Case Studies from Leading Australian Researchers
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Case studies from leading Australian researchers I Funding for the production of this publication has been provided by the Australian Government through the Department of Education and Training. The views expressed in this publication to not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Education and Training. Author: Kathy Marks © Australian Academy of the Humanities 2015 Suggested citation: Marks, K. (2015) The Power of the Humanities. Australian Academy of the Humanities, Canberra. ISBN 978-0-909897-73-4 (print) ISBN 978-0-909897-74-1 (electronic) Designed and typeset by Gillian Cosgrove, Australian Academy of the Humanities. Printed by CanPrint, Canberra. FOREWORD THE POWER OF THE HUMANITIES in Australia and making the On behalf of the Academy, is a welcome addition to the humanities’ contributions to I offer my warmest thanks to suite of publications by the national prosperity and wellbeing the researchers whose work Australian Academy of the more widely known. is profiled here and to those Humanities celebrating the who collaborate with them. Many of the case studies diversity and impact of work I also thank and acknowledge presented here are directly undertaken by Australia’s Kathy Marks, the journalist relevant to the national research humanities researchers. who undertook the interviews priorities identified by the Chief and wrote up the material The case studies presented Scientist and Commonwealth for the case studies – her skill, in the following pages profile Government. In the foreword to enthusiasm and dedication a small sample of the many the Mapping the Humanities, Arts were crucial to the project. outstanding programmes and Social Sciences in Australia Thanks also to Gillian Cosgrove in universities across the (2014) report, Australia’s Chief whose design expertise is country which address major Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb AC, exemplified in the pages societal challenges of our time, noted that the humanities are that follow. nationally and internationally. partners with the sciences in providing critical intellectual My final words of gratitude Some of this work involves infrastructure for responding to go to my predecessor as collaboration between national challenges. President, Lesley Johnson, who humanities and science or herself has made a powerful technology researchers. Several In publishing The Power of the contribution to the Academy are specifically focused on Humanities, the Academy also and to the humanities in Australia’s place in the Asia- hopes to contribute to a wider Australia over the term of her Pacific region while others are national conversation about the Presidency. This publication is focused on national challenges social benefits of research, about another example of her staunch of social cohesion, inclusion engagement with real-world advocacy, commitment and and belonging. Many serve issues, and about the value of vision for the humanities in as reminders that historical collaboration with industry, this country. perspective is as important government, and cultural and as ever in a rapidly changing community organisations. world. All of the work is PROFESSOR JOHN FITZGERALD FAHA Funding from the Australian international in the sense President, Australian Academy Research Council has been critical of being fully engaged with of the Humanities, 2014– to most of the research projects intellectual developments in profiled here, with many funded other countries. additionally by the collaborators in The Academy is dedicated industry, government agencies or to advancing the pursuit of other external bodies. excellence in the humanities III PREFACE AUSTRALIA’S HUMANITIES SCHOLARS aspect of humanities research – Generations has helped contribute to the vitality and its collaborative power. Indigenous people make sense wellbeing of the nation in of their past, and in doing so Collaboration in the humanities a multitude of ways. has helped transform lives. takes a wide variety of forms, Kane Race’s research on HIV Research in disciplines from jointly-authored books education for a new generation such as history, philosophy, and articles, to breakthrough is about stimulating discussion, archaeology, literature, research that builds on the body helping to effect change and linguistics and the classics of work before it, to new avenues ultimately, saving lives. seeks to illuminate the human of enquiry that arise from meeting condition as well as to bring the needs of community groups, Societal challenges are complex imagination and excitement to industry and public sector and won’t be solved by any the intellectual and cultural life organisations. The work of Ien one discipline. Humanities of the nation. Ang in Sydney’s Chinatown and perspectives are critical the researchers that inspired the contributions because these Research in the humanities Zest Festival in Kalbarri, Western challenges are deeply human is sometimes categorised Australia, are further evidence of issues and involve attitudes as having either applied or the diversity of this engagement. which are steeped in culture, intrinsic value; the case studies and in history. The work of presented in The Power of The Power of the Humanities also Han Baltussen shows that the Humanities demonstrate demonstrates the remarkable attitudes can be remarkably starkly that it can be both, outcomes that can be achieved consistent across time and and that ‘blue sky’ or ‘basic’ when humanities researchers space, and that there is research can have unexpected and their colleagues in other much to learn from ancient applications to a range of disciplines collaborate on approaches to death and loss. current issues and challenges. national and global challenges. As Iain McCalman’s research on The Power of the Humanities Joseph Lo Bianco’s decades the Great Barrier Reef proves, contains these and many of research into language, “a union of the arts and sciences – more examples of excellent learning and literacy, for of sensibility and intellect – can humanities research. instance, is given practical have extraordinary impacts”. effect in his ground-breaking As this publication so aptly work in Myanmar where he is This is true of the collaboration demonstrates, the value of developing a national languages between Hugh Craig, a literary research and teaching in the policy to help build peace after and linguistic researcher, and humanities disciplines lies years of ethnic conflict. his colleague Pablo Moscato, a in their remarkable power biomedical researcher, who are to illuminate, understand Catharine Lumby’s work with drawing on the methodologies and transform. the National Rugby League and of each other’s disciplines to the Australian Defence Force mutually inform cancer research on transforming attitudes to EMERITUS PROFESSOR and literary analysis. sexual behaviour and violence LESLEY JOHNSON AM FAHA is also deeply grounded in years Recognising, understanding and President, Australian Academy of research in gender studies giving voice to the complexity of of the Humanities, 2011–14 and media studies. social issues is a key role of the humanities disciplines. Anna Lumby’s and Lo Bianco’s work Haebich’s work on the Stolen exemplify an often overlooked IV AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF THE HUMANITIES ⁄⁄ THE POWER OF THE HUMANITIES CONTENTS 3 16 31 Enlisting Shakespeare Making fishing more Australian philosopher to help fight cancer sustainable through inspires a Spanish cultural change prime minister 4 19 33 Changing the culture of Oiling the wheels of Healing the broken rugby league – and the China’s New Silk Road circles of our armed forces national life 7 20 34 Using language Learning lessons from Saving the Great to build peace in Antiquity about coping Barrier Reef through Australia’s region with grief a marriage of arts and sciences 9 23 36 A lifetime of cultural Mining a rich seam Sydney’s Chinatown: diplomacy helps to bind of creativity a global crossroads in Australia and China the Asian Century 11 25 39 Healing the scars of A new lens on history, Helping wheat farmers Black Saturday – and a new tourism adapt to a drier climate learning the lessons attraction – and of history a new zest for life 12 26 41 Archaeology gets Tailoring HIV/AIDS The new guardians of sexy – and draws in education for a new Sydney’s Georges River the tourists generation 15 28 Big History: a global Moving from air-con to origin story for the a ‘cool living’ future next generation 1 LEAD RESEARCHER HUGH CRAIG FAHA What if you could harness the power of supercomputers, along with the latest computer science techniques, to determine whether an unknown play was written by Shakespeare – then use the same methodology to diagnose cancer? 2 AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF THE HUMANITIES ⁄⁄ THE POWER OF THE HUMANITIES ENLISTING SHAKESPEARE TO HELP FIGHT CANCER WHAT IF YOU COULD harness the writer—indeed, every person – For another study, which they power of supercomputers, along uses language in a uniquely completed in 2014, he and with the latest computer science idiosyncratic way. Craig used even more powerful techniques, to determine whether computing techniques to The pair fed into supercomputing an unknown play was written by crunch 256 plays and poems, systems in Moscato’s laboratory Shakespeare—then use the same comprising millions of words, by all of the plays written by methodology to diagnose cancer? 60 Renaissance writers including Shakespeare and three of his Shakespeare. They then noted Unlikely as it sounds, that is contemporaries, Ben Jonson, how the works clustered by