Arts, Culture and Society

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Arts, Culture and Society 13 min read

Who invented the flat white? Italian sugar farmers from regional Queensland likely played a big role

by Garritt Van Dyk - Lecturer at the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences (History)

Australia’s coffee culture – a source of great national pride – is usually associated with the wave of Greek and Italian migrants who settled in Melbourne and Sydney following the second world war. But it was very likely in regional Queensland that one of Australia’s favourite brews first took root.

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How international recognition of cultural practices could be a new way to protect refugees

Arts, Culture and Society 14 min read

How international recognition of cultural practices could be a new way to protect refugees

by Alice Neikirk, Lecturer in the School of Law and Justice, and Ray Nickson, Senior Lecturer of Criminology in the School of Law and Justice

More than 6.6 million refugees live in camps located largely in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In these camp communities, unique cultural practices can arise.

As Aussie as vanilla slice

Arts, Culture and Society 13 min read

As Aussie as vanilla slice

by Garritt Van Dyk - Lecturer at the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences (History)

In 1998, Victorian premier Jeff Kennett visited a town in regional Victoria and said he had discovered, in his opinion, the best vanilla slice in Australia at the local bakery.

Young Catholics seek new ways to ‘do church’

Arts, Culture and Society 16 min read

Young Catholics seek new ways to ‘do church’

by Gemma Wolk

During a time of promising reformation in the Catholic church, unparalleled new insight into the thoughts and feelings of Catholic women has revealed a hunger for radical change.

Not just a youth movement: history too often forgets older protesters

Arts, Culture and Society 13 min read

Not just a youth movement: history too often forgets older protesters

by Effie Karageorgos

Recent sustained anti-coal action by Blockade Australia in the Hunter Valley has brought public protest back into the news cycle. Activists have occupied trains, railway lines and machinery in an attempt to obstruct coal production and broadcast their message about the climate crisis.

Protecting Indigenous knowledges

Arts, Culture and Society 7 min read

Protecting Indigenous knowledges

by Shahni Wellington

During his research to unlock the archives, Dr Hodgetts found that the keys had been long-kept from cultural knowledge-holders.

Run like a girl

Arts, Culture and Society 13 min read

Run like a girl

by Gemma Wolk

The game changing program revolutionising female participation in sport

Our hybrid media system has emboldened anti-LGBTQ+ hate – what can we do about it?

Arts, Culture and Society 15 min read

Our hybrid media system has emboldened anti-LGBTQ+ hate – what can we do about it?

by Justin Ellis

Anti-LGBTQ+ hate from religious conservatives and far-right extremists in the United States, and now in Australia, is a worrying trend.

Teaching and research are the core functions of universities. But in Australia, we don’t value teaching

Arts, Culture and Society 14 min read

Teaching and research are the core functions of universities. But in Australia, we don’t value teaching

by Sally Patfield, Elena Prieto-Rodriguez, Jenny Gore

This article is part of our series on big ideas for the Universities Accord. The federal government is calling for ideas to “reshape and reimagine higher education, and set it up for the next decade and beyond”. A review team is due to finish a draft report in June and a final report in December 2023.

Why arts degrees and other generalist programs are the future of Australian higher education

Arts, Culture and Society 13 min read

Why arts degrees and other generalist programs are the future of Australian higher education

by Catharine Coleborne

This article is the first in our series on big ideas for the Universities Accord. The federal government is calling for ideas to “reshape and reimagine higher education, and set it up for the next decade and beyond”. A review team is due to finish a draft report in June and a final report in December 2023.

Long before the Voice vote, the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association called for parliamentary representation

Arts, Culture and Society 14 min read

Long before the Voice vote, the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association called for parliamentary representation

by John Maynard

The most startling point on the referendum for a Voice to parliament is the fact the majority of people in this country have no idea of history. And I mean both Black and white people.

‘No home to go to, and no means of living’: how colonial vagrancy laws punished the poor

Arts, Culture and Society 18 min read

‘No home to go to, and no means of living’: how colonial vagrancy laws punished the poor

by Catharine Coleborne

Vagrancy – being found in the street without any visible means of support – was a crime in many parts of Australia right up to the final decades of the 20th century. In some jurisdictions, vagrancy laws were only repealed in the early 2000s.

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