Abra Pressler

Who speaks Australian English? Ethnolects and language(s) in the lucky country

2024 marks 60 years since the publication of Donald Horne’s influential book The Lucky Country. Most people read the title as a compliment, but he originally intended the book as a wake-up call to Australians about our complacency and our embrace of a provincial reliance, first on Britain and later, on America. When the book […]

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Who pays for the arts — and what arts should be paid for?

More than forty years ago, in the TV spoof Yes, Minister, Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey Appleby discussed the role of government in supporting the arts. Here’s part of their exchange. HACKER: Let us choose what we subsidise by the extent of popular demand. Nothing wrong with that; it’s democratic. APPLEBY: But Minister, [w]hat would

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An age ban on social media is unworkable – what are the alternatives?

The policies of both major political parties now include banning children from social media. These plans fail to recognise the ample evidence for why such a ban is unworkable, how it will produce severe flow-on complications, and why it will harm rather than help children in their development into adulthood. The ARC Centre for Excellence

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Smee receives 2024 Medal for Excellence in Translation

The Medal for Excellence in Translation is a major national award that recognises outstanding translation achievements and celebrates the vital role of translators and translation in Australian culture and scholarly discourse. The announcement marks United Nation’s International Translation Day, which pays tribute to the important work of language professionals. Stephanie Smee is a Sydney-based literary

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JRG undermining positive reforms to student support

For humanities students, the proposed changes to indexation and the provision of fee-free university ready courses are completely undermined by the continuation of the Job-ready Graduates (JRG) scheme. Read our full submission here. We applaud the introduction of paid practicum placements for nursing, midwifery, social work and teaching students, the expansion of fee-free university ready

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Women Philosophers of the Greco-Roman World: Uncovering Hidden Gems

Women’s intellectual contributions to the pool of human knowledge, until recent decades, have not received wide public recognition. While their numbers were few, they emerged in myriad fields overcoming considerable barriers to achieve their success. There are key examples from Europe’s early modern age such as Caroline Herschel (1750-1848), sister and assistant to the famous

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A deeper discourse on Australian history — Kate Fullagar interviews Alan Atkinson

Democratic pluralities & the future of Australia Professor Kate Fullagar FAHA FRHistS: I thought that we might begin with a discussion of periodisation.  You’ve described your era of main focus to be 1780 to 1850, also known as early colonial Australian history. You’ve noted a decline of interest in this area over the past two

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Five Fellows shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards

  The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards recognise individual excellence and the contribution Australian authors make to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life. This year, the Academy is thrilled to see five Fellows recognised across four categories. Fiction Restless Dolly Maunder Kate Grenville FAHA Text Publishing Dolly Maunder was born at the end of the nineteenth

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Spag bol and birthday cakes — how Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks ‘made Australian food culture’

‘Food is one of those things that connects us all as people,’ says Dr Lauren Samuelsson, a cultural historian who researches the history of food and drink — and particularly the Australian Women’s Weekly magazine — from the University of Wollongong. ‘I always loved history, and I always wondered why we eat and drink the

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Acknowledgement of Country

The Australian Academy of the Humanities recognises Australia’s First Nations Peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of this land, and their continuous connection to country, community and culture.