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Modern societies’ obsession with cleanliness has rendered shit invisible from our daily lives, writes Warwick Anderson FAHA FASSA FAHMS FRSN. Yet we are still deeply obsessed, and even anxious, about excrement — from stepping in dung at the dog park to the data our faecal matter carries.
Are we in a ‘post-truth’ world where emotional hot buttons prevail over a decent concern for ‘the truth’? Probably not, as we may realise when we consider the efficacy of the familiar material and social technologies which support our activities. Emeritus Professor Fred D’Agostino FAHA from The University of Queensland examines how we might better understand our relationship with the truth.
Despite migrants making up 30% of Australia’s population, the lived experience of settling in Australia remains poorly understood. In her latest research, Distinguished Professor Ingrid Piller FAHA & her collaborators examine the settlement experiences of over 130 migrants, revealing significant hardship but also stories of courage, resilience and belonging.
Associate Dean Indigenous Dr Jacob Prehn from the University of Tasmania is the 2024 recipient of the Australian Academy of the Humanities’ John Mulvaney Fellowship and will undertake new analysis about how Indigenous men perceive, and navigate, Australia’s health system. Read the media release here.
In the 18th-century, a Damascene barber wrote about women having picnics and parading through the city in his diary. His writings give insight into the social and cultural transformations of early-modern Syria often overlooked within Eurocentric views of global history, writes Samer Akkach FAHA.
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.
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?
Musicologist Professor Sarah Collins FAHA from the University of Western Australia has become just the second Australian to win the prestigious Dent Medal, in the history of the prize. She joins the Academy to chat about the significance of the achievement, her scholarship and the field of musicology.
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’.
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.