AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF THE HUMANITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2014–15 AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF THE HUMANITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2014–15 This document is a true and accurate account of the activities and abridged financial report of the Australian Academy of the Humanities for the financial year 2014–15, in accordance with the reporting requirements of the Academy’s Royal Charter and By-Laws, and for the conditions of grants made by the Australian Government under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth). CONTENTS From the President 2 Publications and Communications 20 From the Executive Director 4 Grants and Awards 21 Council 5 International Activities 23 Strategic Plan 6 Obituaries 26 The Fellowship 7 Treasurer’s Statement 64 Events 13 Abridged Financial Report 65 Policy and Research 16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Funding for the production of this report and a number of the activities described herein has been provided by the Australian Government through the Department of Education and Training. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Education and Training. 2 THE AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF THE HUMANITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2014–15 FROM THE PRESIDENT In this my first year as President, I take the opportunity The Academy has been a vocal participant in the ongoing to highlight some of the impressive outcomes and discussion around research evaluation and metrics, achievements of the Australian Academy of the encouraging the development of multidimensional Humanities in this reporting period, July 2014 – June approaches to both measure and facilitate researcher 2015, as detailed in the pages that follow. engagement and ‘impact’. We have called on government to adopt the principles outlined in the Leiden Manifesto, The humanities, alongside the arts and social sciences which contends that too often ‘evaluation is led by the (which together comprise the HASS sector), represent data rather than judgement’. half of the tertiary research and teaching system in Australia. The humanities make a deep and rich As we all know, often these contributions are not easily contribution to the nation in many ways, and must be measured. Take for example the lifetime work of historian part of the national conversation about the choices being Professor Colin Mackerras ao fAHA, who was singled out made for the nation’s future. for special mention when China’s President, Xi Jinping, addressed the Australian parliament in November 2014. A key role of the Academy is to provide independent The President thanked Mackerras for building ‘a bridge expert advice to government and policymakers, of mutual understanding and amity between our people’. promoting the social significance of humanities And he praised his ‘tireless efforts to present a real scholarship and its importance in shaping effective China to Australia and the world, based on his personal public policy. The Academy is the leading voice on issues experience of China’s development and progress’. facing the humanities disciplines, and in that capacity How would we begin to measure, let alone cost, such we are invited to participate in a variety of fora on higher a contribution to the national interest? education and research policy. The Academy is actively looking at ways to better Over the last year the Academy has been active in understand and measure academic activity through advocating for a national strategic vision for the entire projects such as Measuring the Value of International higher education, research and innovation system, Research Collaboration. Commissioned by government, including planning for the next generation of researchers. this work has examined how methodologies such Australia’s reputation for a comprehensive, quality-based as network mapping offer insights into the range of higher education and research system should remain interactions, relationships, flows and values associated the primary objective for the sector. This means a long- with international education and research collaboration. term commitment to basic research alongside efforts to encourage the translation and commercialisation Our policy work has been informed and significantly of research. strengthened by the Mapping the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences in Australia report, which has provided The Academy has also called on government to adopt the evidence base on which to progress our arguments. the principle of reciprocity as a tenet of international Launched at the National Press Club in Canberra, the engagement strategies, and contribute to regional public report provides a data resource, a foundation for further good by working on shared challenges. We have also work to support and explore arguments around the value advocated for a commitment to academic freedom to of HASS. underpin all such engagements. We remain indebted to Emeritus Professor Graeme We are currently seeking to develop a strategy Turner FAHA, who led the project, and to his co-author for humanities research infrastructure. Several Dr Kylie Brass for their tireless efforts to communicate its major reviews into research infrastructure have key findings and keep the report on the radar. been undertaken during the reporting period, and the Academy has been very active in this space, Building on this work, we have begun an ARC-funded hosting two events this year focused on the needs study on The Humanities in the Asia Region, which aims of humanities researchers and the development of to facilitate knowledge exchange between humanities a strategy that will position us to present a strong case researchers in Australia and key countries in the for investment. This has involved close collaboration Asia region. with colleagues in the galleries, libraries, archives We are also developing a series of case studies of and museums sector, whose collections are of such humanities research and its contribution to addressing significance for researchers. These institutions are the societal challenges and delivering wider benefits to repositories of the ‘data’ on which so much humanities society. I am deeply grateful to Emeritus Professor Lesley scholarship depends. THE AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF THE HUMANITIES ANNUAL REPORT 2014–15 3 Johnson am FAHA, Immediate Past President, for leading and events noted throughout this annual report. I single this important work. out for special mention the work of the Academy, its Fellows and representatives in serving on thirteen major The Academy continues to facilitate engagement among research projects as part of the Australian Council of and across our sector. We have convened an impressive Learned Academies (ACOLA) Securing Australia’s Future array of events this year, with a focus on research programme. Our Academy led the Smart Engagement evaluation, research infrastructure strategy, and early- with Asia project, chaired by Professor Ien Ang FAHA and and mid-career humanities researchers. Our engagement looks set to manage two new projects in the coming year. with the next generation of leaders in the humanities This programme demonstrates the vital ways in which continues through our grants and awards programmes, the humanities comes together with the sciences and which facilitate international linkages and encourage social sciences to tackle big issues bearing on Australia’s excellence in research for early career researchers. future such as building an innovative workforce, This year’s grants will help connect researchers at the developing deeper links with the Asia region through beginning of their careers with counterparts in the research and cultural diplomacy, and capitalising on US, Canada, Sweden, Greece, Belgium, the UK and technological developments with a view to wider social Cambodia. and community need. The Academy’s own international collaborations continue My final word of thanks is to my colleagues, past and to be guided by our International Strategy and by the present, on Council and the staff in the Secretariat. principle of reciprocity which we espouse in our policy On behalf of all Fellows I should like to express our work. We have focused our limited resources on areas of appreciation to Emeritus Professor Lesley Johnson for key strategic value based on our extensive research on her distinguished service as President. Lesley’s quiet and international engagement in the humanities, including consultative manner masked a forceful and determined our survey of Fellows. The bilateral workshops with the leadership style, focusing on results, and ever ready Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) continue to move on to the next challenge. The challenges were to be a great success, due largely to the hard work of our formidable and in meeting them Lesley placed the Fellows who act as convenors and who engage closely Academy in a strong position for her successors. with their CASS colleagues to ensure a programme of great mutual interest and benefit, and to building The considerable and unique contribution of Emeritus strong relationships that we hope will provide a platform Professor Graeme Clark AO FAHA to the Academy during for long-term collaboration. My warmest thanks to his 40-year association, most recently as Secretary, was Professors John Makeham FAHA and Alan Hájek FAHA celebrated at the 2014 Fellows’ Dinner and is outlined for all their work on the second round of workshops in greater detail in the following pages. I wish to thank focused on philosophy. Professor Elizabeth Minchin faha for stepping into the role of Honorary Secretary, and each of the Council There is, of course, always more to do. One area that we members who have taken on additional roles: Professor hope to strengthen in the coming years is in the area Peter Cryle FAHA, International Secretary; Professor of communications, both with Fellows and the wider Richard Waterhouse FAHA, Treasurer; and Emeritus public. We have made a great start with the use of social Professor Elizabeth Webby AM FAHA, Editor. Special media to communicate and engage with our community. thanks are due to Dr Tina Parolin and the able team At 30 June 2015, we look forward with much anticipation in the Academy Secretariat who together have ensured to the launch of The Power of the Humanities publication.