The ‘three hearths’: Custom, religion and the state as colliding orders of time and space in Asmat, Indonesian Papua
Seminar
In Melanesia and Indonesia, socio-political life frequently centres around a tripartite relationship between custom, religion and state government. Building on the classic work of Kenelm Burridge, I analyse how tensions between these three institutional domains order the social fields of Asmat…
The genetic origins and impacts of historical Papuan migrations into Wallacea
Seminar
The Wallacean archipelago is a renowned hotspot for human linguistic and genetic diversity, testimony to a deep history that spans more than 50,000 years. Like their neighbours in Australia and New Guinea, the Indigenous peoples of Wallacea are thought to have remained isolated from outside groups…
The moral atmosphere of rule-dense elections: Creative relationality and forceful enforcement in Australian local politics
Seminar
Elections are governed by complex rules to ensure fair competition in a political field. Due to COVID-19, the 2021 New South Wales local government elections were subject to further regulations, widely considered as lacking logic and causing perverse consequences. The rules engendered no moral…
Kincentric political reform in Iceland after elite corruption
Seminar
This talk explores how kinship has been central to collective recovery after political crisis in Iceland. Revelations of elite corruption following the 2008 global financial crisis and more recent international whistleblower leaks have led to several government collapses and declining trust in…
The domestication of vegetatively propagated field crops: Theory, method and practice
Seminar
Vegetatively propagated field crops are some of the most important in terms of global food production, and are especially important subsistence crops in the tropics and subtropics (as well as some mountainous and temperate regions). These crops include: root crops (such as potato, manioc/cassava,…
Chewing it over: Why what (and how) we eat has shaped primate and human evolution
Seminar
Repeated adaptations in the masticatory apparatus have continually redefined how vertebrates interact with their environment. Today, humans experience high rates of dental pathologies, and in comparison to other primates we have small jaws and teeth and a radically reorganized skull. This talk will…
Towards an Australian Ochre Charter: Australian Indigenous Community Archaeologies from Within
Seminar
Towards an Australian Ochre Charter: Australian Indigenous Community Archaeologies from Within A presentation by Dave Johnston on his proposed PhD Research (TPR ANU) with Indigenous Community Partners and Mentors: Dr Matilda House (Welcome to Country, Ngambri/Ngunawal), Mentor Dr Caroline…