News Story Archives

On May 31, a new SHAPS contribution to public outreach and engagement was released. The HPS Podcast shares fascinating contemporary research in History and Philosophy of Science with those outside the discipline. Each episode is designed to be short, engaging and entertaining. Covering a wide range of topics, this is a podcast for anyone with a fascination for history, philosophy, …

Mark Edele, SHAPS Hansen Professor in History and Deputy Dean, Faculty of Arts, explores this question in his review of Serhii Plokhy's new book, The Russo-Ukrainian War (Allen Lane), republished here from The Conversation. A year after Russia’s all-out attack against its neighbour on 24 February 2022, volumes trying to explain the conflict to the public begin to accumulate on my …

In this article, republished from The Conversation, Peter Prince (affiliate, Sydney Law School, University of Sydney), discusses Western Australia's long history of discriminatory practices against Aboriginal people with regard to citizenship. The article's reviewer, Julia Hurst, is Lecturer in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander History in SHAPS and Deputy Director of the Australian Centre in the Faculty of Arts. Note of …

SHAPS Honorary Tamara Lewit explores the celebration of Mother's Day in ancient Rome, in this article, republished from Pursuit. Although the words 'ancient Rome' might evoke marching armies or gladiatorial combats, those armies and gladiators would never have existed without their mothers. Like us, the Romans celebrated a Mother’s Day. But never mind breakfast in bed and a bouquet, on Roman Mother’s …

In April, students and staff from the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies came together to celebrate the rich diversity of research undertaken across the School over the last three years.  The inaugural SHAPS Research Celebration, held in the Forum Theatre on the evening of 20 April 2023, provided a unique opportunity to recognise the achievements of SHAPS staff and postgraduate …

A monthly roundup of media commentary, publications, projects and other news from across the School community.

The conservation of performance-based art is an intriguing and relatively new area of conservation. The presentation of live works has become more prominent in museums and galleries as these institutions strive to become more participatory and relational spaces. Works based on live performance are being increasingly acquired by major collecting institutions around the globe and this has prompted conservators to …

By reckoning with its past, Australia can finally help improve our future. In this article from The Conversation, SHAPS Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow, Indigenous and Settler Relations Collaboration, Julia Hurst, together with Sarah Maddison from School of Social and Political Sciences discusses the perspective of truth-telling in the third article in a series discussing these topics. The other articles can be found …