HISTORICAL EXPERTS AND INDIGENOUS LITIGANTS: the role of Historical Expert Evidence in Federal Court Cases. Since Mabo, historians are increasingly being called as expert witnesses in cases involving indigenous litigants. Historians perceive serious difficulties in the Court's treatment of qualitative, historical material, resulting in a possible denial of access to justice. The project investigates this treatment, pursuing issues such as expert evidence generally, the specific relationship betw ....HISTORICAL EXPERTS AND INDIGENOUS LITIGANTS: the role of Historical Expert Evidence in Federal Court Cases. Since Mabo, historians are increasingly being called as expert witnesses in cases involving indigenous litigants. Historians perceive serious difficulties in the Court's treatment of qualitative, historical material, resulting in a possible denial of access to justice. The project investigates this treatment, pursuing issues such as expert evidence generally, the specific relationship between Law and History, and the particularity of cases involving indigenous claims. The investigation asks whether historians as expert witnesses can retain both their historical professionalism and adapt to the requirements of the courts, or whether the courts? rules of evidence themselves require adaptation.
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Understanding forms of violence and their regulation in Australian history. In contemporary Australia inter-personal violence (such as domestic violence, the abuse of children, Aboriginal deaths in custody, the Cronulla riots) occupies intense media and public interest. Governmental responses to violence (through policing or the courts) themselves rest on the exercise of authorised and regulated control which itself may be considered a form of violence. In examining the historical changes in vio ....Understanding forms of violence and their regulation in Australian history. In contemporary Australia inter-personal violence (such as domestic violence, the abuse of children, Aboriginal deaths in custody, the Cronulla riots) occupies intense media and public interest. Governmental responses to violence (through policing or the courts) themselves rest on the exercise of authorised and regulated control which itself may be considered a form of violence. In examining the historical changes in violence, its social impact and media resonances, and the public policy responses to it, this research seeks to contribute to contemporary understanding of these important questions on the basis of a greater appreciation of the specifically Australian history of these phenomena.Read moreRead less
The politics of reading: Citizenship, law, and literacy in England, 1867-1960. This research addresses problems that resonate powerfully in contemporary debates: the relationship between freedom and responsibility, and the relationship between political rights, education and literacy. Knowing how people living in another age and a different society -- but one to which Australia is bound by a complex of legal, political and cultural traditions -- wrestled with questions that are still with us wil ....The politics of reading: Citizenship, law, and literacy in England, 1867-1960. This research addresses problems that resonate powerfully in contemporary debates: the relationship between freedom and responsibility, and the relationship between political rights, education and literacy. Knowing how people living in another age and a different society -- but one to which Australia is bound by a complex of legal, political and cultural traditions -- wrestled with questions that are still with us will add depth and sensitivity to our understanding of the bases and limits of a democratic culture.Read moreRead less
The High Court of Australia: A Biographical Study. The High Court of Australia has shaped the legal, political and social landscapes of Australia. Yet despite its wide-ranging importance the Court has largely been the subject of a legal inquiry focusing on its substantial case law. This project seeks to fill a significant gap in the literature with the publication of an institutional history of the Court. Central to this project is a commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach that explores the ....The High Court of Australia: A Biographical Study. The High Court of Australia has shaped the legal, political and social landscapes of Australia. Yet despite its wide-ranging importance the Court has largely been the subject of a legal inquiry focusing on its substantial case law. This project seeks to fill a significant gap in the literature with the publication of an institutional history of the Court. Central to this project is a commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach that explores the Court beyond a merely legal paradigm. The outcomes of this project will be publications that situate the law, the judiciary and Australian history within a single explanatory narrative.Read moreRead less
The Spectre of Velvet Revolution: Dissidents, International Civil Society and post-Communist Authoritarianism. The study of 'Velvet Revolution,' both as a theory and as historical events, has immense implications for Australian policymakers. As an approach to regime change that does not entail foreign military intervention, 'Velvet Revolution' offers a path for democratic transition that minimises nationalist resentment and post-revolutionary violence. As a radical challenge to undemocratic regi ....The Spectre of Velvet Revolution: Dissidents, International Civil Society and post-Communist Authoritarianism. The study of 'Velvet Revolution,' both as a theory and as historical events, has immense implications for Australian policymakers. As an approach to regime change that does not entail foreign military intervention, 'Velvet Revolution' offers a path for democratic transition that minimises nationalist resentment and post-revolutionary violence. As a radical challenge to undemocratic regimes, it also constitutes a potent alternative to militant Islamism. By illuminating the role of dissidents and international civil society as protagonists and purveyors of 'Velvet Revolution,' this project will help to clarify the conditions that have facilitated the successful spread of democratic revolution.Read moreRead less
The Indonesian Killings of 1965-1966. This project analyses the immediate and long-term causes of the killing of perhaps 500,000 communists and others in Indonesia between October 1965 and March 1966. The project examines newly available archival and memoir material, as well as conducting fresh interviews, to explain the respective roles of the Indonesian armed forces, military-sponsored and independent militias, and civilian viglantes in initiating and carrying out the killings. The project ....The Indonesian Killings of 1965-1966. This project analyses the immediate and long-term causes of the killing of perhaps 500,000 communists and others in Indonesia between October 1965 and March 1966. The project examines newly available archival and memoir material, as well as conducting fresh interviews, to explain the respective roles of the Indonesian armed forces, military-sponsored and independent militias, and civilian viglantes in initiating and carrying out the killings. The project sets this detailed examination in the context of the extreme political tension in Indonesia in the early 1960s and more-deeply rooted patterns of violence in Indonesian society.Read moreRead less
Australian/American relations in the era of the new nationalism. How has Australia used the American Alliance to further its own national interests? This project has a special significance for how Australians understand the history of their country's relationship with the United States and the origins of Australia's comprehensive engagement with Asia. The delicate task of balancing close ties with both the United States and Asia, especially China, is seen as the central foreign policy challenge ....Australian/American relations in the era of the new nationalism. How has Australia used the American Alliance to further its own national interests? This project has a special significance for how Australians understand the history of their country's relationship with the United States and the origins of Australia's comprehensive engagement with Asia. The delicate task of balancing close ties with both the United States and Asia, especially China, is seen as the central foreign policy challenge facing Australia today. Analysis of the history behind this present predicament extends our understanding and interpretation of Australia's role in this region and the world. It will show the continued relevance of the past to the choices that face current policy-makers. Read moreRead less
The origins and trajectory of secularism in modern Indonesian politics. This reseach will provide both historical perspective and contemporary analysis of the vexed problem of secularism in Indonesian politics. It will provide a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of the secularist bent in Indonesian political history and thinking, and will assist commentators, scholars and policy makers better to appreciate Indonesia's continuing struggle to create, construct and maintain a secularis ....The origins and trajectory of secularism in modern Indonesian politics. This reseach will provide both historical perspective and contemporary analysis of the vexed problem of secularism in Indonesian politics. It will provide a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of the secularist bent in Indonesian political history and thinking, and will assist commentators, scholars and policy makers better to appreciate Indonesia's continuing struggle to create, construct and maintain a secularist polity. Read moreRead less
Province, Nation, Empire: France, 1871-1940. This project will deepen understanding of structures of political, strategic and economic power by providing insight into the dynamics of regionalist, nationalist and internationalist ideologies through study of the world's second largest overseas empire. It examines the role of non-state initiatives and pressures, while also investigating the colonial origins of contemporary globalisation. It will shed light, in particular, on the post-colonial heri ....Province, Nation, Empire: France, 1871-1940. This project will deepen understanding of structures of political, strategic and economic power by providing insight into the dynamics of regionalist, nationalist and internationalist ideologies through study of the world's second largest overseas empire. It examines the role of non-state initiatives and pressures, while also investigating the colonial origins of contemporary globalisation. It will shed light, in particular, on the post-colonial heritage of actions in countries of the Asia-Pacific region that were French colonies or that remain French overseas outposts.Read moreRead less
Contesting the sea: maritime territoriality in the Indonesian archipelago since 1850. This project will contribute to a deeper understanding of the seas that Australia shares with Indonesia. It will give policymakers and the general public a historical perspective on many questions related to maritime territoriality that concern Australia such as why the sea has become an important part of Indonesia's national identity, the impact that the drawing of boundaries in the Arafura and Timor seas has ....Contesting the sea: maritime territoriality in the Indonesian archipelago since 1850. This project will contribute to a deeper understanding of the seas that Australia shares with Indonesia. It will give policymakers and the general public a historical perspective on many questions related to maritime territoriality that concern Australia such as why the sea has become an important part of Indonesia's national identity, the impact that the drawing of boundaries in the Arafura and Timor seas has had on peoples who previously moved about freely in these waters, and why the Indonesian government has had so little control over what goes on within its maritime territory. The project will shed light on the tensions between Australia and Indonesia concerning the seas they share and lay the foundation for greater cooperation.
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