Known for her bold and bright work, artist Mirka Mora was a trailblazer for women artists in the 1970s, bringing 'feminine techniques' to the forefront of art. Grimwade Centre Honorary Fellow Sabine Cotte discusses Mirka's life, work, and legacy in this article, originally published in the University of Melbourne's Pursuit. Mirka Mora was one of Melbourne’s best loved artists, renowned as …

From 2015, the extraordinary Hansen Gift — the largest ever made to a History program in Australia — has transformed the teaching of History at the University of Melbourne. One strand of the initiatives funded by the Gift is an annual Hansen Trust PhD Scholarship in History. Applications for next year’s round are currently open, and we take this opportunity to …

Last week, politicians and farming lobbyists weighed in on the replication crisis in science and a number of academics, including several from SHAPS, responded in the following article republished from The Conversation. The National Party, Queensland farming lobby group AgForce, and MP Bob Katter have banded together to propose an 'independent science quality assurance agency'. To justify their position, Liberal-National MP George …

In 2017 Xavier Ma became the first postgraduate from the People’s Republic of China to receive a PhD in History from the University of Melbourne. Xavier came to Melbourne in 2013 on a scholarship targeting graduates of Peking University. During his candidature, he distinguished himself by winning a D. Kim Foundation Fellowship to support him in the writing-up stages. Upon graduating, he …

At the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, Western disciplines like chemistry, physics, art history and archaeology help us to analyse, understand, preserve and restore Australia’s cultural heritage. It’s part of a history of conservation that stretches back centuries; emerging from the Western intellectual tradition of universities, museums, libraries, archives and galleries throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. But when considering a …

Two weeks after submitting her PhD on oral histories about Vietnamese refugee childhood and the digital diaspora, Anh Nguyen was invited to present a public lecture at Melbourne Museum. As a volunteer researcher at the Museum, she worked with curator Moya McFadzean on a collection of crochet works by Man Man, a detainee on Manus Island. In this adapted version …

How do hate speech, slurs, and other speech acts contribute to and perpetuate oppression? What does it mean to be a ‘woman’ in today’s society? How do our gender concepts impact the ways in which we are able to relate to the world and those around us? How should we strike a balance between freedom of speech and suppression of …

An interdisciplinary team of researchers across the School of Biosciences and SHAPS are working together to address one of the most pressing controversies of modern science – scientific replicability. The repliCATS project, based predominantly at the University of Melbourne, is among the first of its kind to be funded by end users of scientific research. Dang Nguyen spoke to Fallon …

A group of organizations, the National Security Archive (NSA), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) have filed a lawsuit aimed at requiring the Trump Administration to record and preserve transcripts of high-level diplomatic meetings. History PhD candidate Nayree Mardirian spoke to SHAFR's President Professor Barbara Keys about this …

Queer history is a relatively new field of historical research that offers loads of untapped sources and stories. In this video, three History Honours students, Meghan Grech, Danielle Scrimshaw and Harriet Steele, talk about their research on Australia’s LGBTQI history from the 1840s to the 1990s. They reflect on: where they find meaning in their work as historians; what they …

Emma Hayles, one of our recent graduates, is now working as an archaeological conservator, looking after items uncovered during the Metro Tunnel Project excavations. After doing an undergraduate degree in Archaeology, Emma Hayles went on to complete a Master of Cultural Materials Conservation in 2017. Since 2018, she has been working on the Metro Tunnel Project as an archaeological conservator. In …

After completing her PhD in History and Social Theory, Nicola Nixon has spent the last fifteen years working in international development, in a range of posts across Europe, Asia and Australia. She's worked for the United Nations Development Programme, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and a range of international NGOs. Currently, she is Director of Governance at the …

Staff and students from Melbourne University’s archaeology fieldwork intensive subject in Georgia were pleasantly surprised when the Australian Ambassador to Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Marc Innes-Brown, and Second Secretary, Andrew Cooper, visited the site during the 2019 excavation season. The Ambassador shared his impressions of the visit with Larissa Tittl. The Ambassador was struck by both the beauty of the …

Archaeology PhD candidate Maddi Harris-Schober is one of a number of SHAPS students and alumni who have taken part in the archaeological digs in Melbourne’s CBD as part of the Metro Tunnel Project. In this interview, she talks about being an archaeologist, and about her experiences working on the state’s biggest ever public transport infrastructure project. As part of the Victorian …

In the midst of her relocation from Canada to commence her appointment as the new Head of the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies (SHAPS), Professor Margaret Cameron took some time out to chat to SHAPS Forum’s Carley Tonoli about her love of philosophy, her academic career, and her excitement about heading up the SHAPS team. What sparked your love of …

Trains and railroads hold a curious appeal for many of us, and they make compelling subjects for historical research. In 2018, History major Tim Lilley chose to produce his third-year capstone research project on the history of the Melbourne-Geelong railway. We showcase his outstanding project here, in the first of a series of posts spotlighting some of the best work …

What happens when an artwork is produced using technologies that later become obsolete? What special skills are needed by conservators working with old media? Tate conservator Patricia Falcão recently delivered a masterclass on this subject for Master of Cultural Materials Conservation students at the Grimwade Centre. Ashley Hayes, one of the postgraduate students who organised the masterclass, reports and reflects …

From second semester 2019, undergraduates at the University of Melbourne will be able to study Soviet history, with the launch of the second-year subject 'Red Empire: The Soviet Union and After'. This brand-new subject is part of the History program's curriculum revamp, led by Hansen Chair Professor Mark Edele. It also marks a revitalisation of Russian studies at the University …

On the back of her new book, Not in Their Name: Are Citizens Culpable for Their States' Actions?, SHAPS Senior Lecturer in Political Philosophy, Dr Holly Lawford-Smith sat down for Q&A with Forum’s Carley Tonoli. What sparked your initial interest in philosophy? My initial interest in philosophy came during my undergrad. I took a course just out of curiosity; I was actually …

Graduate students from the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation have been helping the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) to do the difficult but crucial work involved in reorganising their collection.

In 1944, the Bretton Woods conference started the task of rebuilding a multilateral world economy that had been fractured by the Great Depression and war - and the multilateral institutions that emerged are now challenged by President Donald Trump.

A degree in history is ideal training for a career in the media. ABC journalist Bindi Bryce spoke to Sofie Onorato about how her History major at the University of Melbourne.

PhD candidate Dang Nguyen has been awarded a prestigious Fox International Fellowship, which will see her spend the 2019-2020 academic year at Yale University Graduate School. She spoke with Nicole Davis about her work.

In October 2018 the inimitable Associate Professor Frederik Vervaet presented a riveting public lecture entitled "'Monarch by Universal Consent’: Revisiting Augustus' Alternative Truth", as part of the 2018 Truth SHAPS Public Lecture series

In 2018 Ross Barham completed his Philosophy PhD, investigating the relationship between human language and the way we understand the concept of objectivity. He chatted to Carley Tonoli about how it feels to be on the other side of the finish line.

Pineapples as a status symbol in early modern Europe and nineteenth-century Sydney restaurants were the topics of papers presented by the two gastronomes from SHAPS at the 22nd Symposium of Australian Gastronomy in November 2018 in western Sydney.

Advances in robotics raise all kinds of questions about how humans will relate to this new technology... In her recent PhD, Dr Tessa Leach explored an especially controversial aspect of this topic: the human-like sex robots that may soon be among us.

Our annual newsletter celebrates the achievements of our students, past and present, and shares news about the research, teaching and other activities happening in the History program.

SHAPS Classics & Archaeology lecturer Dr Brent Davis was recently awarded the prestigious Michael Ventris Award for Mycenaean Studies. He spoke with Nicole Davis about his research.

In 2018 Professor Antonia Finnane retired after 33 years working for the History program at the University of Melbourne. We present here excerpts from the speeches and tributes delivered at Antonia's farewell in November 2018.

Professor Tim Parkin’s reflections on his first year as Tatoulis Chair in Classics The reason the Greeks and Romans remain fascinating and significant to us in the modern world is because their influence is omnipresent and also because in studying them we constantly learn more about ourselves. In January 2018, Professor Tim Parkin arrived in Melbourne to take up a new position …

Free-threshing wheat, a small piece of inscribed banded agate, the myth of Jason and Medea... are all elements in the stories told by presenters at a recent Classics and Archaeology symposium devoted to the legacy of the late Emeritus Professor Antonio (Tony) Sagona.

Incoming Lecturer in European History Ángel Alcalde brings expertise on the social and cultural history of war, transnational history and the history of fascism. He discusses his inspirations with Ross Karavis.

Fallon Mody recently caught up with an interdisciplinary group of Melbourne-based researchers - including our own Associate Professor Mike Arnold - who think about death for a living.

In 2018 Brigid Evans completed her Masters by research in the areas of political philosophy and philosophy of education. On a recent trip home from her new base in the UK, she chatted to Carley Tonoli about reflections on her research.

Reunion (2018) is a short animation by VCA Animation students Jackson Cook and Jenn Tran, in collaboration with History PhD candidate Anh Nguyen.

In 2018 Sadra completed a PhD at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation. He talked to Georgia Garvey-Hawke from the SHAPS Engagement team about how his passion for conservation has taken him around the world...

Research into glass and faience objects from Cyprus in the late Bronze Age involves more than digging into the ancient past. Kellie Youngs reflects on her research and time in Greece.

Eight SHAPS graduate philosophers recently headed out to Monash to present their work at a major event for Australian philosophy postgraduates, the annual Australasian Postgraduate Philosophy Conference (APPC).

The undergraduate History Major at the University of Melbourne culminates in the capstone subject, Making History (HIST30060). In this subject, students are given the chance to design and produce an independent historical research project on a topic of their own choice.

Known for her bold and bright work, artist Mirka Mora was a trailblazer for women artists in the 1970s, bringing 'feminine techniques' to the forefront of art. Grimwade Centre Honorary Fellow Sabine Cotte discusses Mirka's life, work, and legacy in this article, originally published in the University of Melbourne's Pursuit. Mirka Mora was one of Melbourne’s best loved artists, renowned as …

From 2015, the extraordinary Hansen Gift — the largest ever made to a History program in Australia — has transformed the teaching of History at the University of Melbourne. One strand of the initiatives funded by the Gift is an annual Hansen Trust PhD Scholarship in History. Applications for next year’s round are currently open, and we take this opportunity to …

Last week, politicians and farming lobbyists weighed in on the replication crisis in science and a number of academics, including several from SHAPS, responded in the following article republished from The Conversation. The National Party, Queensland farming lobby group AgForce, and MP Bob Katter have banded together to propose an 'independent science quality assurance agency'. To justify their position, Liberal-National MP George …

In 2017 Xavier Ma became the first postgraduate from the People’s Republic of China to receive a PhD in History from the University of Melbourne. Xavier came to Melbourne in 2013 on a scholarship targeting graduates of Peking University. During his candidature, he distinguished himself by winning a D. Kim Foundation Fellowship to support him in the writing-up stages. Upon graduating, he …

At the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, Western disciplines like chemistry, physics, art history and archaeology help us to analyse, understand, preserve and restore Australia’s cultural heritage. It’s part of a history of conservation that stretches back centuries; emerging from the Western intellectual tradition of universities, museums, libraries, archives and galleries throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. But when considering a …

Two weeks after submitting her PhD on oral histories about Vietnamese refugee childhood and the digital diaspora, Anh Nguyen was invited to present a public lecture at Melbourne Museum. As a volunteer researcher at the Museum, she worked with curator Moya McFadzean on a collection of crochet works by Man Man, a detainee on Manus Island. In this adapted version …

How do hate speech, slurs, and other speech acts contribute to and perpetuate oppression? What does it mean to be a ‘woman’ in today’s society? How do our gender concepts impact the ways in which we are able to relate to the world and those around us? How should we strike a balance between freedom of speech and suppression of …

An interdisciplinary team of researchers across the School of Biosciences and SHAPS are working together to address one of the most pressing controversies of modern science – scientific replicability. The repliCATS project, based predominantly at the University of Melbourne, is among the first of its kind to be funded by end users of scientific research. Dang Nguyen spoke to Fallon …

A group of organizations, the National Security Archive (NSA), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) have filed a lawsuit aimed at requiring the Trump Administration to record and preserve transcripts of high-level diplomatic meetings. History PhD candidate Nayree Mardirian spoke to SHAFR's President Professor Barbara Keys about this …

Emma Hayles, one of our recent graduates, is now working as an archaeological conservator, looking after items uncovered during the Metro Tunnel Project excavations. After doing an undergraduate degree in Archaeology, Emma Hayles went on to complete a Master of Cultural Materials Conservation in 2017. Since 2018, she has been working on the Metro Tunnel Project as an archaeological conservator. In …

After completing her PhD in History and Social Theory, Nicola Nixon has spent the last fifteen years working in international development, in a range of posts across Europe, Asia and Australia. She's worked for the United Nations Development Programme, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and a range of international NGOs. Currently, she is Director of Governance at the …

Staff and students from Melbourne University’s archaeology fieldwork intensive subject in Georgia were pleasantly surprised when the Australian Ambassador to Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Marc Innes-Brown, and Second Secretary, Andrew Cooper, visited the site during the 2019 excavation season. The Ambassador shared his impressions of the visit with Larissa Tittl. The Ambassador was struck by both the beauty of the …

Archaeology PhD candidate Maddi Harris-Schober is one of a number of SHAPS students and alumni who have taken part in the archaeological digs in Melbourne’s CBD as part of the Metro Tunnel Project. In this interview, she talks about being an archaeologist, and about her experiences working on the state’s biggest ever public transport infrastructure project. As part of the Victorian …

In the midst of her relocation from Canada to commence her appointment as the new Head of the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies (SHAPS), Professor Margaret Cameron took some time out to chat to SHAPS Forum’s Carley Tonoli about her love of philosophy, her academic career, and her excitement about heading up the SHAPS team. What sparked your love of …

In October 2018 the inimitable Associate Professor Frederik Vervaet presented a riveting public lecture entitled "'Monarch by Universal Consent’: Revisiting Augustus' Alternative Truth", as part of the 2018 Truth SHAPS Public Lecture series

In 2018 Ross Barham completed his Philosophy PhD, investigating the relationship between human language and the way we understand the concept of objectivity. He chatted to Carley Tonoli about how it feels to be on the other side of the finish line.

Pineapples as a status symbol in early modern Europe and nineteenth-century Sydney restaurants were the topics of papers presented by the two gastronomes from SHAPS at the 22nd Symposium of Australian Gastronomy in November 2018 in western Sydney.

Advances in robotics raise all kinds of questions about how humans will relate to this new technology... In her recent PhD, Dr Tessa Leach explored an especially controversial aspect of this topic: the human-like sex robots that may soon be among us.

In 2018 Professor Antonia Finnane retired after 33 years working for the History program at the University of Melbourne. We present here excerpts from the speeches and tributes delivered at Antonia's farewell in November 2018.

Professor Tim Parkin’s reflections on his first year as Tatoulis Chair in Classics The reason the Greeks and Romans remain fascinating and significant to us in the modern world is because their influence is omnipresent and also because in studying them we constantly learn more about ourselves. In January 2018, Professor Tim Parkin arrived in Melbourne to take up a new position …

Free-threshing wheat, a small piece of inscribed banded agate, the myth of Jason and Medea... are all elements in the stories told by presenters at a recent Classics and Archaeology symposium devoted to the legacy of the late Emeritus Professor Antonio (Tony) Sagona.

Incoming Lecturer in European History Ángel Alcalde brings expertise on the social and cultural history of war, transnational history and the history of fascism. He discusses his inspirations with Ross Karavis.

Fallon Mody recently caught up with an interdisciplinary group of Melbourne-based researchers - including our own Associate Professor Mike Arnold - who think about death for a living.

In 2018 Brigid Evans completed her Masters by research in the areas of political philosophy and philosophy of education. On a recent trip home from her new base in the UK, she chatted to Carley Tonoli about reflections on her research.

Reunion (2018) is a short animation by VCA Animation students Jackson Cook and Jenn Tran, in collaboration with History PhD candidate Anh Nguyen.

In 2018 Sadra completed a PhD at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation. He talked to Georgia Garvey-Hawke from the SHAPS Engagement team about how his passion for conservation has taken him around the world...

Research into glass and faience objects from Cyprus in the late Bronze Age involves more than digging into the ancient past. Kellie Youngs reflects on her research and time in Greece.

Eight SHAPS graduate philosophers recently headed out to Monash to present their work at a major event for Australian philosophy postgraduates, the annual Australasian Postgraduate Philosophy Conference (APPC).

Queer history is a relatively new field of historical research that offers loads of untapped sources and stories. In this video, three History Honours students, Meghan Grech, Danielle Scrimshaw and Harriet Steele, talk about their research on Australia’s LGBTQI history from the 1840s to the 1990s. They reflect on: where they find meaning in their work as historians; what they …

Staff and students from Melbourne University’s archaeology fieldwork intensive subject in Georgia were pleasantly surprised when the Australian Ambassador to Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Marc Innes-Brown, and Second Secretary, Andrew Cooper, visited the site during the 2019 excavation season. The Ambassador shared his impressions of the visit with Larissa Tittl. The Ambassador was struck by both the beauty of the …

Trains and railroads hold a curious appeal for many of us, and they make compelling subjects for historical research. In 2018, History major Tim Lilley chose to produce his third-year capstone research project on the history of the Melbourne-Geelong railway. We showcase his outstanding project here, in the first of a series of posts spotlighting some of the best work …

What happens when an artwork is produced using technologies that later become obsolete? What special skills are needed by conservators working with old media? Tate conservator Patricia Falcão recently delivered a masterclass on this subject for Master of Cultural Materials Conservation students at the Grimwade Centre. Ashley Hayes, one of the postgraduate students who organised the masterclass, reports and reflects …

From second semester 2019, undergraduates at the University of Melbourne will be able to study Soviet history, with the launch of the second-year subject 'Red Empire: The Soviet Union and After'. This brand-new subject is part of the History program's curriculum revamp, led by Hansen Chair Professor Mark Edele. It also marks a revitalisation of Russian studies at the University …

Our annual newsletter celebrates the achievements of our students, past and present, and shares news about the research, teaching and other activities happening in the History program.

In 2018 Professor Antonia Finnane retired after 33 years working for the History program at the University of Melbourne. We present here excerpts from the speeches and tributes delivered at Antonia's farewell in November 2018.

Professor Tim Parkin’s reflections on his first year as Tatoulis Chair in Classics The reason the Greeks and Romans remain fascinating and significant to us in the modern world is because their influence is omnipresent and also because in studying them we constantly learn more about ourselves. In January 2018, Professor Tim Parkin arrived in Melbourne to take up a new position …

Incoming Lecturer in European History Ángel Alcalde brings expertise on the social and cultural history of war, transnational history and the history of fascism. He discusses his inspirations with Ross Karavis.

The undergraduate History Major at the University of Melbourne culminates in the capstone subject, Making History (HIST30060). In this subject, students are given the chance to design and produce an independent historical research project on a topic of their own choice.

The Classics & Archaeology program runs a weekly Ancient World research seminar series on Mondays at 1pm in Old Arts 107 (William Macmahon Ball Theatre) during each semester. The Ancient World series is aimed at a broad audience, from academics to students to members of the public. The seminars are not highly technical, and everyone is welcome to attend. Speakers are …

The History Brown Bag Seminar Series is the main forum to inform and be updated about new and cutting-edge research in our area. Running in both semesters on Thursdays from 1 to 2pm, this seminar is one of the main academic events in which SHAPS History staff, postgraduates, fellows and associates gather. It is also open to external participants and …

The History and Philosophy of Science program runs a weekly seminar series at 1pm Wednesdays during semester. All are welcome to attend. The seminars feature talks on the full range of the discipline, including historical studies, philosophical insights, social and cultural analyses of science, and metaresearch into scientific practices. Presenters include local, interstate and international scholars ranging from postgraduate students to …

The Philosophy Thursday Seminar Series features presentations by SHAPS Philosophy staff and collaborators in Melbourne, and from across Australia and the world. The range of issues covered in the seminar — from formal epistemology to the history of philosophy — reflects the variety of work done in the School. Enquiries about subscribing to the mailing list and for seminar details …

The Early Modern Circle is an informal, interdisciplinary seminar group open to interested students, academics and researchers. Seminars are presented by scholars, both established and emerging, national and international, working in the field of Early Modern Studies broadly conceived, whether in History, Art History, Literature, Music, and so on. Its activities are linked to the Early Modern Studies Research Hub …

Melbourne Eurasianist Seminar Series (MESS) is an interdisciplinary seminar series and research network for scholars working in Soviet/post-Soviet/Slavic studies, convened by Professor Mark Edele and Dr Julie Fedor. MESS meets roughly once a month during semester time. For more information or to be added to our mailing list, email  Dr Oleg Beyda. You can also find out more on our website or Facebook …

The Melbourne Logic Seminar meets most weeks of the semester (and sometimes outside the teaching semester) from 11am to 1pm on Fridays. It’s an active research seminar in logic and related fields, with active participants from universities across Melbourne. The seminar is currently convened by Dr Shawn Standefer. For further information contact Shawn via email, visit our website or visit us …

The Classics and Archaeology Postgraduate Society is a social and academic hub for postgraduate students studying everything from Near Eastern prehistoric archaeology to the army of the late Roman Empire. Postgraduate research is inherently solitary, so the Society attempts to break the idea that a postgraduate must be a lone student in a library carrel obscured by piles of monographs …

Melbourne University Classics & Archaeology Students Society (MUCLASS) is a club for anyone interested in ancient history, mythology, archaeology or the Classics. We run a broad range of social and academic events, including trivia nights, museum visits, board game sessions, and film screenings. Our committee structure is based on the ancient Roman cursus honourum, or ‘path of offices’ in which ambitious …

Student Conservators at Melbourne (SC@M) is the student group for the Master of Cultural Materials Conservation program at the Grimwade Centre, University of Melbourne. Our members are national and international student conservators and alumni from a variety of backgrounds including the Arts, Humanities and Sciences. We act as a liaison between students and the academic faculty and organise workshops, excursions and …

Konservaction is an Indonesian/Australian alliance focusing on the conservation of Indonesian heritage. Established in 2017 by students from the Master of Cultural Materials Conservation program at The University of Melbourne, the initiative provides an international platform for skills development in project management, workshop delivery, and cross-cultural teaching. Our first project – launched in response to the 2017 Mt Agung volcano activity …

Led by a committee elected annually in June by the History postgraduate cohort, the History Postgraduate Association (HPA) is committed to improving the experience of History students. We build solidarity and cohesion through events and activities, represent the voice of History postgraduate students, and provide avenues of communication between History students and our colleagues in SHAPS, the Faculty of Arts, and …

Since its establishment in 2017, the History Society has been tirelessly dedicated to upholding its central mission of promoting the study of history at the University of Melbourne, and creating an inclusive and welcoming community for students who have an interest in history. To this end, we run a number of educational and social events. From Indigenous heritage walks to …

The Melbourne University Philosophy Society (MUPS) is a primarily undergraduate society focussed on promoting and building the Philosophy community at the University. We run weekly events that are open to all year levels with the aim of providing a safe and encouraging environment for people to discuss and debate the great philosophical questions. We also aim to connect students with …

The SHAPS Fellows & Associates Group was formed in 2005, when a group of retired academics, historians, classicists and archaeologists met monthly to discuss their current research. Fellows and Associates have not retired from their work. We all continue to publish books, chapters of books, journal articles, book reviews and entries in the Australian and international dictionaries of biography as …

Historical research is published across the globe in a number of languages other than English, and one must be able to read these works. Postgraduate students take different approaches to these languages, often taking classes offered by the University or seeking outside private instruction. But some likeminded students decided that coming together to read works in different languages and offer …

An informal group that meets on Wednesdays at 5:15pm in a friendly and supportive environment to read medieval (Byzantine) Greek texts. Anyone with any knowledge of Greek is welcome. Currently we are working on producing the first ever translation of the late eleventh-century Greek Chronicle of Kedrenos which 'covers' (perhaps the wrong word) the period from Creation to 811 CE …

The History Research Writing Group provides PhD students undertaking historical research the opportunity to develop their written work by having it reviewed and critiqued by their peers in a supportive and friendly setting. Typically, group members present work in progress, such as conference papers, journal articles or draft thesis chapters. To become a member of the group you must be currently …

Emporium is a research hub based at the University of Melbourne, dedicated to the long and rich histories of consumption, production, and consumer practices across time and space. It is premised on the understanding that all economic activity is culturally embedded. The hub is focused around four core research areas: Luxury, Advertising, Food, and Textiles. All are interrelated, but each also has …

Melbourne History Workshop is a studio-based research collaboratory in the History Program at the University of Melbourne under the direction of Professor Andrew May. It taps the pooled expertise of staff, research higher degree students and affiliates in order to provide innovative and rigorously-applied historical research, postgraduate training, industry collaboration and community-facing projects. The Workshop’s focus is the exciting synergy …

The Classics & Archaeology discipline within SHAPS has a unique resource for its researchers: our Classics & Archaeology Library. Housed mainly in Arts West 511 West Wing (the Classics Reading Room), the Library is a boutique non-lending research library for academic staff, honorary fellows, postgraduates, Honours students, and academic visitors. The C&A Library collection began in the 1970s as a combination …

Amphora is an independent, open-access journal that welcomes contributions from researchers working in a diverse range of fields: Classical Studies, Ancient History, Reception Studies, Digital Humanities, Egyptology and Archaeology. The journal is run by a voluntary editorial collective based at the University of Melbourne, with editors drawn from across Australia and New Zealand. All articles submitted to Amphora undergo a …

Published since 1961, the Melbourne Historical Journal (MHJ) is a refereed journal that aims to promote and publish new work by postgraduate and early career researchers. MHJ is usually published once a year. We also publish the occasional MHJ Research Series. The 2019 theme, Narratives and Power, was chosen to turn attention towards the ethical and social impact of historical practice, …

Chariot is an undergraduate history journal at the University of Melbourne, created by and for students. The journal provides a space for students to engage with history in their own way, publishing online and in print. Online submissions are always open. We consider essays, commentaries, reviews, and creative pieces (including short fiction, poetry and visual art) written by undergraduate students of the …

The Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society (JSPPS) is a bi-annual interdisciplinary journal that was launched in 2015 as a companion journal to the Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society book series (founded 2004 and edited by Andreas Umland). Like the book series, the journal provides an interdisciplinary forum for new original research on the Soviet and post-Soviet world. All …

Grimwade Conservation Services specialises in all areas of art restoration and museum standard conservation to institutions and private clients. Programs include: conservation treatments and restoration of all types of materials; collection surveys; conservation strategy plans; disaster preparedness plans; research; and technical analysis. Our client base includes: national, state, regional and rural public collection and cultural organisations; amateur collecting societies and museums; …

Nicole Davis is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne and a member of the Melbourne History Workshop based at the university. Her thesis examines the social history of the shopping arcade in nineteenth-century Australia from a transnational perspective. She works on diverse research projects about the history of the Australian city, which have included the My Marvellous Melbourne …

Anton is a PhD student in History, with his thesis research examining Australian remembrance of the Second World War in the 1940s and 1950s. Currently co-President of the History Postgraduate Association (2019/2020) and a former editor of Melbourne Historical Journal, Anton is passionate about fostering collegiality and creating a mutually supportive environment.

Georgia Garvey-Hawke is an emerging historian and conservator, currently completing a Master of Cultural Materials Conservation at the Grimwade Centre. In 2016 she earned a BH-Arts Degree with First-Class Honours, with a double major in History and English and Theatre Studies, at the University of Melbourne. The remarkable tale of survival of the John Henry Austral vinyl records, which Georgia …

Samara Greenwood is currently completing a Graduate Diploma in History and Philosophy of Science.  What began as a side-interest alongside her other life as an architect has turned into a strong passion. In particular, Samara enjoys the interdisciplinary focus of HPS and how it encourages integrating historical, philosophical and sociological approaches to scholarship. Her current interest is in scientific practice …

Ashley Hayes is an artist and emerging conservator. She is currently completing a Master of Cultural Materials Conservation at the Grimwade Centre. Her minor thesis is exploring the post-acquisition strategies for performance artworks within Australian art institutions. She completed a Bachelor of Visual Art specialising in sculpture and installation in 2015, receiving First-Class Honours, at the University of South Australia.

Argyris (Ross) Karavis is a Doctoral candidate in History at the University of Melbourne researching the impact of French gastronomic taste on Australian food culture between 1850 and 1914. He has previously undertaken research on the 1901 Federation Dinners and on the emergence of yum cha in Australia in the 1990s as part of the Master of Arts in Food …

Nayree’s research concerns twentieth-century Middle East and US diplomatic history. Postwar Lebanon is also a subject of interest, especially memory and reconciliation practices that have occurred since the end of the country’s second civil war (1975–1990). Nayree’s MA focused specifically on apologies given for civil war atrocities. Her doctoral thesis examines Dr. Charles H. Malik and his role in the second …

Dang Nguyen is a second-year PhD candidate in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies (SHAPS) at the University of Melbourne. She is working under the supervision of Associate Professor Michael Arnold (SHAPS) and Associate Professor Richard Chenhall (MSPGH). Her PhD project investigates the performance of non-biomedical knowledge on the internet. The aim is to understand how digital technologies influence the propagation of knowledge …

Sofie Onorato is a PhD candidate in History at the University of Melbourne. Her thesis examines the nineteenth-century English newspaper and its development, specifically in relation to the Franco-Prussian War. She is interested in how technology, politics, genre and commercial considerations create intersections between media and society. Currently, Sofie is a member of the editorial team for the Melbourne Historical …

Jonathan is a PhD student in History, researching the role of militarised student organisations in the development of post-independence Indonesia. He is interested in histories of student activism and the role of youth in national development, within both militarised and non-militarised settings. Jonathan is also a current member of the Melbourne Historical Journal collective.

Larissa Tittl is a PhD candidate in the Classics and Archaeology Program. Her research focuses on human-landscape interactions in Late Bronze Age Crete. In particular, she is examining how votive objects deposited in caves were used as agents of manipulation and negotiation within an animistic world in which human and non-human entities engaged with and related to one another. Larissa …

Carley Tonoli is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, based in the Philosophy Program. Her research focuses on the ethics of emerging technologies, and her current work looking at emerging military technologies, their ethical implications, and potential consequences for humanity and the future of war. Carley's research is informed by her previous work and studies in the …

Fallon Mody is a PhD candidate in the History and Philosophy of Science Program, researching European medical migrants in twentieth-century Australia. Her research has been published in international academic journals, including Women's History Review and Social History of Medicine. Fallon also works as a research assistant for the Centre for Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis in an interdisciplinary team of scientists, …

The 2019 SHAPS theme is "Walls" — walls we build to exclude and contain the Other, to control the movement of people, bodies, information, capital, ideas. Speakers will approach the theme from a range of disciplinary perspectives. Marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, we look at the historical rise and fall of walls; we examine …

In 2018 speakers in included David Christian (Macquarie), Philip Pettit (ANU/Princeton), Harry Collins (Cardiff), and Greg Restall, Robyn Sloggett and Frederik Vervaet (SHAPS), who delivered public lectures on the subject of Truth. Professor David Christian Big History & Truth: Knowledge as Mapping (co-hosted with the History Council of Victoria, this was also the 2018 Kathleen Fitzpatrick lecture) (19 April) Professor Philip Pettit …

The theme for the 2017 SHAPS Public Lecture Series was “Love”. This was part of a broader series of events on this theme, in particular, the ARC Centre for the History of Emotions’ flagship collaborative exhibition, Love: Art of Emotion 1400-1820 at the National Gallery Victoria Each of the School’s five disciplines presented a lecture in the series, approaching the theme of love from a range of …

Who am I? What does it mean to be human? Where do I belong? These have always been central and urgent questions for the humanities. The 2016 SHAPS flagship public lecture series explored such questions under the broad theme of “Identities”. The concept of identity, both individual and collective, is fraught with complexity. There has always existed a multiform universe …

Videos and audio from the 2015 Conflict series are available where linked. We will be loading more as they become available. Program Dr David M. Pritchard War and Military Spending in the Ancient Athenian Democracy Professor Guoqi Xu The First World War and China’s Great Awakening Rodric Braithwaite Managing Putin Image: riots-14, 2012. Photograph © Thanasis Troboukis via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0