Maid in China: Gendered Mobilities, Internal Migration, and the Translocal Imagination. Internal migration always restructures the spatial imagination, and variably across different social groups. In China, gender, class and power relations are important determinants of both mobility and concepts of place. Studying the phenomenon of the migrant baomu (the domestic maid), this project hypothsises that the emerging translocal practices of rural-urban migrants have significantly reworked the spatia ....Maid in China: Gendered Mobilities, Internal Migration, and the Translocal Imagination. Internal migration always restructures the spatial imagination, and variably across different social groups. In China, gender, class and power relations are important determinants of both mobility and concepts of place. Studying the phenomenon of the migrant baomu (the domestic maid), this project hypothsises that the emerging translocal practices of rural-urban migrants have significantly reworked the spatial imagination of the Chinese people. This project will lead to a new conceptualisation of place and space, with the flow of people and the flow of media images brought into productive interface. It will also generate important cross-cultural perspectives on women, work and migration. Research findings will be communicated in a book, Maid in China.Read moreRead less
Ambivalent Adolescents in Indonesia. Indonesia's stability and prosperity are matters of great significance for Australia. Adolescents have spearheaded political and social transformations in Indonesia, but face continuing economic and social difficulties. Our project will provide Australia with knowledge about Indonesian youth culture, Islam among youth and adolescent reproductive health, enhancing understanding of social change in Indonesia and thereby contributing to Australian security in th ....Ambivalent Adolescents in Indonesia. Indonesia's stability and prosperity are matters of great significance for Australia. Adolescents have spearheaded political and social transformations in Indonesia, but face continuing economic and social difficulties. Our project will provide Australia with knowledge about Indonesian youth culture, Islam among youth and adolescent reproductive health, enhancing understanding of social change in Indonesia and thereby contributing to Australian security in the region. Australia has been a world leader in expertise on Indonesia, but this expertise is dwindling. Our project puts together junior and established scholars, contributing to the sustainability of Australia's pre-eminent research position in Indonesian studies.Read moreRead less
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