A new theory of Aboriginal art. The paradigms developed by scholars have a huge impact on the value of art. After the Australian artworld repositioned Aboriginal art from the frame of 'primitive art' to that of contemporary art, the price of and market for Aboriginal art increased enormously. However, Aboriginal art failed to penetrate the international contemporary artworld because the paradigms of contemporary art within which it was framed were outmoded. Through examining the production of Ab ....A new theory of Aboriginal art. The paradigms developed by scholars have a huge impact on the value of art. After the Australian artworld repositioned Aboriginal art from the frame of 'primitive art' to that of contemporary art, the price of and market for Aboriginal art increased enormously. However, Aboriginal art failed to penetrate the international contemporary artworld because the paradigms of contemporary art within which it was framed were outmoded. Through examining the production of Aboriginal art from the perspectives of its producers and recent globalised contemporary art practices, this project aims to develop a new theory of Aboriginal art that is more aligned with the thinking of current curators who set the agenda at the upper end of the market.Read moreRead less
Visual Research in Social Aesthetics. Despite a few pioneering efforts beginning in the 1930s, visual anthropology (like anthropology itself) has largely confined its interest in aesthetics to studies of indigenous art. It has focused instead on technology, religion, economics, social structure, politics and ideology as the dominant forces in society. I believe this has limited the potential of visual anthropology, which is in fact ideally suited to studying the broader role of aesthetics in h ....Visual Research in Social Aesthetics. Despite a few pioneering efforts beginning in the 1930s, visual anthropology (like anthropology itself) has largely confined its interest in aesthetics to studies of indigenous art. It has focused instead on technology, religion, economics, social structure, politics and ideology as the dominant forces in society. I believe this has limited the potential of visual anthropology, which is in fact ideally suited to studying the broader role of aesthetics in human societies. The aim of this research is to examine how a reconsideration of the aesthetics of everyday life might form the basis for a revitalised visual anthropology.
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Heritage in the limelight: the magic lantern in Australia and the world. The project aims to discover and analyse the large number of glass magic lantern slides that remain under-used in our public collections. International scholarship has recently begun to show that lantern slide shows were a ubiquitous, globalised and formative cultural experience. The project aims to explore the international reach and diversity of this globalised modernist apparatus from the Australian perspective. It plans ....Heritage in the limelight: the magic lantern in Australia and the world. The project aims to discover and analyse the large number of glass magic lantern slides that remain under-used in our public collections. International scholarship has recently begun to show that lantern slide shows were a ubiquitous, globalised and formative cultural experience. The project aims to explore the international reach and diversity of this globalised modernist apparatus from the Australian perspective. It plans to understand how diverse audiences affectively experienced these powerful forms of early media, and to develop ways for today’s Australians to re-experience their magic, invigorating and expanding our cultural heritage.Read moreRead less
Art and Cultural Exchange at the Strait of Gibraltar. The project aims to give a first-time analysis of visual culture at the Strait of Gibraltar. It asks how painting, photography, film, and maps relate to colonial expansion, with a focus on Australian, French and Spanish involvement in the Western Mediterranean. The British fortress-colony of Gibraltar and the international Moroccan port of Tangier have never before been subject to comparative analysis. Key outcomes include two major exhibit ....Art and Cultural Exchange at the Strait of Gibraltar. The project aims to give a first-time analysis of visual culture at the Strait of Gibraltar. It asks how painting, photography, film, and maps relate to colonial expansion, with a focus on Australian, French and Spanish involvement in the Western Mediterranean. The British fortress-colony of Gibraltar and the international Moroccan port of Tangier have never before been subject to comparative analysis. Key outcomes include two major exhibitions, one on Australian Orientalism at the National Gallery and the second on historical art in the region. By shedding historical light on people smuggling, contraband and post-Brexit identity at the Strait, the project aims to generate cultural knowledge pertinent to international co-operation.Read moreRead less
The War Rug: the history, iconography and theory of the war art tradition of the Baluch of Afghanistan 1979-2004. The 'war rugs' of Afghanistan, a new topic of art-historical, sociopolitical, and cross-cultural communications, reflects an Indigenous perspective of twenty five years of conflict in the region. This project will: *Produce new knowledge on a regional topic of considerable sociopolitical relevance *Enable Australia to take a leading role in the articulation of new fields of knowledg ....The War Rug: the history, iconography and theory of the war art tradition of the Baluch of Afghanistan 1979-2004. The 'war rugs' of Afghanistan, a new topic of art-historical, sociopolitical, and cross-cultural communications, reflects an Indigenous perspective of twenty five years of conflict in the region. This project will: *Produce new knowledge on a regional topic of considerable sociopolitical relevance *Enable Australia to take a leading role in the articulation of new fields of knowledge and academic discourse, enhancing both our international reputation and knowledge of the region *Provide an exemplary model for the role of museums in the conceptualisation of artistic categories cross-culturally *Develop new applications of online database technologies *Develop new modes of integrating new digital technologies in an exhibition setting. Read moreRead less
The English Language: Meaning, History and Culture. The theory developed by the CI (and her colleague Cliff Goddard)contributes to Australia's prestige on the academic scene world-wide and attracts many graduate students to this country. This project should further strengthen its influence.
Australia is a multicultural society, united (but also divided) by the English language. Educating Australians of all backgrounds about the cultural assumptions and values embedded in English is a matter o ....The English Language: Meaning, History and Culture. The theory developed by the CI (and her colleague Cliff Goddard)contributes to Australia's prestige on the academic scene world-wide and attracts many graduate students to this country. This project should further strengthen its influence.
Australia is a multicultural society, united (but also divided) by the English language. Educating Australians of all backgrounds about the cultural assumptions and values embedded in English is a matter of vital national and community interest. The outcome of this project will be an important resource for intercultural training in Australia and other English-speaking countries. The project will enhance Australia's capacity to interpret itself to the world.
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The Intellectual Construction of Confucianism in Contemporary China and Taiwan. Since the 1980s China and Taiwan have witnessed the most sustained resurgence of intellectual interest in Confucianism of the twentieth century. This project will provide the first critical analysis of that revival by addressing the complex interaction of institutional, philosophical and ideological factors, rather than study one or the other in isolation. This will enable us to understand the processes by which Chi ....The Intellectual Construction of Confucianism in Contemporary China and Taiwan. Since the 1980s China and Taiwan have witnessed the most sustained resurgence of intellectual interest in Confucianism of the twentieth century. This project will provide the first critical analysis of that revival by addressing the complex interaction of institutional, philosophical and ideological factors, rather than study one or the other in isolation. This will enable us to understand the processes by which Chinese intellectuals have sought to make Confucianism a viable philosophical and cultural resource in the modern world; and to evaluate how successful they have been in achieving these goals.
Results: One monograph; one edited volume; several essays.
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A Buddhist Debate and Its Contemporary Relevance. The aim of this project is to engage with one of the central debates in Tibetan philosophy concerning truth, realism and epistemic justification. It plans to explore the implications of this debate for subsequent Tibetan thought and for contemporary Western analytic philosophy. The project plans to analyse previously unstudied texts and demonstrate the fecundity of a traditional method of collaborative cross-cultural philosophy today in which Tib ....A Buddhist Debate and Its Contemporary Relevance. The aim of this project is to engage with one of the central debates in Tibetan philosophy concerning truth, realism and epistemic justification. It plans to explore the implications of this debate for subsequent Tibetan thought and for contemporary Western analytic philosophy. The project plans to analyse previously unstudied texts and demonstrate the fecundity of a traditional method of collaborative cross-cultural philosophy today in which Tibetan and Western scholars work together to develop joint analyses. It may also demonstrate that the metaphysical and epistemological ideas and arguments developed in these debates can contribute to Western philosophy.Read moreRead less
Judith Anderson 1897-1992: Voice and Emotion in the Making of an International Star. Australian-born Dame Judith Anderson was considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. Renowned for her thrilling voice and portrayal of deep emotion and illicit sexuality and power, she influenced how women looked, spoke, and felt from the early 1920s through her roles on Broadway and in Hollywood films. This biography will preserve and make accessible a valuable part of our cultural heritage ....Judith Anderson 1897-1992: Voice and Emotion in the Making of an International Star. Australian-born Dame Judith Anderson was considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. Renowned for her thrilling voice and portrayal of deep emotion and illicit sexuality and power, she influenced how women looked, spoke, and felt from the early 1920s through her roles on Broadway and in Hollywood films. This biography will preserve and make accessible a valuable part of our cultural heritage. It will give Australians and Americans a better understanding of the two-way cultural relationship between their two countries. It will help place Australian scholarship at the cutting edge of historical research on twentieth century auditory culture.Read moreRead less
Unsettling Histories: Australian Indigenous Modes of Historical Practice. This investigation of indigenous Australian historical practices seeks to find fresh perspectives and constructive methods of collaboration and historical innovation. By extending Nabokov's work on American Indian ?ways of history?, this trans-national project explores multi-dimensional and -sensory modes of historical delivery. These include visual, musical, material culture, museum and 'traveling through country' mediums ....Unsettling Histories: Australian Indigenous Modes of Historical Practice. This investigation of indigenous Australian historical practices seeks to find fresh perspectives and constructive methods of collaboration and historical innovation. By extending Nabokov's work on American Indian ?ways of history?, this trans-national project explores multi-dimensional and -sensory modes of historical delivery. These include visual, musical, material culture, museum and 'traveling through country' mediums. Outcomes include a major book, exhibition briefs and collections papers, significant historical exchange meetings, content for a television series and website. Collaborative research between academic and community-based experts and performers will provide new understandings of indigenous history and signal future directions for rethinking historical practices.Read moreRead less