Career Summary
Biography
Dr Bryce Abraham is a historian of heroism, war and Australian society, and honours and awards. He is Assistant Curator, Private Records at the Australian War Memorial and a Sessional Academic in History in the School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Newcastle. His doctoral research focused on the shifting constructions of Australian military heroism from Sudan to Vietnam (1885–1975), with an emphasis on the associated constructs of masculinity and the award (and non-award) of the Victoria Cross. He also has longstanding research interests in the social and cultural impact of war, violence, honours and awards, and prisoners of war.
Prior to commencing his PhD, Bryce graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours Class I) from the University of Newcastle. His academic achievements have been recognised with the Sarah Wheeler Prize and a Faculty of Education and Arts RHD Achievement Award. Bryce was a Summer Scholar at the Australian War Memorial in 2015, and has received a number of competitive scholarships and grants from Australian and international bodies, including the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies at King's College London, the Royal Historical Society (UK), and the Australian Army History Unit. He is a member of the Australian Historical Association and the International Society for First World War Studies.
With Kate Ariotti and James Bennett, Bryce co-convened the Newcastle and Hunter at War Symposium at the Newcastle Museum in November 2017. He was a postgraduate representative on the organisation committee for 'Recording, Narrating and Archiving the First World War': The 10th Conference of the International Society for First World War Studies (Melbourne, 9-11 July 2018), and a committee member for the 'Global War, Global Connections, Global Moments' Conference (Newcastle, 16-18 July 2018).
Keywords
- Australian history
- British Empire
- First World War
- Heroism
- Honours and awards
- Masculinity
- Prisoners of war
- Second World War
- Violence
- War and society
Professional Experience
Professional appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 17/2/2020 - | Assistant Curator, Private Records | Australian War Memorial |
Awards
Award
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2015 |
Faculty of Education and Arts RHD Achievement Award University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts |
| 2013 |
Sarah Wheeler Prize for 3000 Level History University of Newcastle - School of Humanities and Social Science |
Scholarship
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2015 |
Australian Postgraduate Award The University of Newcastle |
| 2015 |
Australian War Memorial Summer Vacation Scholarship Australian War Memorial |
| 2015 |
Australian Bicentennial Scholarship Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, King's College, London |
Teaching Award
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2019 |
DVC(A) Educator Innovation and Impact Award University of Newcastle |
Teaching
| Code | Course | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIST1051 |
The Australian Experience The University of Newcastle |
Course Coordinator | 26/2/2018 - 13/7/2018 |
| HIST1001 |
Europe and the World The University of Newcastle |
PASS Leader | 28/7/2014 - 28/11/2014 |
| HIST1051 |
The Australian Experience The University of Newcastle |
Tutor | 22/2/2016 - 23/6/2017 |
| HIST1001 |
Europe and the World The University of Newcastle |
Tutor | 27/7/2015 - 25/11/2016 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Journal article (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Abraham B, 'The Politics of Heroism: Propaganda and Military Celebrity in First World War Australia', Bulletin of the Auckland Museum, 21 53-60 (2020) [C1]
|
Review (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Abraham B, 'Lost Boys of Anzac (2017)
|
||||
| 2015 | Abraham B, 'Gary Mead. 'Victoria's Cross: The Untold Story of Britain's Highest Award for Bravery'', Wartime Magazine (2015) [O1] |
Conference (9 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Abraham B, 'Resurrecting Heroes... or Reinventing Them? Interpretations of the Heroic in Australian First World War Centenary Commemorations', Christchurch, New Zealand (2018) | ||
| 2018 | Abraham B, Ariotti K, 'Scaling Heroism: Australian POWs and Military Honours during the World Wars.', Australian National University, Canberra (2018) | ||
| 2018 | Abraham B, Ariotti K, '"Not to Be Submitted for Reward": POWs, Medallic Recognition, and the Shaping of the Captivity Narrative in Australia during the First World War', Deakin University, Melbourne (2018) | ||
| Show 6 more conferences | |||
Other (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Abraham B, 'The Sportsmen's Thousand: War Heroes and AIF Recruitment in 1917', History: Magazine of the Royal Australian Historical Society ( issue.136 pp.8-10) (2018) | ||
| 2016 | Abraham B, '"The biggest bastard of a job." McCann and Blackburn at Pozières Ridge: How Valour is Defined', Wartime ( issue.74 pp.60-62) (2016) |
Presentation (4 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Abraham B, 'Policies, Politics and Patrols: The Mechanics of Recognition in Australia's Korean War', (2019) | ||
| 2017 | Abraham B, 'Martial Culture and Colonial Defence in the Hunter, 1850-1901', (2017) | ||
| 2017 | Abraham B, '"A Stimulating Effect on the Recruiting Movement": Propaganda and Military Celebrity in First World War Australia', (2017) | ||
| Show 1 more presentation | |||
Report (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Abraham B, 'Bringing Them All Back Home: Prisoner of War Contact, Recovery and Reception Units, 1944 45', Australian War Memorial Summer Vacation Scholarship paper (2015) |
Thesis / Dissertation (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Abraham B, Valore Australis: Constructions of Australian Military Heroism from Sudan to Vietnam, 1885-1975, University of Newcastle (2020) | ||
| 2014 | Abraham B, Valour in the Desert: A Critical Examination of the Victoria Cross and Heroic Construct in the Palestine Campaign, 1916-1918, University of Newcastle (2014) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 8 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $22,816 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20163 grants / $8,700
Top-Up Grant$5,000
Funding body: Centre for the History of Violence, University of Newcastle
| Funding body | Centre for the History of Violence, University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Top-Up Grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2016 |
| Funding Finish | 2016 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
Australian Army History Research Grant$3,000
Funding body: Australian Army History Unit
| Funding body | Australian Army History Unit |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Australian Army History Research Grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2016 |
| Funding Finish | 2017 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Aust Competitive - Commonwealth |
| Category | 1CS |
| UON | N |
Australian Historical Association/Copyright Agency Travel and Writing Bursary$700
Funding body: Copyright Agency Limited
| Funding body | Copyright Agency Limited |
|---|---|
| Scheme | AHA/CAL Travel and Writing Bursaries |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2016 |
| Funding Finish | 2016 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Grant - Aust Non Government |
| Category | 3AFG |
| UON | N |
20154 grants / $13,366
Australian War Memorial Summer Vacation Scholarship$5,000
Funding body: Australian War Memorial
| Funding body | Australian War Memorial |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Summer Vacation Scholarship |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2015 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Aust Competitive - Commonwealth |
| Category | 1CS |
| UON | N |
Top-Up Grant$5,000
Funding body: Centre for the History of Violence, University of Newcastle
| Funding body | Centre for the History of Violence, University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Top-Up Grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2015 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
Australian Bicentennial Scholarship$2,384
Funding body: Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, King's College, London
| Funding body | Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, King's College, London |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Australian Bicentennial Scholarship |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2016 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | International - Competitive |
| Category | 3IFA |
| UON | N |
Postgraduate Research Support Grant$982
Funding body: Royal Historical Society
| Funding body | Royal Historical Society |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Postgraduate Research Support Scheme |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2016 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | International - Competitive |
| Category | 3IFA |
| UON | N |
20131 grants / $750
iLEAD Travel Grant for Exchange Studies$750
Funding body: The University of Newcastle
| Funding body | The University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel Grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2013 |
| Funding Finish | 2013 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
