indonesian field sites, this project will investigate whether social networks and welfare programs reduce vulnerability ....Social, economic and health vulnerabilities in Indonesia. This project aims to study and provide ways to overcome vulnerability in Indonesia. Half the Indonesian population is still clustered around the poverty line, contributing to their vulnerability. This project will identify vulnerable groups and why they are vulnerable. Using a common framework of the life course in eight Indonesian field sites, this project will investigate whether social networks and welfare programs reduce vulnerability, and pinpoint strategies for reducing vulnerabilities in the future. The project expects to show how vulnerable citizens in Indonesia can be made more secure, helping to build a more stable and prosperous region.Read moreRead less
Survival and growth of children in rural East Timor: the influences of family structure, resources and local environment on child outcomes. Families can moderate or exacerbate ecological challenges to child survival and growth. Rural families must balance labour needs with consumption and are challenged by unexpected environmental changes. The project will assess the characteristics of rural East Timorese families that are associated with positive outcomes in child survival and growth.
Neoliberalism, migration and diasporas: a comparative, ethnographic analysis of their intersections in Australia, Canada and Italy. This project will identify the connections between diasporas and the recent history of capitalism. Research data will be drawn from Canada, Italy and Australia to provide a comparative perspective on the cultural, economic and political transformations that connect diasporas with the structural changes in capitalism.
Christianity, conflict, and culture: an anthropological investigation of the political role of churches in Solomon Islands. This project contributes to a better understanding of one of Australia's closest neighbours, Solomon Islands. This nation, the site of political turmoil in recent years, is now the focus of an Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission. Many scholars and policy makers have commented on the importance of Christian organizations during the crisis in Solomon Islands and the ne ....Christianity, conflict, and culture: an anthropological investigation of the political role of churches in Solomon Islands. This project contributes to a better understanding of one of Australia's closest neighbours, Solomon Islands. This nation, the site of political turmoil in recent years, is now the focus of an Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission. Many scholars and policy makers have commented on the importance of Christian organizations during the crisis in Solomon Islands and the need to incorporate them in current attempts to restore stability and prosperity. However, most discussions are not informed by an understanding indigenous Christian belief and practice, a lacuna that this project aims to fill by providing an ethnographic investigation of how church-linked groups engage with secular national and international organizations. Read moreRead less
Social, Environmental and Economic Sustainability in the Context of Melanesian Mining Projects. This is an interdisciplinary study of Melanesian understandings of socio-economic and environmental sustainability in the context of mining projects. It entails research into traditional ecological knowledge and assessment of ways that local understandings and expectations compromise programs based on Western scientific principles. It will examine local ideas about land use and food security, and the ....Social, Environmental and Economic Sustainability in the Context of Melanesian Mining Projects. This is an interdisciplinary study of Melanesian understandings of socio-economic and environmental sustainability in the context of mining projects. It entails research into traditional ecological knowledge and assessment of ways that local understandings and expectations compromise programs based on Western scientific principles. It will examine local ideas about land use and food security, and the social and cultural factors that determine responses to impacts of mining projects. The project will involve collaborative, interdisciplinary research, integrating social and cultural analysis and environmental and agrarian studies. It will contribute to current debates on environmentalism, mining impact and sustainable development.Read moreRead less
Locating the Commonweal: Community, Environment and Local Governance Regimes in Reform Era Indonesia. The Indonesian government is currently implementing decentralisation legislation to address increasing regional discontent. In the context of political and economic crisis, these institutional reforms are intended to bring about greater popular participation in the political process and in resource management. This research will study several intersecting dimensions of reform in the local domai ....Locating the Commonweal: Community, Environment and Local Governance Regimes in Reform Era Indonesia. The Indonesian government is currently implementing decentralisation legislation to address increasing regional discontent. In the context of political and economic crisis, these institutional reforms are intended to bring about greater popular participation in the political process and in resource management. This research will study several intersecting dimensions of reform in the local domain: popular participation in decentralised governance; resource access and management by local communities; and the implications of reform for local sustainability and equity. The research will produce a comparative analysis of emerging governance patterns in the Reform Era based on locally grounded case studies spanning the Indonesian archipelago.Read moreRead less
Inequality, Identity and Future Discounting: A Comparative Ethnographic Approach to Social Trauma in Aboriginal Australian Communities. Via fieldwork in Aboriginal communities, this study examines the extent to which psychosocial processes of identity serve as a mechanism whereby social inequality becomes personal and community disadvantage. We focus on Aboriginal perspectives, their experiences and accounts of social traumas. The study's significance lies in the persistence of differentially hi ....Inequality, Identity and Future Discounting: A Comparative Ethnographic Approach to Social Trauma in Aboriginal Australian Communities. Via fieldwork in Aboriginal communities, this study examines the extent to which psychosocial processes of identity serve as a mechanism whereby social inequality becomes personal and community disadvantage. We focus on Aboriginal perspectives, their experiences and accounts of social traumas. The study's significance lies in the persistence of differentially high negative social indicators in Aboriginal communities. Its originality lies in conceptualizations of future discounting as a dimension of identity and of identity as a process critical to well-being. Outcomes include further understanding of the relationship between inequality,identity and well-being.Read moreRead less
Nature, culture and belonging in urban landscapes: an anthropological investigation into environmental beliefs, values and practices in Perth, Western Australia. This project explores contesting attitudes towards native and introduced plant and animal species in an urban Australian setting. It will document complex beliefs, values and practices associated with gardens, parks and pet-keeping in Perth, Western Australia, in order to investigate urban conceptions of what 'belongs' in local living e ....Nature, culture and belonging in urban landscapes: an anthropological investigation into environmental beliefs, values and practices in Perth, Western Australia. This project explores contesting attitudes towards native and introduced plant and animal species in an urban Australian setting. It will document complex beliefs, values and practices associated with gardens, parks and pet-keeping in Perth, Western Australia, in order to investigate urban conceptions of what 'belongs' in local living environments. Building on previous research in rural locations, the study will address links between urban environmental attitudes, and citizens' diverse senses of personal and cultural identity. The project will contribute to an emergent anthropological approach to the study of Australian society and promises outcomes of both academic and practical significance.Read moreRead less
UNDER WATER: a comparative ethnographic analysis of water use and resource management in Queensland and Western Australia. Via ethnographic fieldwork in four watershed catchment areas, this comparative study examines how interest groups use and manage water resources. Working with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups, pastoralists, miners, farmers and fishers, it will provide comprehensive in-depth analysis of the ways in which people conceptualise, use and evaluate water. The study will inves ....UNDER WATER: a comparative ethnographic analysis of water use and resource management in Queensland and Western Australia. Via ethnographic fieldwork in four watershed catchment areas, this comparative study examines how interest groups use and manage water resources. Working with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups, pastoralists, miners, farmers and fishers, it will provide comprehensive in-depth analysis of the ways in which people conceptualise, use and evaluate water. The study will investigate different perspectives on water resource management and environmental issues, such as salinity. Its major objectives are to further understanding of human-environmental relations in contrasting settings. By elucidating various practices, needs and values, we will show how conflicts might be resolved and effective management of water resources ensured.Read moreRead less
Australian Western Desert Kinship and Land Tenure Systems. The project aims to investigate the relationship between kinship and land tenure in Aboriginal Australia in the region between the NT/WA-border and Wiluna and Kalgoorlie following three aspects of group identification and differentiation.
Formal aspects: investigation of kinship terminologies and land tenure systems among the various groups; analysis of the semantic shifts of terms in space according to the diffusion of social categorie ....Australian Western Desert Kinship and Land Tenure Systems. The project aims to investigate the relationship between kinship and land tenure in Aboriginal Australia in the region between the NT/WA-border and Wiluna and Kalgoorlie following three aspects of group identification and differentiation.
Formal aspects: investigation of kinship terminologies and land tenure systems among the various groups; analysis of the semantic shifts of terms in space according to the diffusion of social categories. Pragmatic aspects: analysis of alliance strategies and kin-network in relation to places of birth and ?regional group? membership. Dynamic aspects: examination of the impact of migration and settlement on terminologies, alliance strategies, and land tenure systems.Read moreRead less