Steven Hamilton, Richard Holden In many ways, Australia handled the COVID-19 pandemic as well as any country in the world – but what did we get wrong? Australia’s economic policy response to the pandemic was as effective as any other country’s – and dramatically better than most. Was this inevitable? Was it luck? Was it the…
Dr Sheelagh Daniels-Mayes, Professor Corrinne Sullivan, Ms Jacinta Walsh and Dr Bep Uink; recipients of the Academy’s 2024 Rechnitz Fund grants for early- and mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social science researchers. The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (the Academy) has announced over $75,000 in research funding to four outstanding recipients of…
Monday 5 August 2024 | Melbourne This invitation-only roundtable was organised by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) to discuss challenges and opportunities for the field of education research in Australia going forward. The program and background papers were developed by a working group…
A Social Sciences Week special eventTuesday 10 September | 5pm arrival for 6pm startNational Library of Australia In an era where social media shapes our interactions and perceptions, the lines between connection and division have never been more blurred. With rising concerns about misinformation, online bans and the impact of digital echo chambers, we must…
In August 2024, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (the Academy) and the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) convened a Roundtable discussion of priorities and future directions for education research. The roundtable was attended by more than thirty representatives from universities, peak bodies and professional organisations, education unions and education research agencies. Attendees…
Algorithms of Anxiety: Fear in the Digital Age Anthony Elliott Machine learning algorithms are widely presumed to herald a world in which the crippling burdens of anxiety can be left behind. The digital revolution promises a brave new world where individuals, communities and organizations can at last take control of the future – anticipating, designing…
The Development of University Teaching Over Time: Pedagogical Approaches from 1800 to the Present By Tom O’Donoghue Examining two centuries of university education, this book charts the development of pedagogical approaches since the year 1800 and how they have transformed higher education. While institutions for promoting advanced learning in various forms have existed in Asia,…
Bina: First Nations Languages, Old and New Gari Tudor-Smith, Paul Williams, Felicity Meakins The incredible story of the resilience and recovery of Australia’s First Nations languages Australia’s language diversity is truly breathtaking. This continent lays claim to the world’s longest continuous collection of cultures, including over 440 unique languages and many more dialects. Sadly, European…
First Nations descendants are celebrating the end of a 30-year embargo on a vast collection of anthropological field notes compiled by renowned anthropologists and Academy Fellows Catherine and Ronald Berndt. This significant development grants Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities access to over 45,000 pages of detailed cultural and family records previously withheld from public…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia proudly celebrates NAIDOC Week. Please find below information and resources to engage and celebrate this important week. ➡️ Learn about the meaning of NAIDOC Week and the 2024 theme: Keep the Fire Burning: Blak, Loud and Proud in a short informative video with Academy Fellow and…
This book provides a comprehensive overview of ‘societal deception’ – how and why people are deceived and led to believe fake news. Coherently blending critical political economy and sociology, the author provocatively examines how corporations, political parties, the media, think tanks and assorted ‘influencers’ seek to manipulate public opinion to achieve their goals. This book…
An incisive, authoritative account of the West’s failures in Afghanistan, from 9/11 to the fall of Kabul In 1958, Richard Nixon described Afghanistan as “unconquerable.” On 15 August 2021, he was proven right. After twenty years of intervention, US and NATO forces retreated, enabling the Taliban to return to power. Tens of thousands were killed…
Australian social science researchers with a plan to host multidisciplinary workshops have until Friday 9 August 2024 to apply for grants supported by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. The Academy’s workshop program aims to advance research and policy agendas on nationally important issues by awarding up to $9000 in financial support to…
Three Fellows of the Academy have been recognised for their contributions in the 2024 King’s Birthday Order of Australia awards.
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is pleased to announce that nominations for the 2024 Paul Bourke Awards for Early Career Research in the social sciences are now open. Named in honour of distinguished past-President Paul Francis Bourke, these prestigious awards celebrate outstanding contributions from early career researchers within the social sciences. Each…
Australian Roadmap for Open Research Thursday 13 June 2024 | Canberra A nationally significant conversation to initiate design of an Australian Roadmap for Open Research. Australia needs a clear vision and co-ordinated leadership for Open Research. This invitation-only policy roundtable connected a diverse group of stakeholders from across government, research funding bodies, peak bodies, the…
Read the Academy’s analysis of the 2024-25 Federal Budget
Acclaimed historians Nick Dyrenfurth and Frank Bongiorno tell the story of the Australian Labor Party’s rich history of more than 130 years and examine its central role in modern Australia. The Australian Labor Party is one of the oldest labour parties in the world and the first to form a government. From the prime ministerships…
Thursday 28 – Friday 29 September 2021CANBERRA A comprehensive analysis of the 2021 Intergenerational Report produced following the roundtable is now available. View the book here. The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia convened an in-depth discussion of the role of the IGR and of the assumptions and methodology underpinning its projections. Papers were…
Hidden Wars: Gendered Political Violence in Asia’s Civil ConflictsSara E. Davies and Jacqui True Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has always been a part of warfare. In Asia, testimonies of egregious rape and sexual violence extend back to the Rape of Nanjing, to the experience of the Korean comfort women in World War II, and…
Vagrant Lives in Colonial Australasia: Regulating Mobility, 1840-1910 Catharine Coleborne (Author) Investigating the history of vagrants in colonial Australia and New Zealand, this book provides insights into the histories and identities of marginalised peoples in the British Pacific Empire. Showing how their experiences were produced, shaped and transformed through laws and institutions, it reveals how the…
Dreaming EcologyNomadics and Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, Victoria River, Northern AustraliaAuthored by: Deborah Bird RoseEdited by: Darrell Lewis, Margaret Jolly In the author’s own words, Dreaming Ecology ‘explores a holistic understanding of the interconnections of people, country, kinship, creation and the living world within a context of mobility. Implicitly it asks how people lived so sustainably for so…
Friday 19 April 2024 | Canberra This invitation-only policy roundtable connected the Productivity Commission team undertaking the inquiry into Australia’s early childhood education and care sector with a multidisciplinary group of Academy Fellows and leading social sciences experts. The roundtable focused on two important aspects of the early learning system: effective models of system stewardship…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and partners have launched an ambitious 10-year strategy for transforming national social science research infrastructure. Connected, Innovative and Responsive: Decadal Plan for Social Science Research Infrastructure 2024-33 sets out a compelling vision for a powerful framework of connected and integrated social science researchers across universities, government research…