The Maronites of Lebanon: Arab Christians in the Era of ISIS. This project aims to capture ethnographically the way Maronite culture is evolving in response to regional pressures. The Maronites of Lebanon were the dominant community of modern Lebanon. Since the end of the civil war (1975–90), they have lost their economic power to the Sunnis associated with the Gulf capitalism that has rebuilt Lebanon. They have also lost their military and political power to the Shi'a who have accumulated milit ....The Maronites of Lebanon: Arab Christians in the Era of ISIS. This project aims to capture ethnographically the way Maronite culture is evolving in response to regional pressures. The Maronites of Lebanon were the dominant community of modern Lebanon. Since the end of the civil war (1975–90), they have lost their economic power to the Sunnis associated with the Gulf capitalism that has rebuilt Lebanon. They have also lost their military and political power to the Shi'a who have accumulated military strength through their struggle against Israel's occupation and their links to Iran. The Maronites are also declining numerically and, most dramatically today, like all Arab Christians, living with the spectre of Islamic fundamentalism in the region, particularly the threat of ISIS (Islamic State).Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101073
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,015.00
Summary
Donkey Politics: How China’s Belt & Road shapes everyday life in Pakistan. This project will develop a socio-cultural understanding of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), through an ethnographic examination of the donkey trade with China. The research will produce fine-grained data on the impacts of the massive export of donkeys on the work, livelihoods, and health-seeking behaviour of marginalised populations in Pakistan. Expecte ....Donkey Politics: How China’s Belt & Road shapes everyday life in Pakistan. This project will develop a socio-cultural understanding of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), through an ethnographic examination of the donkey trade with China. The research will produce fine-grained data on the impacts of the massive export of donkeys on the work, livelihoods, and health-seeking behaviour of marginalised populations in Pakistan. Expected outcomes include enhanced understanding of Chinese mega projects on host countries. It will benefit Australian and international policymakers seeking to develop a grounded understanding of BRI and its broader implications for the Indo-Pacific region, including the risk of zoonotic diseases associated with animal trade.Read moreRead less
Hydrosocial Adapatations to Water Risk in Australian Agriculture. This project aims to understand how Australian farmers adapt to water resource limitations and governance constraints. We will address this significant challenge by identifying how social and cultural perceptions of water risk inspire farmers to create resilient management solutions in line with policy guidelines. Through ethnographic fieldwork and the analysis of historical patterns of water use, the research seeks identify the h ....Hydrosocial Adapatations to Water Risk in Australian Agriculture. This project aims to understand how Australian farmers adapt to water resource limitations and governance constraints. We will address this significant challenge by identifying how social and cultural perceptions of water risk inspire farmers to create resilient management solutions in line with policy guidelines. Through ethnographic fieldwork and the analysis of historical patterns of water use, the research seeks identify the hydrosocial adaptations that enable farmers to effectively respond to change. The new knowledge will foster water risk management via the culturally appropriate tailoring of interventions. Outcomes will support the long-term viability of Australian agriculture, with relevant lessons for managing drought globally. Read moreRead less
Cultural sensorium: An ethnography of the senses. This project aims to develop an ethnography and a public platform for the communication of culture as living heritage. In direct response to the national and global focus on safeguarding intangible Indigenous World Heritage, the project will research largely invisible aspects of knowledge and tradition by combining sensory ethnography with digital culture. Outcomes will advance knowledge of the senses and promote understanding of Australian Indig ....Cultural sensorium: An ethnography of the senses. This project aims to develop an ethnography and a public platform for the communication of culture as living heritage. In direct response to the national and global focus on safeguarding intangible Indigenous World Heritage, the project will research largely invisible aspects of knowledge and tradition by combining sensory ethnography with digital culture. Outcomes will advance knowledge of the senses and promote understanding of Australian Indigenous cultures through a new immersive and interactive public platform.Read moreRead less
Connecting Indigenous Community Photographies: a transnational case study. The project aims to conduct the first transnational comparison of Indigenous community-controlled photography, exploring Indigenous peoples’ ways of seeing and documenting their worlds. The project seeks to significantly advance Australian and global understanding of Indigenous vernacular photography through investigating formerly unexplored private collections of images created by Indigenous photographers during the mid ....Connecting Indigenous Community Photographies: a transnational case study. The project aims to conduct the first transnational comparison of Indigenous community-controlled photography, exploring Indigenous peoples’ ways of seeing and documenting their worlds. The project seeks to significantly advance Australian and global understanding of Indigenous vernacular photography through investigating formerly unexplored private collections of images created by Indigenous photographers during the mid 20th Century in four communities across three countries. One of the outcomes of the project is a nuanced visual history that cannot be excavated from other sources. The benefits of this project include public exhibitions, a book, symposiums, and a scholarly anthology that encourages the public’s connection with the past.Read moreRead less
Critical conversations: An ethnographic study of Australian organ donation. There is an urgent need for new culturally sensitive ways of improving organ donation rates in Australia, which are lower in culturally and linguistically diverse groups. The project aims to reorient the research focus from decisions made prior to death to the actual times and clinical spaces in which these decisions occur. Through a comparative cross-cultural analysis this research will provide essential knowledge that ....Critical conversations: An ethnographic study of Australian organ donation. There is an urgent need for new culturally sensitive ways of improving organ donation rates in Australia, which are lower in culturally and linguistically diverse groups. The project aims to reorient the research focus from decisions made prior to death to the actual times and clinical spaces in which these decisions occur. Through a comparative cross-cultural analysis this research will provide essential knowledge that will inform innovative approaches to understanding organ donation. The outcomes will have a strong bearing on how organ donation communication, professional protocols, and ultimately, organ donation practice evolve in Australia. Read moreRead less
Beyond Allied Histories: Dayak Memories of World War II in Borneo. Western histories of wars focus overwhelmingly on the experiences of European participants. This project explores World War II in Borneo, a highly significant but little-known Australian wartime site, by focusing on the marginalised memories of the island’s indigenous Dayak peoples. By juxtaposing Dayak memories of the war with those of Australian soldiers and prisoners-of-war, the project aims to both advance scholarly understan ....Beyond Allied Histories: Dayak Memories of World War II in Borneo. Western histories of wars focus overwhelmingly on the experiences of European participants. This project explores World War II in Borneo, a highly significant but little-known Australian wartime site, by focusing on the marginalised memories of the island’s indigenous Dayak peoples. By juxtaposing Dayak memories of the war with those of Australian soldiers and prisoners-of-war, the project aims to both advance scholarly understanding of Dayak codes of otherness and relatedness, and cast new light on the war itself.Read moreRead less
A Multispecies Anthropological Approach to Influenza. Influenza-type viruses currently pose a considerable threat to humanity, as well as to both domestic and wild animals. This project aims to address a significant gap in our knowledge about cultural perceptions towards influenza across different species, particularly horse flu. Through multispecies anthropology, planned outcomes are to gain a greater understanding of cross-species medical knowledge, including insights into cultural heritage, b ....A Multispecies Anthropological Approach to Influenza. Influenza-type viruses currently pose a considerable threat to humanity, as well as to both domestic and wild animals. This project aims to address a significant gap in our knowledge about cultural perceptions towards influenza across different species, particularly horse flu. Through multispecies anthropology, planned outcomes are to gain a greater understanding of cross-species medical knowledge, including insights into cultural heritage, biodiversity and disease resilience through an integrated socio-cultural-ecological approach. Benefits of these new insights into multi-species dynamics will be a greater understanding of viral spread and Mongolian pastoral health practices that may be employed in the prevention of influenza.Read moreRead less
Spiritual Ecologies and Customary Governance in Post-conflict East Timor. This project examines the dynamics of a 'return to custom’ in post-conflict East Timor: a set of practices connecting ancestral house communities with complex ecologies upon which people's livelihoods and well-being depend. Drawing on extensive background experience and detailed comparative studies, the project plans to consider the contribution of custom and its inter-generational legacies to the development of sustainabl ....Spiritual Ecologies and Customary Governance in Post-conflict East Timor. This project examines the dynamics of a 'return to custom’ in post-conflict East Timor: a set of practices connecting ancestral house communities with complex ecologies upon which people's livelihoods and well-being depend. Drawing on extensive background experience and detailed comparative studies, the project plans to consider the contribution of custom and its inter-generational legacies to the development of sustainable social and environmental policies of governance. The project is designed to be both a timely study of social renewal in post-conflict societies, and a contribution to the possibilities of sustainable environmental and resource management in East Timor and the wider region.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200200563
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$194,500.00
Summary
Following the Trade Routes: exchange and innovations in cultural economy. This project aims to create new understanding of cultural economies and trade routes that shaped Aboriginal societies across Australia, and to explore how such knowledge informs society today. It expects to generate national research capacity through innovative networks of early-mid career scholars, Indigenous researchers and cultural custodians, and new understandings of connections between living and archival knowledge o ....Following the Trade Routes: exchange and innovations in cultural economy. This project aims to create new understanding of cultural economies and trade routes that shaped Aboriginal societies across Australia, and to explore how such knowledge informs society today. It expects to generate national research capacity through innovative networks of early-mid career scholars, Indigenous researchers and cultural custodians, and new understandings of connections between living and archival knowledge of Indigenous trade in the Kimberley and Desert Regions. This should provide significant outcomes and benefits including revitalised Indigenous cultural exchange and trade practices; strengthened Indigenous networks and cultural authority; and greater awareness of this part of Australia’s history, economy and society.Read moreRead less