Sinologist Emeritus Professor Colin Mackerras AO FAHA and linguist Professor Joseph Lo Bianco AM FAHA have been recognised with Professorial Chairs honouring their exemplary scholarship and cross-academic collaboration.
Power of the humanities
Explore stories about the social benefits and impact of the Humanities and the remarkable outcomes that can be achieved when humanities researchers collaborate on national and global challenges. Visit our Newsroom to explore stories about our people, community and research.
Thursday 20 June is World Refugee Day, designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. Professor Jane Lydon FAHA, Wesfarmers Chair of Australian History at The University of Western Australia, explores the role of public art in shaping our perceptions of people forced to flee their homelands. When do refugees become legitimate ‘Australians’? And how can art prompt public discussion?
Are humans doomed to wage perpetual warfare? Emeritus Professor Garry Trompf FAHA considers the powerful idea of peace amidst conflicts and the role of peacemakers in their resolution.
As National Reconciliation Week draws to a close, we highlight ten exemplary books written by Australian Academy of the Humanities Fellows — from award-winning fiction to non-fiction — all which help shape our national discourse.
The Met Gala has become one of the most well-known fashion events of the year. Distinguished Professor Peter McNeil FAHA explores how the annual Met Gala has transformed the status of collecting and exhibiting clothing through linking power, money, status and glamour.
Marked by determination, good friends, and the ambition to be more than what was expected of her, Brenda Niall AO FAHA is one of Australia’s most acclaimed biographers. She shares her ‘accidental career’.
Why would a Japanese tea master smash a beautiful Korean tea bowl only to remake it? This International Tea Day (21 May) Professor Susan Broomhall FAHA explores how Japanese tea practices and ceramics were central to the influence of Jesuit missionaries in 16th-century Japan.
The 18th of May is International Museums Day (IMD), which in 2024 focuses on the role of museums in unlocking knowledge. Kylie Message suggests this task is uniquely suited to university research and teaching collections and explores some of the ways these collections contribute to the world.
Linguist Professor Felicity Meakins FAHA FASSA has worked with the Kalkaringi community for over twenty years. She shares how a new children’s book is bridging a surprising generational language gap within the community while sharing culture and healing.
When Emeritus Professor Linda Barwick AM FAHA found an old song written down by a late family friend who served in WWII, she penned the melody as best she could remember some 42 years later. What came next was a deep exploration of the way memory and interpretation can entangle within our archives.
Australia’s oldest pottery find on Jiigurru (Lizard Island) on the Great Barrier Reef rewrites our understanding of Aboriginal maritime history and affirms the stories of Traditional Owners. Distinguished Professor Sean Ulm FAHA, Dingaal man Kenneth McLean and Dr Ariana Lambrides share the long-reaching impact of their co-designed research.
How did Google’s latest AI generator, Gemini, inadvertently fuel an ongoing culture war against diversity, equity and inclusion in Big Tech? Dr Thao Phan, who delivered the 2023 Hancock Lecture, unpacks how paranoia has become a defining feature of digital culture.