2011 Projects

CROMM Intensive Writing project
Contact: Dr Richard Howson

The CROMM Intensive Writing Project is intended to foster academic publication by ISTR members in collaboration with other UOW researchers and international scholars, in order to make significant contributions to participants’ research output and the University’s research excellence. The project achieves this by creating strategic opportunities for three intensive writing events, each focused on a particular theme and each targeting ERA A-ranked journals.

Creative Research Processes and Outcomes in Global Animal Conference
Contact:  Professor Amanda Lawson

An exhibition by artist Michele Elliot will form part of the program for the Global Animal conference to be held at UOW on 7 and 8 July 2011.  the vanishing (2010) is a body of work that considers the concepts of borders, dislocation and post-colonialism and which focuses on the tiger as signifier, a vulnerable site of contention across geographies. The tiger skin, the claws and teeth as trophy were coveted and terrible ‘souvenirs’, raising issues of imperialism and violence, power and control, fear, reverence and dispossession.  One aspect of the installation comprises life-size tigers made in collaboration with a Bengali idol-maker, using traditional methods, accompanied by a floor installation comprising six thousand hand-made glass forms that resemble bullets or spent cartridges.  A discussion panel with the artist and leading curators and cultural historians will be held during the conference; the exhibition opening takes place on Wed 6 July at 6 pm. For further information visit the website: http://ro.uow.edu.au/globan10/ or download the Flyer.

Discourse Intersections: Human-Animal-Environment-Culture
Contact: Dr Alison Moore

This project builds links between linguistics, philosophy, cultural theory and other disciplines, to better understand how influential discourses (both conservative and progressive) position human and non-human animals within debates about social and environmental transformation. Debates include i) the cultural and ecological impact of farming kangaroos, ii) replacing animals in research, and iii) whaling. A key problematic is the species/individual conundrum, where animals are often represented in a way that conflates species interests (e.g. to avoid extinction) and individual interests (e.g. to avoid pain). Another interdisciplinary theme is the need to workbeyond two sets of binary concepts: culture and environment; human and animal. See also the Global Animal Conference website.

Health & Harm: Alternatives to Biostatistical Conceptions of Health
Contact: Dr Sarah Sorial

The concepts of health and harm play important roles in many social, political, legal and medical debates and decisions. However, both concepts are difficult to characterise clearly,  and there are many debates in medical, legal and philosophical literature over rival conceptions of each. Rather than developing separate conceptions of health and harm, our project is to investigate the relationship between these concepts by developing a harm-based account of health. We will then test how well this account can be applied to a variety of cases discussed in the literature, and how well it compares with the ‘biostatistical’ or reductionist account of health. The final part of the project is a workshop at which we will engage with other researchers interested in alternative conceptions of health.