Overcoming Violence and Building Peace in Conditions of Complexity in PNG . The project is an investigation of the drivers and inhibitors of three inter-related forms of violence in Papua New Guinea - tribal fighting, sorcery accusation related violence and family and sexual violence. The harm caused by these forms of violence is systemic and ongoing, with widespread negative impacts for women, men and children across multiple dimensions of social and economic development. The project will produ ....Overcoming Violence and Building Peace in Conditions of Complexity in PNG . The project is an investigation of the drivers and inhibitors of three inter-related forms of violence in Papua New Guinea - tribal fighting, sorcery accusation related violence and family and sexual violence. The harm caused by these forms of violence is systemic and ongoing, with widespread negative impacts for women, men and children across multiple dimensions of social and economic development. The project will produce new knowledge about how violence and peace-making initiatives emerge, connect, spread and disperse, and generate new conceptual models to better analyse the dynamics of violence and peace across time and space. These theoretical insights will inform better violence prevention initiatives for Papua New Guinea and beyond.Read moreRead less
Improving responses to sexual violence against children in Papua New Guinea. The project aims to result in improved knowledge and community acknowledgement of sexual violence against children in Papua New Guinea (PNG), and an approach that could be adapted and adopted in other low income, fragile contexts. It is a very significant project because sexual violence against children is a widespread and escalating social problem, with a very limited capacity to respond to reported incidents. Working ....Improving responses to sexual violence against children in Papua New Guinea. The project aims to result in improved knowledge and community acknowledgement of sexual violence against children in Papua New Guinea (PNG), and an approach that could be adapted and adopted in other low income, fragile contexts. It is a very significant project because sexual violence against children is a widespread and escalating social problem, with a very limited capacity to respond to reported incidents. Working closely with two specialist services to trial and assess a low-cost approach, the project is expected to result in longer-term support for child survivors and their families, and reduce further victimisation and offending. The potential benefits are multiple and far ranging, in PNG and in the Pacific region more broadly. Read moreRead less
Engendering climate change, reframing futures in Oceania. This project aims, through ethnography, textual and visual analysis to research the interaction between indigenous and introduced knowledge and experience of climate change. The project will highlight indigenous knowledge, agency and future visions in everyday lives and politics.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100187
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,950.00
Summary
Ethnoarchaeological investigation of religious systems in Ancient Polynesia. This project aims to document and compare the long-term historical trajectories of Eastern Polynesian chiefdoms by developing a new perspective on ancient ritual practices and monuments. Using archaeological, historical and ethnographic material, the project expects to increase our knowledge of Polynesia’s archaeological history. Anticipated outcomes of this project include a better understanding of traditional religiou ....Ethnoarchaeological investigation of religious systems in Ancient Polynesia. This project aims to document and compare the long-term historical trajectories of Eastern Polynesian chiefdoms by developing a new perspective on ancient ritual practices and monuments. Using archaeological, historical and ethnographic material, the project expects to increase our knowledge of Polynesia’s archaeological history. Anticipated outcomes of this project include a better understanding of traditional religious systems in Polynesia, and the development of a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of ancient rituals. It should further create a new model of collaborative research with Pacific Islanders for whom their legacy of ritual monuments bear a critical cultural significance; it thus informs a better understanding of Australia’s role in Pacific studies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100486
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,774.00
Summary
Navigating justice systems: how Pacific women secure their property rights. This project aims to investigate the strategies that Pacific women use to challenge gender inequality, and improve understanding of the pathways to justice in Pacific legal systems. Using an innovative socio-legal approach, the project will collect, analyse and disseminate data on the strategies used by women to advocate for stronger property rights, and develop a framework for understanding those strategies. Expected ou ....Navigating justice systems: how Pacific women secure their property rights. This project aims to investigate the strategies that Pacific women use to challenge gender inequality, and improve understanding of the pathways to justice in Pacific legal systems. Using an innovative socio-legal approach, the project will collect, analyse and disseminate data on the strategies used by women to advocate for stronger property rights, and develop a framework for understanding those strategies. Expected outcomes include an improved empirical and conceptual basis for development organisations to design and implement gender equality programs. This should provide significant benefits including enhanced understanding of women’s engagement with legal systems, and better-informed and more effective development assistance.Read moreRead less
Community Rule-Making in the Pacific Islands as Regulatory Innovation. Our study investigates the widespread phenomena of ‘community rule-making’ in Pacific Island countries, in which local communities engage in deliberative processes oriented towards development of new normative orders. Occurring largely outside of state-sanctioned authority, such processes may address social problems such as gender based violence, crime and poverty, and frequently occur in the context of other locally-driven ....Community Rule-Making in the Pacific Islands as Regulatory Innovation. Our study investigates the widespread phenomena of ‘community rule-making’ in Pacific Island countries, in which local communities engage in deliberative processes oriented towards development of new normative orders. Occurring largely outside of state-sanctioned authority, such processes may address social problems such as gender based violence, crime and poverty, and frequently occur in the context of other locally-driven attempts at community regeneration. Through collaborative empirical research in PNG, Solomon Islands and Samoa, our project will build an evidence base to better understand the potential and the dangers of community rule-making, and develop ‘responsive hybridisation’ as a new analytical framework to theorise about it.
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Kuwae 1452 AD: multi-disciplinary perspectives on a Pacific super-eruption. This project seeks to resolve the question of whether the mid-15th century eruption of Kuwae in Vanuatu can be confirmed as one of the largest global volcanic and climatic events of the last 2000 years. Through archival, field and laboratory research, an experienced transdisciplinary team from archaeology, volcanology and history aims to conduct collaborative research over three seasons in central Vanuatu. Project goals ....Kuwae 1452 AD: multi-disciplinary perspectives on a Pacific super-eruption. This project seeks to resolve the question of whether the mid-15th century eruption of Kuwae in Vanuatu can be confirmed as one of the largest global volcanic and climatic events of the last 2000 years. Through archival, field and laboratory research, an experienced transdisciplinary team from archaeology, volcanology and history aims to conduct collaborative research over three seasons in central Vanuatu. Project goals include dating the eruptive event, defining its scale, reconstructing Kuwae’s local social and environmental conditions prior to and after the eruption, and developing practical volcanic risk reduction strategies together with local communities and authorities in Vanuatu.Read moreRead less
Doing state-building better? Practising ‘hybridity’ in Melanesia. Australia is engaged in programs that draw upon local socio-political practices and institutions to assist its efforts to stabilise and build states in Melanesia, referred to as a ‘hybridity’ approach. Australia has successfully restored stability in its immediate region, Melanesia, but its attempts to build stable liberal democracies have had modest results. This project will advance policy understandings to improve the efficacy ....Doing state-building better? Practising ‘hybridity’ in Melanesia. Australia is engaged in programs that draw upon local socio-political practices and institutions to assist its efforts to stabilise and build states in Melanesia, referred to as a ‘hybridity’ approach. Australia has successfully restored stability in its immediate region, Melanesia, but its attempts to build stable liberal democracies have had modest results. This project will advance policy understandings to improve the efficacy of Australia’s state-building efforts and promote social cohesion and stability in our neighbourhood. This will potentially encourage local self-reliance in Melanesia, reducing dependence on Australia’s development assistance.Read moreRead less
Village democracy in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. This project aims to understand variation in village politics in Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, and the effects of that variation on development outcomes, democratic participation, and gender equity. It will generate new knowledge on how micro-level power structures affect citizens’ experience of government. Expected outcomes include a new framework for understanding how community power structures shape and constrain governme ....Village democracy in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. This project aims to understand variation in village politics in Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, and the effects of that variation on development outcomes, democratic participation, and gender equity. It will generate new knowledge on how micro-level power structures affect citizens’ experience of government. Expected outcomes include a new framework for understanding how community power structures shape and constrain government action. Benefits will include strengthening Australia’s position as a world leader in Asian and Pacific studies, generating a new framework for understanding the effects of village political dynamics, and guidance for Australian and other policy makers planning grassroots development interventions.Read moreRead less