School of Historical Studies News

ARC Success 2010

In the Australian Research Council's Discovery Grants for 2010, the School enjoyed considerable success.

Continuities and change in the history of European women's letter-writing
Professor Barbara Caine, Professor Pauline Nestor (School of English, Communications and Performance Studies, Dr Carolyn James, Professor Constant Mews, Professor David Garrioch, Professor Bill Kent, Dr D Barnes and Dr Clare Monagle

This project will enhance Australia's strong international reputation for cutting edge work in European history. At a time when questions about communication, self representation and personal life are of such very great interest, both academically and more generally, this project offers the possibility of bringing academic scholarship closer to issues that are of general interest to the wider community. There is also considerable national benefit in the innovative approach that this project proposes, which offers a new model for collaborative research in the humanities.

Ethics and encyclopaedic culture in 13th century France: adaptation, diffusion and contexts of innovation in the Speculum morale and its sources
Professor Constant Mews and Dr David Squire (School of Information Technology, Faculty of Information Technology)

This project will contribute to awareness of the ethical foundations of the Western intellectual tradition, both philosophical and religious, through studying an influential encyclopaedia of ethical instruction from 1300, known as the Speculum morale and its relationship to the evolution of ethical teaching in France during the 13th century. It will develop text similarity detection software for use with Latin texts, and by implication within humanistic studies more generally. Through connecting with an international research project into medieval encyclopaedic culture, it will enable Australian expertise in both medieval studies and information technology to become internationally recognised.

Captive Australians: the place of prisoners of war (POWs) in post war Australian culture
Dr Christina Twomey

The project addresses the Research Priority Goal 'Understanding our region and the world' through enhancing Australia's capacity to interpret its historical experiences and explain their impact upon regional relationships. The factors that continue to inform Australia's relationship with Asia, particularly cultural memories of the Pacific War, are a key concern. The project will add significantly to our understanding of recent Australian history, foster scholarly interchange about the impact of the historical legacy of World War Two on contemporary politics and international relations, and give an increased profile and recognition for Australia within the fields of war history and memory studies.

Constant Mews elected as President of ANZAMEMS

Professor Mark Peel, Head of School of Historical Studies is delighted to announce that Professor Constant Mews was elected as the next President of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies. In an election contest that spanned the continent, Bass Strait and the Tasman Sea, Constant was the clear choice of his scholarly community, a clear sign of the esteem in which he is held and of the very great strength of medieval and early modern studies in our School.

Scholarship at Columbia University

One of the School's Masters students, Maria John, has been offered and has accepted a full five-year scholarship to undertake doctoral studies at Columbia University in New York. Maria received several very strong offers from other American universities before selecting Columbia. Those of you with knowledge of the American university system will know just how tough a competition there is to win a scholarship such as this; their eagerness to lure Maria suggests something of her very great talents and potential.

Humanities Fellowships

Professor Mark Peel elected as Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Social Sciences.