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In Homer’s time, epic poems like the Iliad were composed and performed, not written down. So how exactly did oral poets remember all those lines, and why do these poems have such enduring appeal? Australian classicist Elizabeth Minchin’s work in cognitive psychology and linguistics may hold some answers.
Take a bigger look at human history – no, bigger! The wide long lens of Big History exposes larger patterns and trends, starting all the way back at the Big Bang. It’s hoped this “story of everything” approach will unify us across cultures, and help address complex global problems into the future.
Eddie Mabo learnt that his family’s ownership of ancestral land on Mer Island, in the Torres Strait, was not recognised by Australian law over a sandwich on a university bench in the 1970s. Find out how this conversation eventually led to the High Court’s historic recognition of Indigenous native title in the 1992 Mabo decision.
Australian-written texts – like the 1882 serialised ‘Robbery Under Arms’ – were often compiled and published in London, where editors abridged and tampered the texts to suit British tastes. Dive deep into the research and analysis by academics around the country to reconstitute the first true-to-the-author versions of some of Australia’s greatest literary works.
As we face an era of monumental challenges around declining biodiversity and climate change, meet the scholars who first proposed a new environmental ethics for the Western world.
Did you know Australian English has its own vocabulary, grammatical rules and pronunciation that distinguish it from the original British version? Of course you did! But it took a long time to get it formally recognised as a variety of World English.
Find out how Australia became a global leader in marine archaeology thanks to the bloody mutiny on the ‘Batavia’ centuries ago. Analysis of the wreck and skeletons has yielded insights into the lives and gruesome deaths of the sailors, soldiers and civilians aboard.
Discover one scholar’s quest to track down lost Bronte works across auction houses, libraries and private collections.
Australia’s creative economy is far larger and more dynamic than previously thought, and knowing the full extent and rate of growth may help guide recovery after Covid-19.
Take a deep dive into two treasure houses of knowledge about Australian literature, culture and history that illuminate our national story, educating and inspiring us.
For many of us, loneliness has been a by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, research reveals the concept of loneliness only began with nineteenth-century Romantic thinkers (though that doesn’t make it any easier for us today!). Learn how our conceptualisation of emotions has changed over time.
The loss of Aboriginal language and culture continues to be a major challenge facing Australia today. Discover how leading linguist R M W Dixon, along with his First Nations teachers, has helped to recover the “grammatical wonders” of Indigenous languages.
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.