Annual Conference 2022

The Australasian Consortium of Humanities Researchers & Centres is pleased to present its 2022 Annual Conference on Friday 25th November 2022: ‘Thinking big through the distributed humanities: Institutions,creativity, training’. 

The 2022 Annual conference of the Australasian Consortium of Humanities Researchers and Centres (ACHRC) will be presented in partnership with the School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education at Swinburne University of Technology as part of the 2022 Congress of HASS.

Date: Friday 25th November
Venue: Swinburne University Hawthorn Campus, Innovation Hub
Time: 11am-5pm

Registration

Registration is free. We encourage registrants to consider joining ACHRC as an individual or institutional member. See here.

Registration for in-person & online attendance is available at Eventbrite

In-person conference registration (including catering) is free for staff members and students of centres affiliated with ACHRC. Non-ACHRC members can attend the conference in person for the cost of annual membership (which will be included in the price of registration).

Up to 3 student and early career travel bursaries (to the value of $300) are offered by the ACHRC. Applications for these are due no later than 31 October. Please send queries to Jennifer.Coombes@anu.edu.au

Thinking big through the distributed humanities: Institutions, creativity, training

Human and environmental sustainability relies, increasingly urgently, on complex knowledge solutions and innovations that arise through creative research, critical thinking, multi-disciplinary collaboration and inter-cultural communication skills. These qualities are ubiquitous for humanities related research training and scholarship, both within and outside of universities.

The practice of thinking big to explore and create new forms of knowledge and innovation across our distributed areas requires outreach, extensions, listening, experimentation, and working outside the comfort zone of university-based researchers. It necessitates working collaboratively via strong networks across disciplines, regions, institutions, communication styles and sectors. It requires innovation, and engagement with what “value” means for different people, communities, industries, and scholarly fields.

This conference brings together speakers from different fields and industries with expertise in big thinking practices in and beyond the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) pertaining to knowledge sharing, digitisation and media creativity in different spheres. It showcases sector-leading examples, and encourages new pathways for seeding new ideas, perspectives, and models of practice.

Key questions include:

What are the advantages of collaborating with key research practitioners? How are relationships initiated? What even is creative research? 

How can big data tools be employed to gather metrics that are meaningful in creative research dissemination and engagement? How are different research outcomes assessed by different communities and industries? How is value understood and assessed in different professional, cultural and community contexts? Why is understanding value important? 

What can the university and GLAM sectors learn from other creative industries? How can internships lead to diverse future career opportunities?

How can creative researchers work with other fields and forms of disciplinary and traditional knowledges to imagine different ways of living and different futures?

How do universities, GLAM institutions and other industries create meaningful partnerships and networks with First Nations to build an ethical and sustainable future?

Conference program

Panel 1: Creativity, 11-12 noon
‘Developing a Manifesto for Creative Research Excellence’

The panel asks what a data-driven future looks like for creative research in Australian tertiary institutions and what creative research reporting looks like designed from the ground up.

Professor Craig Batty, University of South Australia, Executive Dean Creative & Interim President DDCA
A/Professor Susan Kerrigan, Swinburne University of Technology
Professor Daniel Palmer, RMIT University
Dr Tully Barnett, Flinders University (Panel co-chair);
A/Professor Grayson Cooke, Southern Cross University (Panel co-chair)

Panel 2: Training, 12:15-1:15pm
‘Professional training across university, GLAM sectors and industry’

The panel reviews professional training across the university and public culture sectors and consider the issue of advocating for more equity with paid internships in the museum and commercial sectors.

Dr Ashley Robertson, Director, AMaGA Vic
Dr Katrina Grant,  Australian National University
Dr Josh Harle, Director, Tactical Space Lab
Katie Russell, National Director, AMaGA (Panel chair)

Panel 3: Institutions, 2:30-4pm
‘Cross-sector research collaboration and creativity’

The panel explores how different forms of collaboration between universities, GLAM institutions and other industries create meaningful partnerships and networks to create new forms of knowledge

Professor Gaye Sculthorpe, Deakin University
Seb Chan, Director & CEO, ACMI
Professor Mitchell Whitelaw, Australian National University
Professor Melanie Swalwell, Swinburne University of Technology (Panel Chair)

Sponsorship and Acknowledgements

This conference is delivered on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nations.

It is supported by the School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education at Swinburne University of Technology and the ACHRC, with additional support from the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA), the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA), the Humanities Research Centre at ANU and the Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre at the University of Sydney.