Dr. Matthew Champion, appointed to a Senior Lectureship in History in 2022, is a historian of medieval and early modern Europe, with a particular focus on the experience of time and temporality during periods of intense change. In this interview for the SHAPS Forum podcast, Dr Henry Reese talks with Matthew about his research, including his latest project, The Sounds of Time . This podcast was produced by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. We ackno...
Nov 27, 2022•42 min
Henry Reese speaks with Dr Roslynne Bell, a classicist and art historian, about the methods used by Emperor Augustus to control his public image in Ancient Rome. This episode marks the first instalment in the 2021 theme of ‘Control’. Each year, SHAPS adopts a special theme, which we explore from the perspectives of scholars working within different disciplines within the School and beyond. In 2020, we explored the theme of ‘Disaster & Change’ from a number of different angles. In our last ep...
Jun 27, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The final episode of our 'Disaster & Change' series tackles a topic that has pervaded every other discussion: death. Dr. Henry Reese speaks with Mike Arnold, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science in SHAPS, the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. Prof. Arnold is part of the DeathTech research group, and their conversation touches on the history, present and future of the death industry. This podcast was produced by the School of Historical a...
Feb 27, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Content warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual violence and genocide. Dr Henry Reese speaks with Dr Annabelle Baldwin, the newly appointed Lecturer in Gender History in SHAPS, the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. Their conversation touches on the new Gender Pathway in the History programme at the University, as well as Dr. Baldwin's extensive experience researching gendered violence and the Holocaust. This podcast was produced by the Sc...
Feb 15, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Isabel Hollingdale is an undergraduate student in History at SHAPS. She recently produced a song as part of the third year capstone course 'Making History.' Henry Reese spoke to Isabel about her motivations, creative process, and the relationship between imagination and history research. The episode contains Isabel's song, 'The Western Prince,' in full. This podcast was produced by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Traditional O...
Jan 21, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Dr Henry Reese had the opportunity to talk to Dr Julia Hurst, newly appointed lecturer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History at the University of Melbourne. Dr Hurst’s appointment reflects the strong desire in the History program to offer students the opportunity to study subjects in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history taught by an Indigenous historian, to diversify the approaches and methodologies taught and used by historians in the History program and to better reflect th...
Oct 09, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this interview, History PhD candidate Amy Hodgson talks with our newly appointed Hansen Lecturer in Global History, Dr Sarah Walsh, who specialises in the history of ideas about race and racism, with a particular focus on Latin America. The conversation traverses a wide range of topics, including the challenges posed by online teaching, especially when it comes to handling difficult and confronting histories of oppression and violence. What approaches can be used to foster empathy and kindnes...
Jul 14, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Statues, Heritage & the French Revolution Societies have always used statues and other monuments as ways of recognising power and eminence. In Australia, as in many other places, there is currently public debate over whether some statues should be removed, who should make the decision, and what should be the fate of the statues themselves. Should they be displayed with explanatory plaques, taken away to be preserved in museums or simply removed? Such debates are common in history. This podca...
Jul 05, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Disaster and Change in Republican Rome The catastrophic defeat Hannibal inflicted on Rome at Cannae in 216 BC forced the Republic to drastically change how it would fight the Second Punic War. A strategy of direct military confrontation had to be abandoned in favour of a war of attrition. This strategic shift necessitated a series of additional changes in how Rome mobilised, led, and supported its armies. These changes not only provided the foundation for the Republic’s eventual victory over Han...
Jun 14, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 5
University of Melbourne postgraduate student Jimmy Yan interviews Professor Sean Scalmer about his new book, Democratic Adventurer: Graham Berry and the Making of Australian Politics , which launches on 25 May 2020 on Monash University Press. The publisher's summary of Democratic Adventurer reads as follows: Graham Berry (1822-1904) was colonial Australia’s most gifted, creative and controversial politician. A riveting speaker, a newspaper proprietor and editor, and the founder of Australia’s fi...
May 25, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Explaining Change: Aristotle and the Pandemic This podcast episode is intended to help us think through our current situation during the global coronavirus pandemic. The focus of this episode is on understanding the phenomenon of change, or more specifically, how we understand the causes of change. This is a philosophical discussion, although I have prepared it in a way that presumes its listeners, namely all of you, do not necessarily have any philosophical background. It is also a discussion a...
May 20, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Does Disaster inevitably lead to political change? The case of the Soviet Union and World War II Does an unplanned and large-scale calamity – a war, say, or a global economic crisis – lead to lasting social, cultural, and political change? This podcast explores this question with regard to the Soviet Union and World War II. The calamity of the war had a devastating impact on Soviet society, on the Soviet economy, and on the Soviet population. Hopes for social and political change were high in 19...
May 11, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In the Midst of Death There is Life: Collapse and Recovery from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Professor Janet McCalman opens our new podcast series by discussing the recent bushfire and Covid-19 coronavirus crises and Australia's political pitfalls and opportunities. Disaster & Change is a special series of Forum, a podcast produced by SHAPS, the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia. This podcast was produced by the School of Historic...
Apr 30, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Professor Margaret Cameron, head of SHAPS, introduces the new podcast series. Disaster & Change is a special series of Forum, a podcast produced by SHAPS, the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia. This podcast was produced by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which our University operates - lands of the Kulin peoples, which includes the Wu...
Apr 29, 2020•3 min
