Social Support Provided in China to Older People with Disabilities. The project contributes to understanding our region through the opportunity to demonstrate Australia's engagement with China, with which it is establishing strong links in social, economic and cultural interests. It contributes to national understanding of East Asian policies for older people with a disability, including partnership approaches to social support between government, non-government and communities. The project stre ....Social Support Provided in China to Older People with Disabilities. The project contributes to understanding our region through the opportunity to demonstrate Australia's engagement with China, with which it is establishing strong links in social, economic and cultural interests. It contributes to national understanding of East Asian policies for older people with a disability, including partnership approaches to social support between government, non-government and communities. The project strengthens connections between Australian researchers and policy officials, the China Research Centre on Ageing, and Chinese government organisations.Read moreRead less
Institutions for Food Security: Global Lessons from Rural India. Between 2006 and 2008, global progress in combating world hunger stalled. World food prices increased by 71.4% and an additional 115 million people joined the ranks of the undernourished. This is a human tragedy which has fuelled political and economic turmoil across many countries. India has 28% of the world's hungry, and is an increasingly important economic and political partner to Australia. This research will involve a team of ....Institutions for Food Security: Global Lessons from Rural India. Between 2006 and 2008, global progress in combating world hunger stalled. World food prices increased by 71.4% and an additional 115 million people joined the ranks of the undernourished. This is a human tragedy which has fuelled political and economic turmoil across many countries. India has 28% of the world's hungry, and is an increasingly important economic and political partner to Australia. This research will involve a team of Australian researchers working with Indian counterparts to develop a framework that explains what causes risk and resilience to food insecurity, and offers practical insights for policy-makers. Read moreRead less
The Role and Impact of the Social Support System on the Well-being of the Elderly in China. This research will examine how recent changes to the system of formal and informal support for the elderly in China has affected their well-being. The project will analyse two unique data sets that provide a wealth of information on the economic and social circumstances on the elderly in China in 1992 and 2000. The proposed collaboration with Chinese researchers on aging will generate new insights into ho ....The Role and Impact of the Social Support System on the Well-being of the Elderly in China. This research will examine how recent changes to the system of formal and informal support for the elderly in China has affected their well-being. The project will analyse two unique data sets that provide a wealth of information on the economic and social circumstances on the elderly in China in 1992 and 2000. The proposed collaboration with Chinese researchers on aging will generate new insights into how the circumstances of the elderly are changing in a context of economic transformation and social change. The results will have implications for social policy development in China and shed light on theoretical debate over the role of confucianism in China's version of 'welfare orientalism'.Read moreRead less
From Local Stories to National Identity: Competing National Myths in Chinese Nativist Fiction. China's continuous and rapid economic upsurge means it will play an increasingly greater role globally but its influence in our region will even be greater. Understanding China is imperative for Australia, which can only be achieved through understanding the core Chinese social and cultural values. It is vital for Australian policy-makers to know how cultural identification within China functions and h ....From Local Stories to National Identity: Competing National Myths in Chinese Nativist Fiction. China's continuous and rapid economic upsurge means it will play an increasingly greater role globally but its influence in our region will even be greater. Understanding China is imperative for Australia, which can only be achieved through understanding the core Chinese social and cultural values. It is vital for Australian policy-makers to know how cultural identification within China functions and how the Chinese government uses culture (among other means) to hold the vastly different regions together. Cultural understanding demands an appreciation of literature, the importance of which in Chinese cultural life is often underestimated outside China.Read moreRead less
From Local Stories to National Identity: Competing National Myths in Chinese Nativist Fiction. The project investigates the creation, reception and significance of competing national myths in Chinese nativist fiction. It explores the paradox that nativist writers, on the one hand, are committed to the abstract idea of a single Chinese nation, while, on the other hand, they aspire to create distinctive local cultural identities. Why do regional literatures compete in identifying with the cultural ....From Local Stories to National Identity: Competing National Myths in Chinese Nativist Fiction. The project investigates the creation, reception and significance of competing national myths in Chinese nativist fiction. It explores the paradox that nativist writers, on the one hand, are committed to the abstract idea of a single Chinese nation, while, on the other hand, they aspire to create distinctive local cultural identities. Why do regional literatures compete in identifying with the cultural centre? How do different local tales represent the regional and the national? By answering these questions, this project will expand Chinese regional studies into the literary sphere and contribute to the theoretical understanding of Chinese cultural nationalism.Read moreRead less
Contact zones: activism, art and media in Italy, 1994-2006. This project will generate knowledge about recent activism, social change and contemporary art practices in Italy; it will add to Australia's international reputation as a centre of research on contemporary Italy; it will assist in facilitating cultural relations between Australia and Italy as already established in cultural and scientific bilateral agreements.
Women's NGOs, the United Nations and expanding civil society: a feminist critique, with reference to four UN member countries. Feminist non-governmental organisations have placed women's human rights concerns on the international agenda, but they are also increasingly expected to tailor themselves both to international bureaucracy and a domestic political role by becoming primary providers of what has become known as "social capital". Human rights remain important for women, but new strategies ....Women's NGOs, the United Nations and expanding civil society: a feminist critique, with reference to four UN member countries. Feminist non-governmental organisations have placed women's human rights concerns on the international agenda, but they are also increasingly expected to tailor themselves both to international bureaucracy and a domestic political role by becoming primary providers of what has become known as "social capital". Human rights remain important for women, but new strategies are needed to ensure government accountability for transforming the rhetoric of women's rights into reality. This project will examine these issues as faced by feminist NGOs in Australia, France, Pakistan and Haïti, to identify issues in common and suggest strategies for furthering the international feminist human rights project.Read moreRead less
The Cultivation of Middle-Class Taste: Reading, Tourism and Education Choices in Urban China. In urban China, high-income professionals and consumers have enormous influence on the development of élite education, travel, and cultural pursuits, but also on the stability of the Party-State. Their choices will materially affect Australian economic strategy, and will impact the socio-political character of the entire region. This project works to support Australian understanding of the tastes, aspir ....The Cultivation of Middle-Class Taste: Reading, Tourism and Education Choices in Urban China. In urban China, high-income professionals and consumers have enormous influence on the development of élite education, travel, and cultural pursuits, but also on the stability of the Party-State. Their choices will materially affect Australian economic strategy, and will impact the socio-political character of the entire region. This project works to support Australian understanding of the tastes, aspirations and national priorities of this new formation: the Chinese middle class. The approach and outcomes of the research will enhance Australia's global position in innovative, relevant Asian scholarship, support good economic strategy, and provide an accurate socio-cultural lens through which to engage with Chinese and regional futures.Read moreRead less
Creative Misreadings of Christianity in Modern Japanese Literature and Popular Culture. The project will intensify understanding of Asian interpretations of Western culture, especially Christianity, and Western reception of Japanese culture. While Australian collective perceptions of Japan are often still informed by the experience of the Second World War, the increasing popularity of manga and anime is fostering a different relationship between the two countries. By studying Japan's popular cul ....Creative Misreadings of Christianity in Modern Japanese Literature and Popular Culture. The project will intensify understanding of Asian interpretations of Western culture, especially Christianity, and Western reception of Japanese culture. While Australian collective perceptions of Japan are often still informed by the experience of the Second World War, the increasing popularity of manga and anime is fostering a different relationship between the two countries. By studying Japan's popular culture and its history of cultural negotiation, the project will further our knowledge of Japan's position in the twentieth-century world. It thus accords with National Priority 4, Safeguarding Australia: Understanding Our Region and the World. Read moreRead less
Posters of the Cultural Revolution: Contemporary Chinese perspectives on an era of propaganda. China's recent history is of less interest to public commentators than its current extraordinary era of reform and expansion. This project is based on the assumption that the images and memories of the immediate past are clues to the meaning and communication patterns of the present. Accessible works of cultural history, such as is proposed here, will give the broad Australian public, including citizen ....Posters of the Cultural Revolution: Contemporary Chinese perspectives on an era of propaganda. China's recent history is of less interest to public commentators than its current extraordinary era of reform and expansion. This project is based on the assumption that the images and memories of the immediate past are clues to the meaning and communication patterns of the present. Accessible works of cultural history, such as is proposed here, will give the broad Australian public, including citizens of Chinese origin, as well as the extensive scholarly community, access to a nuanced and emotional view of our largest trading partner, and its attitude to communication, visual culture and the past.Read moreRead less