Research News

The Australian Anthropological Society

Inaugural Distinguished Lecture in Anthropology

'The open mind and its enemies: Anthropology and the passion of the political'
to be delivered by Ghassan Hage, Future Generation Professor in Anthropology and Social Theory at the University of Melbourne

Professor Hage taught Anthropology at the University of Sydney for fifteen years until 2007. He has held many prestigious
visiting professorships including at Harvard University, L’Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, the University of Copenhagen and the American University of Beirut. His provocative, insightful and sometimes moving press and radio
discussions have been a valuable part of public life in Australia during the last decade.

Tuesday 8 December 2009
State Library of NSW
Macquarie Street, Sydney
Metcalfe Auditorium
FREE ADMISSION

Program:
6pm Refreshments will be served
6.30pm - 7.15pm Lecture
7.15pm - 7.45pm Q&A
8pm Finish

Senior Lecturer in Department of Government and International Relations Publishes Book

Dr John Mikler, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government and International Relations has published his first book, Greening the Car Industry: Varieties of Capitalism and Climate Change.

‘Greening the Car Industry is an innovative book in the Varieties of Capitalism tradition. Its interviews and analysis offer rich insights into why the US car industry struggles, particularly on environmental impact, compared to Japanese and German firms. John Mikler shows that regulatory institutions matter, and how they matter. For the car industry at least, more collaborative forms of capitalism show more promise. Mikler gives us a masterpiece of regulatory scholarship.’ - John Braithwaite, ANU

While on the topic of environment and industry, go here to read Dr Mikler’s opinion piece on Why Copenhagen Doesn't Matter.

Associate Professor Catherine Waldby delivers keynote address at Embodiments of Science Conference Columbia University, New York

Dr Catherine Waldby is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy. Citizenship, Labor and the Biopolitics of the Bioeconomy: Recruiting Female Tissue Donors for Stem Cell Research explores the emerging tensions between women's voluntary (public good) donation of reproductive tissues for stem cell research and the increasing resort to transactional forms of tissue procurement, for example egg sharing and egg vending. Dr Waldby locates this tension in both a feminist biopolitical analysis and in the broader dynamics of the global bioeconomy.

The Peter Lawrence and Carlyle Greenwell Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Anthropology

The Department of Anthropology has recently established a postgraduate research scholarship from trust income from the Peter Lawrence Memorial Fund (bequeathed from the will of the late Mrs. Fancy Lawrence in memory of Professor Peter Lawrence) and the Carlyle Greenwell Research Fund (from the will of the late Carlyle Greenwell).

This is a living allowance scholarship (equivalent to the Australian Postgraduate Award rate) which will be awarded to the highest ranked student (based on academic merit) who will be undertaking field research overseas (i.e. out of Australia) as part of a postgraduate research degree in Anthropology.

The scholarship does not include overseas student fees.

The closing date for applications is 20th January 2010, and the scholarship must be taken up by 31st March 2010. Full details of the scholarship conditions can be found here.

ARC Discovery Projects Announced for 2010

Congratulations to Dr Salvatore Babones (Senior Lecturer, Sociology and Social Policy) and Dr Ben Goldsmith (Senior Lecturer, Government & International Relations) who have been awarded funds by the Australian Research Council in the most recent round of Discovery Projects for 2010.

Dr Babones' project will explore globalisation and the global income distribution in times of stability and in times of crisis, while Dr Goldsmith with Professor Arcot Sowmya (UNSW) will focus on 'Political institutions, war, and peace: Global and regional dynamics'.