Early European/Australasian Connections | |
Leader |
Professor Richard Yeo School of Arts, Media and Culture r.yeo@griffith.edu.au |
Previous Leader | Dr Peter Holbrook School of English, Media Studies and Art History, University of Queensland |
Scope | This theme focuses on the significance of early European contacts with the peoples of the Australasian region. A major aspect of this research programme is the changing and varied nature of European perceptions of "Australia" during the era of European voyages and encounters, and the significance of the positioning of Australia in relation to Asia and the Pacific. A crucial area of research wiis the impact and legacy of the ideas which formed the framework for European colonial structures and policies. An important example of great contemporary significance is the origins of the idea of terra nullius in Spanish theology of the 16th century, and its subsequent incorporation into English colonial discourse in the 17th century. This theme is also being explored in connection with "travel and communication" - the way in which changes in methods of travel and communication through the medieval and early modern eras affected not only economics, trade and political relations but also ordinary people's sense of their day-to-day lives, identities and relationships. An area of particular emphasis is colonial and indigenous experiences of European culture. The culture of Latin humanism, for example, was carried around the globe by European colonists and Jesuit missionaries: to the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Research in this area relates not only to Australia's European heritage, but also to its relationship with other cultures with a similar legacy, particularly in Asia. A parallel can be drawn in cultural linguistic research between New World Latin and the bi-dialectal English of indigenous Australians. There is something of a gulf between research into European culture and history and research into Asian culture and history. The Network aims to facilitate dialogue and collaboration between the two groups. |
Activities |
June 12-13, 2009: "Perceptions of Terra Australis", 12-13 June 2009, University Club of Western Australia, Perth. A symposium jointly sponsored by the ARC Network for Early European Research Theme: Early European/Australasian Connections and the Perth Medieval and Renaissance Group (PMRG). Invited Convenor Chris Wortham (PMRG/UWA). July 17-18, 2008: dual Theme Symposium with Intellectual Formations, "Notebooks and Note-takers: da Vinci to Darwin", State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, Convenors Michael Bennett (University of Tasmania) and Richard Yeo (Griffith University). Programme with abstracts. |
Location: http://www.neer.arts.uwa.edu.au/page/1713
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