Europe and Identity: A transcultural history of European communities in the Islamic world 1685-1800. This project originates from the pressing need to reconceptualize histories in the context of multicultural societies. To address the mutual hostility of the historical narratives reinforced by recent global political events, we must open European history, and particularly the crucial period of the Enlightenment, to an inclusive cultural dialogue about the past. This project is built on a strong ....Europe and Identity: A transcultural history of European communities in the Islamic world 1685-1800. This project originates from the pressing need to reconceptualize histories in the context of multicultural societies. To address the mutual hostility of the historical narratives reinforced by recent global political events, we must open European history, and particularly the crucial period of the Enlightenment, to an inclusive cultural dialogue about the past. This project is built on a strong track record of dialogue with a region from which Australia is too often disconnected, despite the significant Arab and Turkish communities within the Australian polity. Recent conflicts have reinforced the urgency of opening this cross-cultural dialogue within our own multicultural cities.Read moreRead less
Hostels, Hosts and Hospitality: A Social and Cultural History of Migrant Temporary Accommodation in Australia Since the Second World War. Because it promotes a deeper understanding of migrant experience, the social relations and outcomes that derive from that experience, on-arrival settlement services, the role of the nation as 'host', and the complexity of national and immigrant identities, this project strengthens Australia's social fabric and capacity to interpret and engage with its regional ....Hostels, Hosts and Hospitality: A Social and Cultural History of Migrant Temporary Accommodation in Australia Since the Second World War. Because it promotes a deeper understanding of migrant experience, the social relations and outcomes that derive from that experience, on-arrival settlement services, the role of the nation as 'host', and the complexity of national and immigrant identities, this project strengthens Australia's social fabric and capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment. The experience of regional and global migration, often entailing processes of acute disjuncture, enjoins both an urgent need for, and specific difficulties in, the creation of a coherent identity. This study contributes to an understanding of anxieties about place and belonging and how we might interpret and engage such challenges today.Read moreRead less
The refugee legacy for second generation Vietnamese in Australia. This project aims to explore the refugee legacy for second generation Vietnamese in Australia. The first Vietnamese refugees arrived 41 years ago in the wake of the Vietnam War. This project will examine identity formation, secondary trauma, and linguistic and cultural interactions in the aftermath of war and the refugee experience, and analyse the achievements and challenges of this group. The expected outcomes are a major study ....The refugee legacy for second generation Vietnamese in Australia. This project aims to explore the refugee legacy for second generation Vietnamese in Australia. The first Vietnamese refugees arrived 41 years ago in the wake of the Vietnam War. This project will examine identity formation, secondary trauma, and linguistic and cultural interactions in the aftermath of war and the refugee experience, and analyse the achievements and challenges of this group. The expected outcomes are a major study of Vietnamese in Australia and a national oral history collection.Read moreRead less
Elephants in the sacred grove: a transcultural history of Thomas Jones and the Calvinistic Methodist mission to the Khasi Hills. This project will assert the central role of religion in shaping cultural, political and ethnic identity, through an analysis of the Christian evangelical encounter in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, India, and in particular the work of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist missionary Thomas Jones (1810-1849). It will challenge current views of the simplistic relationship between m ....Elephants in the sacred grove: a transcultural history of Thomas Jones and the Calvinistic Methodist mission to the Khasi Hills. This project will assert the central role of religion in shaping cultural, political and ethnic identity, through an analysis of the Christian evangelical encounter in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, India, and in particular the work of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist missionary Thomas Jones (1810-1849). It will challenge current views of the simplistic relationship between missions and colonial order, exploring missionaries' spiritual, modernising and imperialist ideologies, as well as indigenous negotiations and adaptations of the missionary project. This will provide a significant new base for understanding the historical trajectory of Christianisation and acculturation, and inform contemporary debates about reconciliation and decolonisation.Read moreRead less
Forgotten histories: Vietnamese veterans in Australia. Australia's participation in the Vietnam War left a lasting impact on national consciousness. The Vietnamese community in Australia is a legacy of that war and its aftermath. By focusing on Vietnamese veterans, this study will add vital new insights into Australian war and immigration history and enhance cultural understanding.