A history of terra nullius. The concept of 'terra nullius' has been central to debates concerning the land rights of indigenous peoples. The term, however, has been understood almost in an historical vacuum. Partly in consequence, landmark legal rulings supposedly overturning the doctrine of terra nullius have left European colonisers' justifications of their appropriation of land largely conceptually intact. The central innovation of this history will be to show that when terra nullius, prop ....A history of terra nullius. The concept of 'terra nullius' has been central to debates concerning the land rights of indigenous peoples. The term, however, has been understood almost in an historical vacuum. Partly in consequence, landmark legal rulings supposedly overturning the doctrine of terra nullius have left European colonisers' justifications of their appropriation of land largely conceptually intact. The central innovation of this history will be to show that when terra nullius, properly understood, is rejected in order to establish native title, the implications for the European tradition of property rights and human rights more generally will be profound.Read moreRead less
State formation and European expansion. There is a direct national benefit from this research. The aim of an intellectual history of colonisation is to provide an account of what Europeans engaged in expansion understood themselves to be doing. This account explores the justifications and political motivations for expansion and is accordingly of fundamental importance to contemporary legal debates over dispossession and the larger legacy of colonisation.
Understanding the concept and meaning of freedom in Western history. This project directly engages with current political and social debate and particularly with the National Research Priority 'Safeguarding Australia'. The priority goal 'Understanding our region and the world' is at the heart of the project because it addresses the principal political problem following from September 11, 2001: namely, the price of freedom. The project's principal national benefit will be to use history to chal ....Understanding the concept and meaning of freedom in Western history. This project directly engages with current political and social debate and particularly with the National Research Priority 'Safeguarding Australia'. The priority goal 'Understanding our region and the world' is at the heart of the project because it addresses the principal political problem following from September 11, 2001: namely, the price of freedom. The project's principal national benefit will be to use history to challenge our very understanding of the nature of freedom. The project questions the paradox that freedom can be assured by compromises made in the name of security and that, in this sense, freedom has a 'price'.Read moreRead less
Astride the Wallace Line 2: human evolution, dispersal, culture and environmental change in Southeast Asia. Our previous project on the archaeology and fossil record of Southeast Asia yielded results of international significance, including the discovery of a new human species and dates for major changes in the Indonesian faunal sequence. It also involved collaboration between Australian, Indonesian and Canadian researchers from a range of institutions and disciplines, and provided topics for s ....Astride the Wallace Line 2: human evolution, dispersal, culture and environmental change in Southeast Asia. Our previous project on the archaeology and fossil record of Southeast Asia yielded results of international significance, including the discovery of a new human species and dates for major changes in the Indonesian faunal sequence. It also involved collaboration between Australian, Indonesian and Canadian researchers from a range of institutions and disciplines, and provided topics for six PhD and two MA students. This level of significant research, international collaboration and training will continue with the current project.Read moreRead less
War, Trauma, and Rehabilitation: The Army, Psychiatry, and World War II. This project will examine a key episode in the history of twentieth century psychiatry: the development of new theoretical approaches and treatment methods for war neurosis encountered during World War II. This will be the first in-depth study of the topic and will be conducted from a trans-national perspective, in which the contributions of Australian, British, and American psychiatrists will be analysed. The development o ....War, Trauma, and Rehabilitation: The Army, Psychiatry, and World War II. This project will examine a key episode in the history of twentieth century psychiatry: the development of new theoretical approaches and treatment methods for war neurosis encountered during World War II. This will be the first in-depth study of the topic and will be conducted from a trans-national perspective, in which the contributions of Australian, British, and American psychiatrists will be analysed. The development of psychiatric diagnoses will be analysed in the context of the dynamic relationship between psychiatrists, soldiers, and the army. The outcome will be at least three refereed journal articles and a scholarly monograph.Read moreRead less
The Empire of New Idealism?: Civilisation and Australian New Idealism, 1850-1950. Philosophies, like people and commodities, travel the globe. This project traces the movement of British 'New Idealist' philosophy to Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, its transformation into 'Australian New idealism', and return to Britain. It shows how the hopes of these first Australian philosophers for a global community overlapped with politicians and policy makers, and uncovers their shaping role in th ....The Empire of New Idealism?: Civilisation and Australian New Idealism, 1850-1950. Philosophies, like people and commodities, travel the globe. This project traces the movement of British 'New Idealist' philosophy to Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, its transformation into 'Australian New idealism', and return to Britain. It shows how the hopes of these first Australian philosophers for a global community overlapped with politicians and policy makers, and uncovers their shaping role in the formulation of many social policies that remain with us today. It places Australian history and research at the heart of a new global vision of New Idealist studies and offers scholars, policy makers and educators the necessary background to more fully articulate Australian understandings of citizenship and civilisation.Read moreRead less
Reproductive Frontiers: The Twentieth-Century Sciences of Human Hybridity. The proposed historical research will enrich our knowledge of scientific debates about biological absorption and population management, placing Australian ideas and experiences into their appropriate international context. It promotes awareness of how past scientific concepts continue to inform controversies about the quality of the Australian population. In particular, this project will enhance our understanding of scien ....Reproductive Frontiers: The Twentieth-Century Sciences of Human Hybridity. The proposed historical research will enrich our knowledge of scientific debates about biological absorption and population management, placing Australian ideas and experiences into their appropriate international context. It promotes awareness of how past scientific concepts continue to inform controversies about the quality of the Australian population. In particular, this project will enhance our understanding of scientific attitudes toward Aboriginal people, especially their reproduction and health.Read moreRead less
Immigration Restriction and the Racial State, c. 1880 to the present. Legislating the specific criteria by which people are refused entry into sovereign territory has posed critical problems for policy and law from the late nineteenth century to the present day. By analysing the long history of medico-legal border control in the Asia-Pacific region, the project will uncover previously forgotten legal and policy links and will analyse a history of mutual influence between Australia and neighbouri ....Immigration Restriction and the Racial State, c. 1880 to the present. Legislating the specific criteria by which people are refused entry into sovereign territory has posed critical problems for policy and law from the late nineteenth century to the present day. By analysing the long history of medico-legal border control in the Asia-Pacific region, the project will uncover previously forgotten legal and policy links and will analyse a history of mutual influence between Australia and neighbouring nations. This will productively assist a policy environment (both national and international) primed for ever more intense border control. Read moreRead less
Anatomies of Empire: Race, Evolution and Scientific Networks in the Twentieth-Century British World. Our research demonstrates how Australian scientists, Australian field experiences, and Australian materials were central to comparative anatomy, evolutionary theory and race science in the twentieth century. This study uncovers for the first time the powerful imperial network of racial biologists and physical anthropologists whose influential studies of human nature and racial classification deri ....Anatomies of Empire: Race, Evolution and Scientific Networks in the Twentieth-Century British World. Our research demonstrates how Australian scientists, Australian field experiences, and Australian materials were central to comparative anatomy, evolutionary theory and race science in the twentieth century. This study uncovers for the first time the powerful imperial network of racial biologists and physical anthropologists whose influential studies of human nature and racial classification derived from Australian work. These ideas about what it means to be human, hitherto unexamined historically, continue to underpin our contemporary assumptions about ethnic difference, Aboriginal status, multiculturalism, and national identity.Read moreRead less
HEIGHT, WEIGHT and LENGTH: Biometric explorations of Australia's socio-economic fabric in the long run, 1860-1970. HEIGHT, WEIGHT and LENGTH is a biometric analysis of Australian living standards. This project is significant because it illuminates the very fabric of Australian social and economic organisation. It traces what happened to living standards over the long run 1860-1970, covering booms, busts and wars. It examines the functioning of the family as an economic unit at the core of dis ....HEIGHT, WEIGHT and LENGTH: Biometric explorations of Australia's socio-economic fabric in the long run, 1860-1970. HEIGHT, WEIGHT and LENGTH is a biometric analysis of Australian living standards. This project is significant because it illuminates the very fabric of Australian social and economic organisation. It traces what happened to living standards over the long run 1860-1970, covering booms, busts and wars. It examines the functioning of the family as an economic unit at the core of distributing welfare-enhancing resources. It identifies who were the winners and the losers. It teaches lessons about vulnerability and strength during economic change that should inform future policy makers. Finally, it pushes the methodology in new directions with implications for its use around the world.Read moreRead less