Welcome to our fortnightly newsletter. If you have things you’d like to share with the CCH community, please email Anna before the next fortnightly newsletter. We will also share news and updates on LinkedIn. Please tag us in the news that you are posting on Linkedin so we can share it!
News from Members and Associates
- Congratulations to Brad Underhill, who traveled to Port Moresby for the launch of the book – Debating the Nation – he edited with Helen Gardner and Keimelo Gima. New readers include the Prime Minister of PNG – James Marape! The launch has featured in media including this piece in The National, and this in the Post-Courier.
- Congratulations to Tao Bak, who has a new paper in the History of Education Review – Examining posture toward the contemplative: Jill Roe, contemporary spirituality and the case of Steiner education.
- Klaus Neumann has a new piece in Inside Story – Was Germany “able to do this”?
Seminar Series
| 3rd September, 11am | Anna Kent – Did the Australian community support international education? |
| 10th September, 11am | Anabelle Selvaggio – The afterlife of a Sicilian matriarch: A reflection on remembering women in family oral history projects |
| 17th September, 11am | Sam Dalgarno – Irreconcilable differences or a lasting marriage of convenience?: Some thoughts on the relationship between neoliberalism and self-determination in New South Wales Aboriginal affairs policy since the 1980s |
| 24th September, 11am | Scott McCarthy – The Catholic Elite and the Construction of Irishness in Victoria and New South Wales, 1878–1923 |
Call for Papers
2025 Labour History Conference
The Spirit of 1975: Transformations in Australian Labour History
In 2025, the Melbourne Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History (ASSLH) will host the Society’s 19th Biennial Conference. The venue is the beautifully renovated Trades Hall Council building.
The conference will be held from 26 to 28 November 2025 and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the International Women’s Year, the dismissal of the Whitlam Government, and the end of the American War in Vietnam.
The Spirit of 1975: Transformations in Australian Labour History invites historians and activists to take up this theme, as well as addressing wider issues and developments epitomised by that year. We welcome a wide range of papers considering the significance of the events of the 1970s in politics, protests, ideas, and cultural and social movements in Australia and abroad. For abstract submissions and panel proposals, go to this link. Abstracts are due by 1 September 2025 (TODAY!). For keynote speakers and registration go to this link.
Hosted by the Victorian Trades Hall, The Spirit of 1975: Transformations in Australian Labour History is held under the general auspices of the Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Events
Searching Papua New Guinea collections
4 September 2025, 12pm – 1pm
National Archives of Australia (online)
Join the NAA webinar celebrating the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence and discover its rich history through records held in Australian collections. You will learn how to search and access digitised PNG-related records on RecordSearch and Trove, with expert guidance from librarian, curatorial and archival professionals. This webinar offers valuable insights and resources for everyone, whether you’re a novice or a professional historian interested in Papua New Guinea’s vibrant history. This event is held in collaboration with the National Library of Australia. Reserve your spot via this link.
The Past Is Your Future: HCV Careers Panel
12 September 2025, 2pm – 4pm
Public Record Office Victoria (112 Macauley Road, North Melbourne)
Explore the array of career possibilities with a history degree at the HCV’s special event for undergraduate students, The Past is Your Future: Careers in History.
Please join us to hear from a panel of industry experts who have transformed their love for history into dynamic careers. They will share insights into their work in fields like publishing, communications, academia and heritage work, and discuss the pathways that led them there. If you’re a university student majoring in history, this event will help you discover how your passion for the past can shape a future.
You can find out more at the HCV website.
50 years of Independence Community Day – Bilong Papua New Guinea
Bilong Papua New Guinea marks the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence, displaying part of the largest collection of Papua New Guinea urban art outside the country, held by the National Gallery. Brad Underhill will be at this event discussing the new book Debating the Nation. Find out more here.
CCH Research Grants and other opportunities
If you have plans for research in 2025, apply for a research grant now!
It is important that you read the guidelines before you apply for a grant. Check out the guidelines and the application forms in our hub site.
CCH Shut Up and Write
every Monday, 9am-1.30pm, via Zoom.
Start the week strong with a Shut Up and Write! We will run 4 x 50 minute blocks of writing/focus, with breaks in between to chat, grab coffees, etc. All CCH colleagues welcome, especially ECRs, HDRs, and those who work remotely. Feel free to join at any time – it doesn’t matter if you can’t make it to every session, or every block in a session, just come when you can.
The zoom link is here. (Meeting ID: 822 0730 8335, Password: 65182364)
If you would like a recurring invite in your calendar, or you have any trouble joining, email Mia at mia.martinhobbs@deakin.edu.au
Opportunities
In 2018, the International Australian Studies Association (InASA) established a publishing subsidy scheme designed to assist early career researchers working in Australian Studies. The subsidy is designed to assist early career researchers in a publishing venture, or for the inclusion of essential items such as illustrations, photographs or maps. InASA are excited to invite submissions for the 2025 Early Career Researcher Publication Subsidy Scheme. The application window is open until 5pm, 8 September 2025. You can find more information here.
Australian War Memorial Summer Vacation Scholarship Scheme
The Summer Vacation Scholarship Scheme provides an exciting opportunity for students hoping to make history their career. Summer Scholars will:
- Acquire skills in public history by working with staff in the Memorial’s Military History Section
- Learn about the range and significance of the Memorial’s collections
- Gain an understanding of a historian’s work in a cultural institution
To apply, applicants must be history students undertaking postgraduate studies or entering their Honours (fourth) year of an undergraduate course. The scholarships are also open to students enrolled in museum or public history courses. Applications close at 5 pm (AEST) on Sunday 21 September 2025. For more information see the website.
Journal of Pacific History Publication Incentive Grant
The Journal of Pacific History Inc. invites qualified persons to apply for a Publication Incentive grant. These competitive grants are offered to help support early career Pacific historians to prepare manuscripts for submission to the Journal of Pacific History for peer review. Anyone who has completed a PhD or MA since 2019 in a field relevant to Pacific history, or who is currently enrolled for a doctorate in such a field, can apply for a grant of $3,000 to prepare a manuscript for submission to peer review. Applications are due by the 30 September 2025, and more details and instructions are available in this link.
The Pacific History Association Teresia Teaiwa Prize 2025
The Pacific History Association (PHA) established the Teresia Teaiwa Prize in 2018 to honour the profound legacy of Teresia Teaiwa, former President and Secretary of PHA. The inaugural prize was awarded at the PHA’s 2021 conference. The 2025 winner will be decided and announced at the PHA’s biennial conference to be held on 2-5 December 2025 at the National University of Samoa. The prize is for a conference presentation. Finalists will be shortlisted on the basis of an essay submitted prior to the conference. The 2025 winner will receive a prize of $1000. You can find further information and eligibility requirements here.
Gunson Essay Prize
A prize of AUD $1,000 will be awarded at the 2025 Pacific History Association Conference, for the winner of the Gunson Essay Prize Competition. Postgraduate or senior students from any country are invited to submit an essay in English between 5,000 and 8,000 words on any topic relating to the pasts of the Island Pacific and its peoples by 1 November 2025. For further details and eligibility requirements see this link.
CCH Hub Site
We now have a Sharepoint site (for Deakin staff and students only). This is where you can find CCH templates and logos, and importantly – new grant application forms. CCH members should have access, but you will need to use your Deakin login.
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