The Double Revolution : Decline and Renewal in French Narrative Art from Celine to Godard. This study will offer new insight into contemporary France - and increased knowledge of the ongoing development of a major world culture is a significant benefit in itself. France's long-standing status as a great centre of civilisation makes it a vital focal point for understanding the implications of global change. Australia's cultural connections to Europe remain crucial to the continuing construction o ....The Double Revolution : Decline and Renewal in French Narrative Art from Celine to Godard. This study will offer new insight into contemporary France - and increased knowledge of the ongoing development of a major world culture is a significant benefit in itself. France's long-standing status as a great centre of civilisation makes it a vital focal point for understanding the implications of global change. Australia's cultural connections to Europe remain crucial to the continuing construction of our own identity, and in this context too, the French example is highly salient. The study will also constitute a valuable Australian contribution to world research, enhancing the nation's already solid international reputation in French studies.
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Projecting Difference: A History of the Practice and Politics of French Cinema since 1980. This cultural history project has dual aims. Firstly, it will examine how French cinema, as a narrative art, has since the late 20th century become a major vector for defining cultural identity (partially eclipsing the role traditionally occupied by literature). On the other hand, it will document and analyse the processes by which cinema practice - diverse and often fractiously critical of existing politi ....Projecting Difference: A History of the Practice and Politics of French Cinema since 1980. This cultural history project has dual aims. Firstly, it will examine how French cinema, as a narrative art, has since the late 20th century become a major vector for defining cultural identity (partially eclipsing the role traditionally occupied by literature). On the other hand, it will document and analyse the processes by which cinema practice - diverse and often fractiously critical of existing political structures - has become a central symbolic weapon in the French State's political defence of cultural autonomy and difference in a globalising world. The resulting synthesis will provide extensive new understanding of the dynamics of contemporary France.Read moreRead less
Subversion and Dissent in the Third Reich. Through the new approach of analysing records of Germans put on trial by the Nazi regime for the crime of "subversion," for which an estimated 60,000 Germans were prosecuted, I will gain access to a hitherto neglected current of popular dissent and discontent within the Third Reich. My project will challenge the conventional view that German society in the Third Reich was overwhelmingly consensual, apart from a miniscule group of anti-Nazi resisters. Th ....Subversion and Dissent in the Third Reich. Through the new approach of analysing records of Germans put on trial by the Nazi regime for the crime of "subversion," for which an estimated 60,000 Germans were prosecuted, I will gain access to a hitherto neglected current of popular dissent and discontent within the Third Reich. My project will challenge the conventional view that German society in the Third Reich was overwhelmingly consensual, apart from a miniscule group of anti-Nazi resisters. The outcome will be a more nuanced, complex picture of German society revealing that many Germans exhibited an amibivalent mix of consensus and dissent toward the Nazi regime.Read moreRead less
The growth of toleration in a cosmopolitan society: Protestants in eighteenth-century Paris. In an international context in which religious conflict appears to be increasing, and an Australia where religious diversity is growing, understanding the historical and cultural roots of toleration is vital. This project will reinforce Australia's reputation for innovative and independent work in French and urban history, both areas where Australian scholars are well known internationally.
Confraternities and religious culture(s) in Enlightenment Paris. Understanding how religious culture interacts with economic and social change is important in a world where such change presents huge challenges, which is one reason why religious history is undergoing a revival in Australia and internationally. This project will expand this area of research, and in doing so will also reinforce Australia's outstanding international reputation for innovative and independent work in French, urban, an ....Confraternities and religious culture(s) in Enlightenment Paris. Understanding how religious culture interacts with economic and social change is important in a world where such change presents huge challenges, which is one reason why religious history is undergoing a revival in Australia and internationally. This project will expand this area of research, and in doing so will also reinforce Australia's outstanding international reputation for innovative and independent work in French, urban, and religious history.Read moreRead less
Beyond the Madonna Painter: reassessing the life, works, and reception of Giovanni Bellini. I aim to write a critical cultural history of Venetian art in Giovanni Bellini's lifetime (1433 to 1516), focussing upon Bellini's intellectual position. In the most recent decade archival discoveries, containing new revelations about Bellini's patrons, his intellectual friendships with learned humanists, his probable illegitimacy, his certain homosexuality and his painting techniques, prompt a new invest ....Beyond the Madonna Painter: reassessing the life, works, and reception of Giovanni Bellini. I aim to write a critical cultural history of Venetian art in Giovanni Bellini's lifetime (1433 to 1516), focussing upon Bellini's intellectual position. In the most recent decade archival discoveries, containing new revelations about Bellini's patrons, his intellectual friendships with learned humanists, his probable illegitimacy, his certain homosexuality and his painting techniques, prompt a new investigation of how biography has infused representation in art. Multiple outcomes include a book, with the same title, and an exhibition at the National Gallery, Washington, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna in 2005-2006, where Bellini's oeuvre will be seen in context.Read moreRead less
Crusade, displacement and the aftermath of war in medieval France. The integration of displaced peoples into our national community is of significant concern to contemporary Australians. This research project will benefit Australians by adding to our understanding of experiences of displacement, the personal and cultural consequences of war, and the ways in which past societies have dealt with those displaced as a result of conflict. The medieval war on heresy which precipitated experiences of d ....Crusade, displacement and the aftermath of war in medieval France. The integration of displaced peoples into our national community is of significant concern to contemporary Australians. This research project will benefit Australians by adding to our understanding of experiences of displacement, the personal and cultural consequences of war, and the ways in which past societies have dealt with those displaced as a result of conflict. The medieval war on heresy which precipitated experiences of displacement in southern France provides an insightful and informative parallel to current concerns about the aftermath of ideological conflict. Read moreRead less
National identity, historical narrative and violence: A comparative study of contemporary Catalonia and the Basque Country in France and Spain. This project will make an important contribution to our understanding of the contemporary roots of self-determination, autonomy and identity. These themes have particular relevance in a world in which nationalist and ethnic claims have assumed a renewed importance. They are also particularly relevant in the light of Australia's current concerns about nat ....National identity, historical narrative and violence: A comparative study of contemporary Catalonia and the Basque Country in France and Spain. This project will make an important contribution to our understanding of the contemporary roots of self-determination, autonomy and identity. These themes have particular relevance in a world in which nationalist and ethnic claims have assumed a renewed importance. They are also particularly relevant in the light of Australia's current concerns about national security: understanding issues of nationalism and identity embedded in historical narratives is central to understanding the origins of political violence.Read moreRead less
Continuities and change in the history of European women's letter-writing. This project will enhance Australia's strong international reputation for cutting-edge work in European history. At a time when questions about communication, self-representation and personal life are of such very great interest, both academically and more generally, this project offers the possibility of bringing academic scholarship closer to issues that are of general interest to the wider community. There is also cons ....Continuities and change in the history of European women's letter-writing. This project will enhance Australia's strong international reputation for cutting-edge work in European history. At a time when questions about communication, self-representation and personal life are of such very great interest, both academically and more generally, this project offers the possibility of bringing academic scholarship closer to issues that are of general interest to the wider community. There is also considerable national benefit in the innovative approach that this project proposes, which offers a new model for collaborative research in the humanities.Read moreRead less
The culture of war: private life and sentiment in Australia 1914-18. This study has the potential to place Australia at the forefront of a new theoretical approach to civilian agency in total war, and enhance the national reputation for important scholarship in a field dominated by international scholars. Also, while war has been central to Australian notions of identity, our sense of 'war' is intimately connected to the front-line, and not to the homefront. This study will help reorient academi ....The culture of war: private life and sentiment in Australia 1914-18. This study has the potential to place Australia at the forefront of a new theoretical approach to civilian agency in total war, and enhance the national reputation for important scholarship in a field dominated by international scholars. Also, while war has been central to Australian notions of identity, our sense of 'war' is intimately connected to the front-line, and not to the homefront. This study will help reorient academic and popular attention back to the importance of the homefront in Australia's experience of 1914-18. At a time when Australians are increasingly interested in family links with the war, this project will provide a greater appreciation of the war's effects on Australia nationally and on the most personal levels.Read moreRead less