Consumption in Late Imperial China: an Early Modern Phenomenon? China's present economic growth and consumer activity are of immediate interest to Australia. This study of consumer activities in earlier centuries will shed light on changes as well as continuities in Chinese consumption in a long era of globalization. The project will contribute to the corpus of Australian scholarship on Chinese and world history, enhancing local and global understandings of China's past, and enriching ways in wh ....Consumption in Late Imperial China: an Early Modern Phenomenon? China's present economic growth and consumer activity are of immediate interest to Australia. This study of consumer activities in earlier centuries will shed light on changes as well as continuities in Chinese consumption in a long era of globalization. The project will contribute to the corpus of Australian scholarship on Chinese and world history, enhancing local and global understandings of China's past, and enriching ways in which it is imagined.Read moreRead less
Empire to Republic: Politics and Culture in China's 20th Century History. This research project focuses on state and nation building in South China during the Republican era (1912-1949), the subject of major international publications by the CI and PI over a fifteen-year research partnership. The significance of the topic lies in its historiographical departure from narratives of ?party history? to theoretically-driven research into key aspects of modern state and nation-making in a formative pe ....Empire to Republic: Politics and Culture in China's 20th Century History. This research project focuses on state and nation building in South China during the Republican era (1912-1949), the subject of major international publications by the CI and PI over a fifteen-year research partnership. The significance of the topic lies in its historiographical departure from narratives of ?party history? to theoretically-driven research into key aspects of modern state and nation-making in a formative period of China's recent history. Outcomes include research training and theses, and refereed publications, which break new ground in their systematic application of state-making literature to Republican Chinese history.Read moreRead less
THE PEOPLE ENGAGE IN POLITICAL LIFE: THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICAN STORY. Using unique archives of individual level political information, this study explores the idea of political identities and the ways ordinary citizens in nineteenth century America established their place in political life. Nine carefully chosen case studies allow examination of political participation and partisanship in settings traditional and modern, urban and rural. The project asks how, and whether, a democratic theo ....THE PEOPLE ENGAGE IN POLITICAL LIFE: THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICAN STORY. Using unique archives of individual level political information, this study explores the idea of political identities and the ways ordinary citizens in nineteenth century America established their place in political life. Nine carefully chosen case studies allow examination of political participation and partisanship in settings traditional and modern, urban and rural. The project asks how, and whether, a democratic theory arising from a politics of rural localism retained meaning for citizens in very different social settings. Understanding how political identities were created in the past may help us identify ways to increase the saliency of politics in ordinary lives today.
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The International Context of American Conservation Policy, c. 1900-1920. This project provides historical depth to current global concerns on resource depletion in fossil fuels, and to the clamour for international environmental cooperation that is of vital interest to Australia. It will explains why and how earlier concerns arose, and how these were allayed or deflected. It will highlight the importance of cultural rather than scientific issues in these controversies, showing how the American ....The International Context of American Conservation Policy, c. 1900-1920. This project provides historical depth to current global concerns on resource depletion in fossil fuels, and to the clamour for international environmental cooperation that is of vital interest to Australia. It will explains why and how earlier concerns arose, and how these were allayed or deflected. It will highlight the importance of cultural rather than scientific issues in these controversies, showing how the American political system generated interest in international environmental problems, and yet made agreements difficult to achieve. It will deepen knowledge, enrich cultural understanding of the United States and contribute to Australia's international research profile in the field.Read moreRead less
Australian Stage Comedians 1915-1930: Configuring a Comic National Identity. This project aims to make a major contribution to Australian cultural history by examining the origins of what has often been described as the distinctive Australian sense of humour.
While elements of this national characteristic emerged in colonial times, including an emphasis on stoicism, self-deprecation and the contradictions of existence (e.g. in Steele Rudd's and Henry Lawson's stories), this project will incre ....Australian Stage Comedians 1915-1930: Configuring a Comic National Identity. This project aims to make a major contribution to Australian cultural history by examining the origins of what has often been described as the distinctive Australian sense of humour.
While elements of this national characteristic emerged in colonial times, including an emphasis on stoicism, self-deprecation and the contradictions of existence (e.g. in Steele Rudd's and Henry Lawson's stories), this project will increase community awareness of how stage comedians during and after the First World War focused these tendencies into a distinctive emphasis on the comedy of everyday experience, and on maintaining a tough-minded optimism in adversity. Read moreRead less
The global opponents of universal human rights, 1946-2006. This project will identify and analyse the historical patterns of opposition to universal human rights that have emerged since the birth of the United Nations in 1945. In doing so, it seeks to enable the more effective pursuit of a major Australian foreign policy objective, the global promotion of human rights.
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 Two Frank Thrings. A study of two lives in the context of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia. This dual biography of F.W.Thring (1882-1936), stage and cinema entrepreneur, and his actor son Frank (1926-94), will explore two remarkable lives in relation to their performance culture and society. It will provide the first scholarly biography of both men, and through them will illuminate the history of Australian cinema and musical theatre, investigate issues of distinctively n ....The Two Frank Thrings. A study of two lives in the context of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia. This dual biography of F.W.Thring (1882-1936), stage and cinema entrepreneur, and his actor son Frank (1926-94), will explore two remarkable lives in relation to their performance culture and society. It will provide the first scholarly biography of both men, and through them will illuminate the history of Australian cinema and musical theatre, investigate issues of distinctively national iconography and voice, and examine the complex interactions between industrial/economic forces and artistic vision. Its principal outcome will be a book that should add significantly to our knowledge of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia, and to continuing debates in the arts.Read moreRead less
Dynastic Marriage, Courtly Politics and the State in Renaissance Italy. The search for an understanding of the processes by which political ideas and cultural assumptions about masculinity and femininity change, and new genres of written expression emerge, is directly relevant to contemporary Australia. To study these themes in a period at once remote from one's own and yet, as the Italian Renaissance is, perennially fascinating to the public imagination, is to make an important contribution to ....Dynastic Marriage, Courtly Politics and the State in Renaissance Italy. The search for an understanding of the processes by which political ideas and cultural assumptions about masculinity and femininity change, and new genres of written expression emerge, is directly relevant to contemporary Australia. To study these themes in a period at once remote from one's own and yet, as the Italian Renaissance is, perennially fascinating to the public imagination, is to make an important contribution to our understanding of the historical roots of significant on-going debates.Read moreRead less
Interrogating the Book of Negroes:explorations of slavery and freedom in the Atlantic world in the era of the American Revolution. Australia is a close political ally of the United States and an avid consumer of their culture, so it is important we be contributors to American culture and society, not simply passive recipients of its products. Since Rhys Issac won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983, Australians have shown they can be at the cutting edge of American intellectual life, demonstrating an inn ....Interrogating the Book of Negroes:explorations of slavery and freedom in the Atlantic world in the era of the American Revolution. Australia is a close political ally of the United States and an avid consumer of their culture, so it is important we be contributors to American culture and society, not simply passive recipients of its products. Since Rhys Issac won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983, Australians have shown they can be at the cutting edge of American intellectual life, demonstrating an innovative engagement with the historical processes that formed this powerful nation. A project led by Australian scholars to examine the paradox of liberty in the nation's founding will further enhance the international profile of Australian scholars, thus attracting more overseas university students, who represent a significant source of export income.Read moreRead less