Capacity-building in Indonesian Islamic NGOs. This study aims to understand and monitor forms and applications of capacity-building in progressive Islamic/Muslim NGOs in Indonesia, over a four year period, in the context of profound social, economic and political change, in order to better understand how best to strengthen such groups and to assist them to become more effective. It will significantly increase our understanding of the complex cultural issues that influence these groups in their ....Capacity-building in Indonesian Islamic NGOs. This study aims to understand and monitor forms and applications of capacity-building in progressive Islamic/Muslim NGOs in Indonesia, over a four year period, in the context of profound social, economic and political change, in order to better understand how best to strengthen such groups and to assist them to become more effective. It will significantly increase our understanding of the complex cultural issues that influence these groups in their efforts to professionalise, build capacity and contribute to civil society. It will identify areas in which Western misunderstandings of Muslim culture and society have limited the effectiveness of capacity building programs.Read moreRead less
Suicide Terrorism: The Use of Life as a Weapon. Bali attacks were a powerful reminder that Australians are not immune from terrorism. Suicide terrorism is the most lethal form of terrorism. It constitutes 3 % of all terrorist attacks but accounts for 48 % of all deaths. Australia's involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor has made Australia a more likely terrorist target. An informed understanding of suicide terrorism in our region would assist in developing appropriate policies for prote ....Suicide Terrorism: The Use of Life as a Weapon. Bali attacks were a powerful reminder that Australians are not immune from terrorism. Suicide terrorism is the most lethal form of terrorism. It constitutes 3 % of all terrorist attacks but accounts for 48 % of all deaths. Australia's involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor has made Australia a more likely terrorist target. An informed understanding of suicide terrorism in our region would assist in developing appropriate policies for protecting Australia from terrorism. The research will also contribute to evaluation of costs and benefits of Australian government policies of democratisation in the region and War on Terror.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Development, Cultural Diversity, and Global Transformations: An Ethnography of Agricultural and Environmental Practices in East Timor. Civil unrest, low productivity, and environmental degradation in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, PNG, Nauru, and Indonesia, highlight the new challenges for international development policy. By providing culturally specific analyses of development processes and by advancing new policy directions, the study will enhance the capacities of Australian NG ....Sustainable Development, Cultural Diversity, and Global Transformations: An Ethnography of Agricultural and Environmental Practices in East Timor. Civil unrest, low productivity, and environmental degradation in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, PNG, Nauru, and Indonesia, highlight the new challenges for international development policy. By providing culturally specific analyses of development processes and by advancing new policy directions, the study will enhance the capacities of Australian NGOs, as well as international NGOs with Australian offices, government agencies and Indigenous communities, effectively to tackle acute poverty and environmental degradation in our region. These issues are increasingly pertinent to Australia.Read moreRead less
Democrats within the Chinese Communist Party and China's Democratic Future: The Case of Li Shenzhi. A major nuclear power with ambitions for regional predominance, China is home to one fifth of the world's population, the world's fastest-growing economy since the 1980s, one of the few surviving communist regimes, and Australia's third-largest trading partner. Whether China will democratise is central to international peace and stability and to any assessment of the future of world politics and i ....Democrats within the Chinese Communist Party and China's Democratic Future: The Case of Li Shenzhi. A major nuclear power with ambitions for regional predominance, China is home to one fifth of the world's population, the world's fastest-growing economy since the 1980s, one of the few surviving communist regimes, and Australia's third-largest trading partner. Whether China will democratise is central to international peace and stability and to any assessment of the future of world politics and international order. The project will make conceptual and empirical advances in the study of intellectual life and political trends in China and help Australian government and public bodies achieve a greater understanding of the political process in that country.Read moreRead less
Party-state, Liberalism and Social Democracy: the debate on China's future. The Chinese communist party-state is in transition. The possibilities range from liberal democracy, through social democracy to new forms of authoritarianism. One key to the future of China lies in the reflections of intellectuals and members of the ruling elite on this transition. This project examines the current debates in China on its destiny, in particular that between ?liberals? and the ?new left?. In addition to h ....Party-state, Liberalism and Social Democracy: the debate on China's future. The Chinese communist party-state is in transition. The possibilities range from liberal democracy, through social democracy to new forms of authoritarianism. One key to the future of China lies in the reflections of intellectuals and members of the ruling elite on this transition. This project examines the current debates in China on its destiny, in particular that between ?liberals? and the ?new left?. In addition to highlighting the process and possible future of intellectual and political development in China, the project also contributes to the wider discussion of change in transitional post-communist societies more generally.Read moreRead less
The New Rich and the State in China: The social basis of local power. Australia's relationship with China is important for economic, political and social, reasons. This project will generally assist in contributing to understanding about China's social and political development, and will develop specific expertise in the socio-economic environments of its research localities across five provinces that will be of use to Australian companies seeking access to the China market. It will also add to ....The New Rich and the State in China: The social basis of local power. Australia's relationship with China is important for economic, political and social, reasons. This project will generally assist in contributing to understanding about China's social and political development, and will develop specific expertise in the socio-economic environments of its research localities across five provinces that will be of use to Australian companies seeking access to the China market. It will also add to the development of Australia's standing as a major centre of research on contemporary China. Read moreRead less
Land, Community and Governance in Rural China. Although China is becoming Australia's largest trading partner, we know too little about the control of land in rural China and the implications for the agricultural economy. Geo-politically, the stability of China is crucial to the region, and many commentators see rural unrest as the greatest threat to the regime. Since disputes over the use and ownership of land are the main source of this instability, providing much-needed information about Chin ....Land, Community and Governance in Rural China. Although China is becoming Australia's largest trading partner, we know too little about the control of land in rural China and the implications for the agricultural economy. Geo-politically, the stability of China is crucial to the region, and many commentators see rural unrest as the greatest threat to the regime. Since disputes over the use and ownership of land are the main source of this instability, providing much-needed information about China's agricultural economy and the potential for political unrest in rural China is directly in Australia's interest.Read moreRead less
Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contra ....Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contrasting institutional configurations by focusing on the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey and Nigeria. This will be achieved through a study of random/purposive samples of respondents in the three countries using survey methodology. The objective is to develop a theoretically and empirically grounded model of social, political and religious trajectories of Muslim societies.Read moreRead less
Migration, Ethnicity and Workforce Segmentation in the Asia-Pacific. Globalisation has produced new polarised patterns in working populations, including ethnically segmented labour. The related dynamics of work, ethnicity and labour segmentation have very significant long-term consequences. Systematic studies are available for advanced economies, but are far less developed for newly industrialised countries. This program investigates these changes in major Asia-Pacific urban-industrial centres. ....Migration, Ethnicity and Workforce Segmentation in the Asia-Pacific. Globalisation has produced new polarised patterns in working populations, including ethnically segmented labour. The related dynamics of work, ethnicity and labour segmentation have very significant long-term consequences. Systematic studies are available for advanced economies, but are far less developed for newly industrialised countries. This program investigates these changes in major Asia-Pacific urban-industrial centres. Innovative analyses from large-scale datasets and from strategic localised case studies will meet this shortfall in knowledge. They will also connect with more extensive ongoing studies of social transformations. Research outcomes and theoretical re-assessments will be presented in two workshops, and published in refereed journals and a book.Read moreRead less
The Anatomy and Physiology of Renaissance Florence: the Dynamics of Social Change in the Fifteenth Century. In 2004, Australia's reputation as an international leader in Italian Renaissance history contributed directly to an agreement with Italy's Cassamarca Foundation bringing $22.5 million AUD to Australian universities. This has funded a dozen Italian-studies lectureships, numerous fellowships and scholarships in Australian universities, raising Italian culture's profile in academia, the stud ....The Anatomy and Physiology of Renaissance Florence: the Dynamics of Social Change in the Fifteenth Century. In 2004, Australia's reputation as an international leader in Italian Renaissance history contributed directly to an agreement with Italy's Cassamarca Foundation bringing $22.5 million AUD to Australian universities. This has funded a dozen Italian-studies lectureships, numerous fellowships and scholarships in Australian universities, raising Italian culture's profile in academia, the student body and the wider community. This new project on Florentine society will advance the field of Renaissance social history, reinforce Australia's outstanding reputation in the area, promote international agreements like that with the Fondazione Cassamarca, and confer further major academic, cultural and economic benefits on Australian national culture.Read moreRead less