Category: News
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SHAPS Digest (April 2025)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/05/07/shaps-digest-april-2025
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Neuroscience and Gender Politics
Last year, students taking the subject ‘Sex and Gender in the Sciences’ took direct part in the public debates over neuroscience and gender politics. Led by Professor Cordelia Fine (HPS), the students held a focused class discussion on sensationalised research findings comparing female and male brains. Later, the students co-authored a statement on this issue, which was […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/04/29/neuroscience-and-gender-politics
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Reuniting Artist Reggie Uluru with his Restored Ngintaka Sculpture
When Aṉangu artist Reggie Uluru’s sculpture was damaged, conservators from the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation repaired the work, ready for repainting, as Dr Jonathan Kemp explains in this article, originally published in Pursuit. Reggie Uluru has been painting in Australia’s Red Centre for over 15 years. A Senior Aṉangu artist, Reggie Uluru and his people […] -
Introducing Dr Jenny Judge, Lecturer in Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science
In 2023 we were thrilled to welcome Dr Jenny Judge as newly appointed Lecturer in Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science. Dr Judge holds a PhD in Philosophy from New York University, as well as a PhD in Music from the University of Cambridge, where she was the recipient of a Fulbright Student Award. Sitting […] -
SHAPS Digest (March 2025)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/04/04/shaps-digest-march-2025
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Trump is no Caesar, but the republic is collapsing
Dr Liam Byrne (Honorary Fellow, History) draws a parallel between ancient Rome and America’s modern republic in this article, originally published in Pursuit. As political commentators scramble to comprehend just what is happening in the United States, one ready parallel keeps coming up. Time and again President Donald Trump’s regime is compared to the ancient reign of the Caesars, […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/04/02/trump-is-no-caesar-but-the-republic-is-collapsing
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Conserving our cultural record is more important than ever
Any loss of our historical record – accidental or intentional – leaves us less able to understand the past or make informed decisions about our future. In this article, republished here from Pursuit, Professor Robyn Sloggett sets out the urgency of the current moment when it comes to preserving and ensuring access to cultural records. […] -
Meet Dr Paige Donaghy, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow in History
In 2024 Dr Paige Donaghy commenced a prestigious McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellowship, supporting her historical research on the origins of what we now understand to be obstetric violence in British medicine and culture. PhD candidate in history Jesse Seeberg-Gordon sat down with Paige to talk about her research background, current projects, and the importance of studying […] -
Are our thoughts ‘real’? Here’s what philosophy says
Associate Professor Sam Baron (Philosophy) reflects on philosophical debates over what thoughts are, in this piece republished from the Conversation. You can doubt just about anything. But there’s one thing you can know for sure: you are having thoughts right now. This idea came to characterise the philosophical thinking of 17th century philosopher René Descartes. For […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/03/11/are-our-thoughts-real-heres-what-philosophy-says
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Soviet Displaced Persons and the Cold War
Dr Oleg Beyda (Lecturer in Russian History) reviews Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick’s latest book, Lost Souls: Soviet Displaced Persons and the Birth of the Cold War (Princeton University Press). A disaster. That was the fitting word for the Europe that emerged immediately after 1945, covered in soot from cities turned to ashes. Life had collapsed. Victorious […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/03/07/soviet-displaced-persons-and-the-cold-war
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SHAPS Digest (February 2025)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/03/04/shaps-digest-february-2025
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Introducing Lucilla Ronai, Assistant Lecturer in Paper Conservation
We are excited to welcome Lucilla Ronai as the Grimwade Centre’s new Assistant Lecturer in Paper Conservation. Luci has worked at prestigious institutions including the National Library of Australia, the Australian National Maritime Museum, and the Library of Trinity College Dublin. Passionate about sharing conservation knowledge, she runs the YouTube channel The Conservation Starter. Her […] -
Lessons in “Democratic” Authoritarianism from Latin America
Dr Sarah Walsh (Hansen Lecturer in Global History) reflects on the rise of authoritarianism in the United States, in this article republished here from Pursuit. She argues that Americans should look much closer to home to understand what authoritarian regimes look like — the modern models of dictatorship in Latin America. As I watch reports […] -
SHAPS Digest (January 2025)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/02/05/shaps-digest-january-2025
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Assessing Joe Biden’s Legacy
Dr Liam Byrne (Honorary Fellow, History) and Dr Emma Shortis (RMIT) look back on Joe Biden’s presidency, in this article, originally published in the Conversation. Should a US president by judged by what they achieved, or by what they failed to do? Joe Biden’s administration is over. Though we have an extensive record, it is […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/01/30/assessing-joe-bidens-legacy
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SHAPS Digest (December 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/01/16/shaps-digest-december-2024
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Celebrating Our Outstanding Students
We congratulate students who won prizes in 2022 for excellence in the fields of Classics & Archaeology, Cultural Materials Conservation, Hebrew Studies, and History, and extend our thanks to the benefactors whose generosity has supported our students in their endeavours and has helped both to make possible and to recognise their achievements in these fields. […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2025/01/06/celebrating-our-outstanding-students
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SHAPS Digest (November 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/12/06/shaps-digest-november-2024
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Silver Medal for Philosophy Students in Tertiary Ethics Olympiad
In October 2024 two teams of students from the University of Melbourne participated in the Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics (AAPAE) Tertiary Ethics Olympiad. These ethics athletes, or ‘eth-letes’, as they are known in the competition, went up against universities from across Australia. They were supported by coach Dr Alex Cain (Teaching Associate, Philosophy), who reports here […] -
Introducing Hansen PhD Scholar Patrick Gigacz
The Hansen Trust, established to advance the study of History at University of Melbourne, includes an annual PhD scholarship for the doctoral program in History in SHAPS. In 2024 the scholarship was awarded to Patrick Gigacz, who is researching the cultural history of electricity in Melbourne. Fellow PhD candidate Jesse Seeberg-Gordon sat down with Patrick for a conversation […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/11/19/introducing-hansen-phd-scholar-patrick-gigacz
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SHAPS Digest (October 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/11/04/shaps-digest-october-2024
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Remembering June Factor (1936–2024)
Dr June Factor AM was a distinguished social historian who pioneered the study of children’s folklore in Australia and played an active role in public life, including as president of the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties (now Liberty Victoria), Friends of the ABC and the Australian Jewish Democratic Society. June’s work was an important influence […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/10/29/remembering-june-factor-1936-2024
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Jewish Women in Nineteenth-Century France
A new book by Dr Helen M. Davies (Honorary Fellow, History) explores the lives of two remarkable Jewish women in nineteenth-century France. The book sheds light on gender, family, and Jewish experiences in France, from the Napoleonic period through to the Dreyfus Affair. This adapted excerpt introduces the book’s main themes. My book, Herminie and […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/10/17/jewish-women-in-nineteenth-century-france
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SHAPS Digest (September 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/10/04/shaps-digest-september-2024
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Computer ‘Reconstructions’ of Ancient Faces – How Reliable are They?
In recent times, the use of modern technology to reconstruct ancient faces has become increasingly popular. But can we rely on the accuracy of such reconstructions? Dr Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow in Classics & Archaeology, investigates in this article republished from The Conversation. When we read about the lives of people from the ancient […] -
Does History Have Lessons for the Future?
Roman Krznaric looks to the past to discover the rules for radical hope in his new book, History for Tomorrow. In his review of the book from The Conversation, Emeritus Professor Peter McPhee reflects on Krznaric’s work and on whether the past can provide answers to present and future questions. Answers to the question about the […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/09/09/does-history-have-lessons-for-the-future
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SHAPS Digest (August 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/09/02/shaps-digest-august-2024
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Rabati Dig Report
In June 2024 the GAIA (Georgian-Australian Investigations in Archaeology) team, comprising staff and students from Classics & Archaeology, colleagues from the Georgian National Museum, and other experts and volunteers from around the globe, returned to Rabati in Georgia for the sixth year of excavations. In this report on the 2024 dig, Associate Professor Andrew Jamieson […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/08/27/rabati-dig-report
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Preparing for the Ancient Olympics: Bull Wrestling, Meat-only Diets and Sex Bans
How did athletes in the Greek and Roman eras prepared in the hope of winning victory at the ancient Olympics. Some of these ways might be recognisable to modern athletes, while others could be very different. In his second article about the ancient Olympics, republished from The Conversation, Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow in Classics […] -
Shaping Australian Art & Identity: The Lindsays
Most Australians have heard of Norman Lindsay’s fantastical children’s book The Magic Pudding (1918). Norman was one of ten talented siblings, many of whom became internationally renowned artists and writers during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Lindsays were one of most culturally influential middle-class families in Australian history. SHAPS PhD Candidates Cat […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/08/21/shaping-australian-art-identity-the-lindsays
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Sweet Home, Chicago: The Democratic Convention 1968
In this new article, republished from The Conversation prior to the Chicago Democratic Convention on 19-22 August, Liam Byrne (Honorary in History), together with Emma Shortis, RMIT University, reflected on this event in the context of its past, particularly the “traumatic” one of 1968, held in the same city. Democratic Party delegates from across the […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/08/20/sweet-home-chicago-the-democratic-convention-1968
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The Decameron: Medieval Lockdown Project or “Wine-Soaked Sex Romp”?
Boccaccio’s fourteenth-century masterpiece, now a Netflix series, shows the universality of human responses to a pandemic (along with some sex). SHAPS’s Catherine Kovesi (History) explores The Decameron in this article, first published on Pursuit. For anyone versed in medieval European history, the new Netflix adaptation of a 700-year-old story about a group of noble youths seems […] -
Nude Athletes and Fights to the Death: The Ancient Olympics
As the 2024 Olympics is well underway in Paris, Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Fellow in Classics & Archaeology, explores the Olympics’ ancient form, the games played, and the experiences of competitors and visitors during its existence over a period of a millennium. The first recorded victor at the Olympics was Coroebus of Elis. A cook by […] -
SHAPS Digest (July 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/08/05/shaps-digest-july-2024
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Animals in Times of War
Animals are sometimes forgotten in discussions of war but also suffer immensely during conflict. In this article, republished from The Conversation, inaugural Mykola Zerov Fellow in Ukrainian Studies Dr Iryna Skubii explores how animals, including pets, livestock and wild creatures, have been impacted during Russia’s war on Ukraine, as well as the positive roles they […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/07/29/animals-in-times-of-war
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The Vestal Virgins: Women’s Power in Ancient Rome
In Ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins achieved power most women were denied – but at great cost. Lily Moore, SHAPS Classics & Archaeology PhD Candidate, explores the Roman priestesses and their access to power, in this article republished from The Conversation. You might have heard of a group of women in Ancient Rome known as the […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/07/24/the-vestal-virgins-womens-power-in-ancient-rome
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HPS Podcast: Martin Bush on Images and Science
How does science move from the lab into the public sphere? What is the role of the public arena in the creation and distribution of knowledge? And how do we use imagery to augment our creation and circulation of scientific knowledge? Dr Martin Bush (History & Philosophy of Science) discusses these questions in this episode […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/07/22/hps-podcast-martin-bush-on-images-and-science
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SHAPS Digest (June 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/07/11/shaps-digest-june-2024
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Can Keir Starmer’s Future Vision Return UK Labour to Power?
In anticipation of the UK general election on Thursday July 5, SHAPS Honorary Liam Byrne considered Keir Starmer’s vision for the future and compared it to that of Tony Blair’s campaign nearly 30 years previously in this article, republished from The Conversation. When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the UK general election outside 10 […] -
Love in the Ancient World
Did people in Ancient Rome and Greece love the same way we do? Perhaps even more hopelessly. Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow in SHAPS, explores ancient love stories in this article, republished from The Conversation. Sometime around 100 AD, the Roman lawyer and aristocrat Pliny sent a letter to his third wife, Calpurnia – who was […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/07/01/love-in-the-ancient-world
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HPS Podcast: Samara Greenwood on Social Change and Science
Samara Greenwood is currently undertaking a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science (HPS), in which she investigates the various ways in which changes in society can impact science. In this episode of The HPS Podcast, Samara discusses some of the controversies of drawing connections between social and political contexts and scientific change, including links between second wave feminism and […] -
SHAPS Digest (May 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/06/14/shaps-digest-may-2024
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Revisiting Normandy: D-Day At Eighty
6 June 2024 marked the 80th anniversary of the Allied D-Day landings at Normandy. In this article History PhD candidate Felicity Hodgson shares some of her work on American women war correspondents who covered this and other campaigns of the Second World War. Through an examination of their newspaper reportage, Felicity shows how their insightful […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/06/11/revisiting-normandy-d-day-at-eighty
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Staying Fit in the Ancient World
Many people today worry about how to find time to keep fit and healthy in the midst of their busy lives. Believe it or not, but this was also a problem in ancient times. So, how did ancient people deal with it? In this article republished from the Conversation, SHAPS McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Konstantine Panegyres, […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/06/06/staying-fit-in-the-ancient-world
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Preserving Precious Ukrainian Heritage in Melbourne
The Ukrainian Museum of Australia is an entirely volunteer-run community organisation housed at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in North Melbourne. The Museum holds a remarkable collection of objects, including rare books, folk and religious art, craft and textiles. The Museum’s large collection of traditional embroidered items poses special challenges when it comes to preservation and […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/05/24/preserving-precious-ukrainian-heritage-in-melbourne
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1968 was an Inflection Point for the US. Is Another Coming in 2024?
Among the global protest movements of 1968, in the United States multiple events represented an inflection point in the country’s history. These included the assassinations of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F Kennedy, mass protests in support of the Civil Rights Movement and against the Vietnam War, and a Presidential election. In this […] -
Why is Cancer Called Cancer? We Need to Go Back to Greco-Roman Times for the Answer
Dr Konstantine Panegyres is a SHAPS McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, whose work explores the histories of health in antiquity. In this article, republished from The Conversation, he delves into the ancient history of representations of cancer and the origins of our word for the disease. One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from […] -
SHAPS Digest (April 2024)
A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/05/07/shaps-digest-april-2024
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Ancient Languages Boom!
Undergraduate enrolments in ancient languages are soaring at the University of Melbourne, with the number of students signing up for beginners’ level Ancient Greek, Ancient Egyptian, and Latin undergoing a dramatic rise in 2023 and 2024. Ancient World Studies PhD student Noah Wellington reflects on the reasons behind this. Scholars have studied the ancient world […]blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2024/04/26/ancient-languages-boom
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“Too Many Aboriginal Babies”: Australia’s Secret History of Aboriginal Population Control in the 1960s
In this article republished from The Conversation, SHAPS’s Dr Julia Hurst, together with Dr Laura Rademaker (Australian National University) and Professor Jakelin Troy, (University of Sydney), discuss eugenics policy directed at the reproductive rights of First Nations Australians in the second half of the twentieth century, a period often celebrated as a time of increasing […]
Number of posts found: 413