SHAPS Digest (December 2024)

Mark Edele (Hansen Chair in History) commented on what the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria means for Russia’s global strategy.

The HPS Podcast published an episode on Philosophy of Science in Practice, featuring Joshua Eisenthal (Caltech), Julia Bursten (University of Kentucky), Aja Watkins (University of Wisconsin-Madison),  Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam (California State University), Caleb Hazelwood (Duke University) and Joseph Rouse (Wesley University), and hosted by Samara Greenwood (PhD candidate, HPS).

A recording of the public lecture, “Is Feminism Finished?”, recently delivered by Holly Lawford-Smith (Philosophy) and Kate Phelan (RMIT), is now available online.

Libby Melzer (Cultural Materials Conservation) and an expert team of paper conservators at the Grimwade Centre have been working for more than eight years on a project conserving a 700-year-old copy of the Magna Carta housed in Parliament House, Canberra. The restoration project was profiled in a segment on ABC 730.

Konstantine Panegyres (McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Classics & Archaeology) published an article in the Conversation on ancient ideas about rest and recreation.

The latest issue of Scroll, a journal produced by Student Conservators at Melbourne, is now available online. It features the following articles:

• Foreword – Charlotte Walker, President, AICCM Victorian Branch
• Hand eye ear coordination – Annie Llewellyn & Gabriel Nodea
• Acknowledging and owning conservators’ creative labour: Why should the profession care? – Aslı Günel
• Quilt quandary: Considering the conservation impacts of upcycling antique quilts in contemporary fashion – Alison Moule
• You can’t mark there! Identifying and conserving historic graffiti at the St Neots Museum – Siân Blake
• Conserving the past, conserving the present: Conservation of lontar (palm-leaf) manuscripts in Bali, Indonesia – Yori Akbar Setiyawan
• Performing culture better: The conservation student’s cookbook – Jonathan van Toor
• A medieval medical manuscript from the 15th century: Codicological research and diagnostic campaign on a Western Gothic binding – Rebecca Taldo & Dr Anna Piccirillo
• The collapse of objective conservation: Societal influence on the treatment of paintings – Alexis Drapanas
• Investigating accessible textile fibre identification: A flowchart – Taryn Ryan
• Yellow Hue Memory of Grimwade Centre – Supansa Thongsuk
• Total obliteration: A report on the destruction of heritage monuments, sites, and artifacts in Gaza – Debbi Min

This issue of Scroll was edited by Joshua Loke, Lauren Wolfram, Misty Wade, Holly Brown and Jess Chandy.

Master of Cultural Materials Conservation students have been contributing to restoring the Seeyup Temple in South Melbourne following its damage from a fire in February 2024. Nicole Tse (Cultural Materials Conservation) has also been awarded Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies Seed Funding to support additional work on this project.

Academic Publications

Purushottama Bilimoria (Principal Fellow, Philosophy) et al. (eds.), Mind, Body and Self (Springer).

This book is a unique collaboration of philosophers from across the world bringing together contemporary concepts of consciousness, the Māori conception of self, as well as Indian and Buddhist concepts of self and mental states. Contemporary concepts of consciousness include higher-order consciousness and phenomenological approaches. The idea behind this volume came from an international conference on ‘Mind, Body and Self’ held at Victoria University of Wellington and organized by the Society for Philosophy and Culture. The authors herein contribute to the relationship between concepts of self, mind, and body. The wide variety of contributors from across cultural backgrounds adds to a diverse and valuable conversation on the nature of human existence and thoughts of self. 

Purushottama Bilimoria co-authored the introduction, a chapter, ‘“I Celebrate Myself, and Sing Myself”: Dehātmavāda (Body as Self) in Ancient Cārvāka Materialism and Modern Science’, and contributed the ‘Epilogue: Silhouettes of the Conscious Mind: Are We Done with the Quest for a Fundamental Theory?’

Hannah Gould (HPS), Becoming a Bone Buddha: Fragmenting and Remaking Death Rites in Contemporary Japan, Asian Studies Review

Within a contemporary Japan described as socially atomised and secular, inter-generational Buddhist systems of care for the dead and their remains have become increasingly unstable. In their place, a range of ‘new death’ practices have emerged, from personalised funerals to memorial jewellery and tree burials, but also the unexpected resurrection of a historic mode of communal interment: bone buddhas (kotsubotoke, 骨仏 or 骨佛), which are monumental statues made from thousands of sets of compressed human ash. Drawing on fieldwork with the artisans and communities that design and make kotsubotoke in Nagoya, this article explores what the resurgent popularity of this memorial technology says about the fragility of posthumous care and the continued need for communal labours in the handling of the corpse. In contemporary Japan, the fragmentation of ‘necrosocial relations’ appears to have brought about the literal fragmentation of the stuff of the dead, from solid bone to powdery ash. But it is in this fragmented form that new configurations of posthumous sociality become possible.

Dan Halliday (Philosophy) and Marco Meyer (University of Hamburg), Justice and Housing, Philosophy Compass

This article surveys various topics that link questions about housing with considerations of economic justice. Housing has received increasing attention from philosophers within the last decade. In political philosophy, some aspects of a topic attract more attention than others. Presently, philosophical reflection focuses on the value of a home; homelessness; gentrification; segregation; and spatial justice, with a substantial body of literature developing on these interconnected themes. We highlight some of the recent contributions to the field of housing justice while also identifying areas that have received less attention. Specifically, we emphasize the importance of further philosophical exploration into how macroeconomic factors, like fiscal and monetary policy, impact housing justice. Additionally, we advocate for normative approaches that underscore justice issues not readily addressed by frameworks prioritizing human flourishing or relational equality.

Jacob E. Heywood (Classics & Archaeology), Funeral or ‘Biography’? Re-considering the Potential Identities of Figures on the LM III A2 Agia Triada Sarcophagus, in U. Günkel-Maschek et al. (eds) Gesture, Stance, and Movement: Communicating Bodies in the Aegean Bronze Age. Acts of the International Conference at the University of Heidelberg, 11-13 November 2021, Propylaeum.

The idea that the iconography of the limestone sarcophagus from Agia Triada depicts the funerary rites of its occupant has long retained favour. One figure has traditionally been interpreted as representing the deceased – the male recipient in the ‘presentation’ scene. Considering the broader archaeological and iconographic context of the sarcophagus at Agia Triada, contemporaneous trends in larnax decoration taking inspiration from elite art and architecture, and the attributes and bodily expression of key figures within the pictorial scenes, the sarcophagus’s production for a high-status woman – perhaps one of the ritual officiants illustrated on the long sides – seems more probable. Rather than serving as a visual source for interpreting Cretan funerary rites, the sarcophagus might be better understood as a biographical statement about the status and social role of its occupant within Agia Triada’s elite community.

Holly Lawford-Smith (Philosophy) and Angie Pepper, Is It Wrong to Buy Sex? A Debate (Routledge, 2024).

Is it wrong for a man to buy sex from a woman? In this book, Holly Lawford-Smith argues that it is wrong: commercial sex is quintessentially hierarchical sex, and it is wrong both to have, and to perpetuate a market in, hierarchical sex. Angie Pepper argues that it isn’t wrong: men are permitted to buy sex from those women who freely choose to sell it.

Important but different interests are at stake in these two positions. According to the first, we should prioritize the interest of all women in securing a society that has achieved equality between the sexes, and we should make the changes needed to get there including prohibiting men from buying sex from women. In contrast, the second position prioritizes the protection of individuals’ rights to engage in consensual commercial sex exchanges and demands that we strive for gender equality without compromising these rights. The two authors debate the ethical issues involved in the decision to buy sex, arguing passionately for very different conclusions, in a way that is lively, constructive, and sure to leave readers with a lot to think about.

Tamara Lewit, A Child’s Eye View: Making Roman Children Visible in Children’s Literature, Classicum.

There is a growing body of scholarly work on the topic of Roman childhood, yet this academic work is not intended to make Roman children visible to modern children. This paper outlines a collaborative project between a researcher and a novelist. Based on careful investigation of the aspects of ancient life which most affected children, our goal was to connect the children of the past with modern children and to engage young readers with the Classical past.

Iain McIntyre (Fellow, History), Parching for Principle: Hotel Boycotts in Regional Australia, 1901–20, Labour History

This article serves as the first in-depth study of the nature, dynamics and growth of a set of consumer boycotts in early twentieth-century Australia. Labelled “beer strikes,” these targeted hotels over issues such as the price and quality of alcohol, food and accommodation, as well as the treatment of staff. The article examines how campaigners created and adapted a body of tactics and forms of organisation between 1901 and 1920, to the point where beer strikes became an established and recurring form of contestation. Identifying beer strikes as a primarily regional tactic, it also sheds new light on consumer activism outside of cities. It finds that beer strikes had continuities with other forms of working-class activism: making use of methods of organisation rooted in unions and in labour politics, and drawing on modern adaptions of ideas concerning “fair” prices and rightful compensation for work. It demonstrates that boycotts played a greater role in Australian working-class distributive and consumer struggles than has been previously acknowledged.

More of Iain McIntyre’s work on this topic can be accessed via The Commons Social Change Library.

Petronella Nel (Grimwade Centre) and Yvonne Hearn (National Gallery of Victoria), Conserving Artline Permanent Marker and Fineliner Pens on Paper: Assessing Vulnerability of Drawings by Walmajarri Artist Jimmy Pike, Journal of the American Institute for Conservation

Works by Walmajarri artist Jimmy Pike are distinct amongst contemporary First Nations Australian art, due to his palette of bright colors and use of modern materials such as Artline fiber-tip pen on paper. From 1980 to 2002, Pike created hundreds of drawings on various papers. With little literature available on the display and preservation of fiber-tip pen on paper, the aim of this investigation is to better understand the condition of the works of Jimmy Pike, issues experienced by conservators and custodians and the vulnerability of displayed fiber-tip pen drawings. This study of fiber-tip pen drawings by Jimmy Pike involved: research of materials, techniques, practice, history, and a survey of his collected works; consultation of key stakeholders, and experts in the field of materials conservation; and a light aging experiment of similar materials used in Pike’s drawings such as selected contemporary Artline permanent marker and fineliner pens. Results analyzed using visual documentation and color spectrophotometry revealed a broad range of light sensitivity from fugitive to moderately light sensitive. Samples were found to also be slightly affected by temperature and relative humidity in the absence of light, which may contribute to subtle color change observed in media over time during storage.

Jesse Seeberg-Gordon (PhD candidate, History), Realism, Fascism, and Australia’s Cold War: The Whitlam Government’s de jure Recognition of the Baltic Annexation, Ajalooline Ajakiri: The Estonian Historical Journal (in Estonian)

The Whitlam Government’s decision in 1974 to recognise the Soviet annexation of the Baltic states, which occurred during World War II in 1940, was a puzzling and complex affair. Though these events remain largely shrouded in mystery, they have received some attention in recent years, specifically in Estonian historiography. Using new archival materials from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and other sources including an interview with a retired Australian diplomat, the article sought to establish why, exactly, the recognition occurred. The article found that the decision occurred more gradually than previously thought, spread across two steps throughout 1972-1974. It cast doubt on findings from previous research that the recognition resulted from ‘covert pressure’ by the Soviet Government, or that it was somehow connected to the then-ongoing Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. Instead, the article suggested more straightforward reasons for the recognition, which were situated within the Australian domestic political context. 

Gijs Tol (Classics & Archaeology) and Tanja van Loon (University of South Australia), Integrating Local Archaeological Collections and New Fieldwork: The Example of the Liboni Collection at the antiquarium comunale di Nettuno, in Tymon de Haas and Bert Nijboer (eds). Landschap en nederzetting in the Mediterrane oudheid. Uitgave ter gelegenheid van het emeritaat van Peter Attema. Barkhuis Publishing.

This contribution highlights the largely untapped potential of local collections in Italy as a complement to archaeological research projects. It does so by using the example of the so-called Liboni collection, a large collection of ancient artefacts (mainly pottery) that was gathered during visits to local sites by Arnaldo Liboni, former director of the archaeological museum of Nettuno (Lazio, Central Italy). We discuss two examples where this collection has been integrated into Pontine Region Project research: the Nettuno and Astura surveys and the study of the spring sanctuary at Laghetto del Monsignore. Regarding the former, the collection includes materials of a quality and diversity rarely found in contemporary field surveys and provides information on sites that have disappeared from the (surface) archaeological record. For Laghetto del Monsignore, the Liboni collection provided a quantitative basis that allowed the detailed reconstruction of (changing) ritual practices during the lifespan of the cult place. These case studies underscore the significant role that collection-based research can play in archaeology, challenging the traditional view of museum collections as merely educational and display resources.

Gijs Tol (Classics & Archaeology) et al., Old Themes, New Means. 35 Years of Research into the Roman Landscapes of Latium Vetus, in de Haas and Nijboer (eds), Landschap en nederzetting in de Mediterrane oudheid. Uitgave ter gelegenheid van het emeritaat van Peter Attema (Barkhuis Publishing).

In this contribution, we look at the evolution of the Pontine Region Project (PRP), one of the longest-running landscape archaeological projects in the Mediterranean. In particular, we will revisit three themes that have been central to the project from the outset: 1) the impact of Roman colonization on rural settlement; 2) the potential of survey ceramics for the study of Roman settlement and economy; and 3) the impact of Roman land-use on the region’s landscape and environment. Through a constant process of methodological refinement, interdisciplinary collaboration (mainly with earth scientists) and increased knowledge of the material culture of the region, the project now incorporates a wealth of data that allows us to conduct fine-grained analysis of the main historical processes that affected the region. Even after more than 35 years, the PRP’s multidisciplinary approach to landscape thus continues to provide an extremely powerful perspective on the past.

Awards & Appointments

Jessica Argall has been named as one of the AICCM Student Conservators of the Year. The citation reads:

“Jessica epitomises excellence through her outstanding academic achievements and her commitment to advancing the conservation profession. Jessica has contributed to the AICCM as a member of the AICCM Bulletin Editorial Committee, and has been a part of the Student Conservators at Melbourne. She has presented and published, particularly on conserving queer cultural material, sharing her research with the field. Throughout her time as a student she also has a track record of volunteering to support visiting professionals and engaging with the public through demonstrations. Beyond her impressive accomplishments, Jessica’s empathy, civic responsibility and dedication to supporting her peers make her an exemplary student and emerging conservator.”

Jacobin Bosman (PhD candidate, History) was awarded the 2024 Lloyd Robson Memorial Award to assist with interstate research towards his thesis on sexuality, gender and the colonial body politic. The award provided funding for three weeks of sustained research in Adelaide, working primarily with the Gouger Collection at the State Library of South Australia and legal records held by the State Records of South Australia.

Patrick Gigacz (Hansen PhD Scholar in History) has accepted an invitation to join the Board of the History Council of Victoria.

Minerva Inwald has been appointed to a fixed-term position as Assistant Lecturer in Chinese History, commencing January 2025.

Dominique-Dee Jones (BA Hons (History)) 2024) (pictured above) has been admitted to a National Archives Digital Cadetship. Based in Canberra, the Cadetship is focused on enhancing and developing digital archive and data skills and includes part-time employment at the National Archives of Australia. 

Laura Pisanu (PhD candidate, Archaeology) has won the Archaeological and Anthropological Society of Victoria Alpha Archaeology Best Student Presentation Award.

Jesse Seeberg-Gordon (PhD candidate, History) has been awarded a National Library of Australia Morag Fraser Scholarship to support his research project ‘On the Diplomatic Sidelines: A Study of Australian-Soviet Relations’.

Nicole Tse (Cultural Materials Conservation) has been awarded the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM) Medal. The citation reads:

“We honour Associate Professor Nicole Tse with the prestigious AICCM Medal for her exceptional contributions to the conservation profession. Nicole has been a member of the AICCM for more than 20 years. As Chief Editor of the AICCM Bulletin since 2012, Nicole has tirelessly elevated its profile and readership nationally and internationally, while mentoring a new generation of authors and editorial assistants. Her more than 38 publications and 60 citations further demonstrate her commitment to research and advancing the field. Nicole’s impact extends far beyond publishing – she co-founded the Asia Pacific Tropical Climate Conservation Art Research Network, fostering vital international collaborations. She has also been involved in multiple disaster recovery activities in the Asia Pacific Region. On top of that, at the University of Melbourne, she has inspired and guided countless conservation students and emerging conservators who now work all over the world. Nicole’s passionate advocacy, mentorship, and dedication to inclusivity and knowledge-sharing exemplify the highest ideals of the AICCM. For her leadership in strengthening conservation regionally and globally, we are proud to present this well-deserved recognition.”

Shan Windscript (PhD in History currently under examination) has been appointed to a fixed-term two-year lectureship in the School of Philosophical, Historical, and Indigenous Studies at Monash University.

PhD completion

John Cleary (PhD in Philosophy), Albert Lautman and the Dialectic of Mathematical Ideas

This thesis presents and develops the theory of ideas in mathematics proposed by the philosopher Albert Lautman, and it establishes an answer to the central problem of that theory, namely, the problem of the participation of mathematics in the ideas.

To do so, it presents the main aspects of Lautman’s theory that ideas are problems whose solutions are found in structuralist theories in mathematics, and it shows how this theory emerges from the philosophical problems of the nature of reality posed by mathematical structures. The thesis then maps out his solution to this problem based on a synthesis of the ideas of David Hilbert and the philosopher Leon Brunschvicg, and argues, through a global analysis of Lautman’s theory, that the structuralist approach to mathematics produces schemata of essential relations.

Taking up Lautman’s reading of Plato, the thesis proposes a theory of participation as the generation of essential relations of measurement based on the reciprocity of the formal and material aspects of an idea. Developing the analogy that he saw between his theory of ideas and Martin Heidegger’s philosophy, it argues that the dialectic of ideas is grounded in transcendental operations that make novel mathematical solutions possible.

The thesis ends by discussing this dialectic in the context of category theory, and it argues, in contrast to some commentators, that category theory does not render Lautman’s theory of ideas redundant, but rather presents new conditions for its development.

Supervisors: Prof. Greg Restall and Assoc. Prof. Justin Clemens (School of Culture and Communications)

MA completion

Emily Cox (MA in Philosophy), Wunggurrwill Dhurrung: a case study of the relational ethic for non-Indigenous Designers working on Country

This thesis analyses the design of the built environment as a relational practice involving First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples. In order to understand how relationships underpin design practice, the research considers Wunggurrwil Dhurrung—an Aboriginal community centre in Melbourne’s inner west—as a case study, the various actors involved in creating it, and the guidelines, protocols and practices that inform the processes involved in its design. Drawing on the work of First Nations designers, critical Indigenous scholars, and decolonial ethics, my analysis shows that the relational aspects of design practices are undertheorised, and that such practices, beyond the technical and procedural capabilities commonly understood to be the principal concern for designers, have a significant impact on the success of built forms on Aboriginal Country, especially, but not only, for First Nations. This analysis points to some of the transformations in practice required if non-Indigenous designers are to come into more just relations with Aboriginal peoples and Country.

Supervisors: Dr Julia Hurst (History/Australian Centre), Prof. Sarah Maddison (Australian Centre)

SHAPS staff, fellows, students, alumni: if you have news items for the monthly SHAPS digest, email us the details.

Feature image: ‘Yellow Hue Memory of Grimwade Centre‘ by Supansa Thongsuk (Master of Cultural Materials Conservation, 2023). Supansa writes, “‘Yellow Hue Memory of Grimwade Centre’ reflects my deep personal connection to the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation. This painting captures the front facade of the Swanston Street building, bathed in the golden light of yellow trees, a memory that has stayed with me since my first visit. The yellow hue symbolizes the vibrancy of my experiences and the lasting impact this place has had on my life. Through this work, I aim to evoke a sense of nostalgia, growth, and the profound way certain places shape our personal histories.“