Category: News

  1. How Do You Crack the Code to a Lost Ancient Script?

    The decipherment of Linear B, the earliest form of Greek, was a history changing achievement, but decoding the older Linear A would open a new window on the origins of European culture. In one of our posts on Forum earlier in 2019, we interviewed SHAPS lecturer Brent Davis, who in this article reposted from University […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/11/07/how-do-you-crack-the-code-to-a-lost-ancient-script

  2. Tracing the Evolution of Cancer Cytogenetics: An Interview with PhD candidate Lynda Campbell

    After retiring from a distinguished scientific career, Lynda Campbell developed an interest in the history of her field.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/10/29/tracing-the-evolution-of-cancer-cytogenetics-an-interview-with-phd-candidate-lynda-campbell

  3. Living the French Revolution: A Symposium in Honour of Peter McPhee

    The most significant event in French revolutionary studies ever to be held in Australia took place on 9 and 10 July 2019 at the University of Melbourne. Fourteen distinguished international scholars, along with their Australian counterparts, contributed to a symposium in honour of the great historian of France, Emeritus Professor Peter McPhee AM. Their presence […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/10/24/living-the-french-revolution-a-symposium-in-honour-of-peter-mcphee

  4. Researching History on the High Seas

    Last year, History of Science lecturer Dr Gerhard Wiesenfeldt sailed across the South Atlantic on a tall ship. During the six-week voyage, he explored the use of early navigational instruments including the cross-staff and astrolabe. In the following interview, Gerhard describes this unique experience to Samara Greenwood. Could you give us a brief overview of […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/10/18/researching-history-on-the-high-seas

  5. The Woman Who Stitched Her Way into Art History

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/10/14/the-woman-who-stitched-her-way-into-art-history

  6. Hansen Trust PhD Scholarship in History

    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, […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/10/09/hansen-trust-phd-scholarship-in-history

  7. Real Problem, Wrong Solution: Why The Nationals Shouldn’t Politicise the Science Replication Crisis

    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’. […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/10/03/real-problem-wrong-solution-why-the-nationals-shouldnt-politicise-the-science-replication-crisis

  8. On Studying Chinese History in Melbourne: An Interview with Dr Xavier Ma

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/09/30/on-studying-chinese-history-in-melbourne-an-interview-with-dr-xavier-ma

  9. Conserving Australia’s Cultural Record

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/09/26/conserving-australias-cultural-record

  10. Refugees, Museums and the Digital Diaspora

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/09/16/refugees-museums-and-the-digital-diaspora

  11. Constructing Social Hierarchy: Conference Recap

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/09/11/constructing-social-hierarchy

  12. repliCATS: Responding to the Replication Crisis in Science

    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. […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/08/27/replicats-responding-to-the-replication-crisis-in-science

  13. Fighting for the Historical Record in the Age of Trump

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/08/26/fighting-for-the-historical-record-in-the-age-of-trump

  14. Writing the History of Gender and Sexuality in Australia: An Interview with History Honours Students

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/08/21/writing-the-history-of-gender-and-sexuality-in-australia-an-interview-with-history-honours-students

  15. Conservators at Work on Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Project

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/08/09/conservators-at-work

  16. From Melbourne to Hanoi via Sarajevo (and Everything In Between): Where a PhD Can Lead You

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/08/07/from-melbourne-to-hanoi-via-sarajevo

  17. From the Field: SHAPS Students in the Southern Caucasus

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/08/01/from-the-field

  18. Archaeologists at Work on Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Project

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/07/24/archaeologists-at-work

  19. Meet the new Head of School, Professor Margaret Cameron

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/07/10/meet-the-new-head-of-school-professor-margaret-cameron

  20. Building Rail, Building Victoria: A History of the Melbourne–Geelong Railway

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/06/28/building-rail-building-victoria

  21. Time-based Media Conservation: Masterclass with Patricia Falcão from Tate

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/06/18/time-based-media-conservation

  22. Russian History Returns to Melbourne

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/06/11/russian-history-returns-to-melbourne

  23. Meet Dr Holly Lawford-Smith: Prize-winning Author, SHAPS Philosopher, and Seamstress Extraordinaire!

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/06/04/holly-lawford-smith

  24. Partnering with Regional Museums and Galleries: Grimwade Graduates in Bathurst

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/05/30/grimwade-graduates-in-bathurst

  25. From Bretton Woods to Financial Crisis: The Rise and Fall of Global Economic Governance

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/05/22/from-bretton-woods-to-financial-crisis-the-rise-and-fall-of-global-economic-governance

  26. From History Major to ABC Journalist: An Interview with Bindi Bryce

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/05/20/from-history-major-to-abc-journalist-an-interview-with-bindi-bryce

  27. Tracking Traditional Medicine on the Vietnamese Internet: Dang Nguyen to Visit Yale

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/05/14/tracking-traditional-medicine-on-the-vietnamese-internet-dang-nguyen-to-visit-yale

  28. Revisiting Augustus’s Alternative Truth

    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

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/05/01/revisiting-augustuss-alternative-truth

  29. On Language and Listening to One Another: Dr Ross Barham on the Value of Philosophy

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/04/28/ross-barham

  30. Where Strange Fruit Meets Eating Out: Food Studies at Melbourne

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/04/24/where-strange-fruit-meets-eating-out-food-studies-at-melbourne

  31. Fascinating Strangers: Dr Tessa Leach’s Work on Sex Robots

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/04/12/fascinating-strangers

  32. History Alumni News 2018

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/04/02/history-alumni-newsletter-2018

  33. Unlocking Ancient Scripts: 2019 Michael Ventris Award winner, Brent Davis

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/03/29/unlocking-ancient-scripts-2019-michael-ventris-award-winner-brent-davis

  34. Farewelling Professor Antonia Finnane

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/03/28/farewelling-professor-antonia-finnane

  35. A Year in Melbourne

    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 […]

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/03/17/a-year-in-melbourne

  36. Honouring the Life and Work of Tony Sagona

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/20/re-orienting-ancient-near-eastern-studies

  37. Introducing Ángel Alcalde: New Lecturer in Twentieth-century European History

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/19/interview-introducing-angel-alcalde

  38. Disposal of the Dead: The Intersection of Death & Technology

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/18/disposal-of-the-dead

  39. Meet Brigid Evans, recent SHAPS Master of Arts, Philosophy graduate

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/17/meet-brigid-evans-recent-shaps-master-of-arts-philosophy-graduate

  40. Animating SHAPS Research: Collaboration with VCA Animation Students

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

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/16/reunion-2018-history-vca-collaboration-project

  41. Reconstructing Knowledge: Sadra Zekrgoo’s Persian Ink PhD Project

    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...

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/15/reconstructing-knowledge-sadra-zekrgoos-persian-ink-phd-project

  42. An Aegean Adventure: Kellie Youngs on her Jessie Webb Scholarship

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/14/an-aegean-adventure

  43. The 2018 Australian Postgraduate Philosophy Conference

    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).

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/13/the-2018-australian-postgraduate-philosophy-conference

  44. Undergraduate Subjects: History Capstone Showcase 2018

    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.

    blogs.unimelb.edu.au/shaps-research/2019/02/10/undergraduate-subjects-history-capstone-showcase-2018

Number of posts found: 394