Tim Minchin: 'The arts and sciences need to work together to improve how knowledge is communicated'

I'm a long time of Tim Minchin fan. After leaving Perth to spend a large part of my twenties in London I've never yet managed to sit though White Wine in The Sun without getting a little teary. Minchin shared nine life lessons with Humanities graduates at the University of Western Australia a few weeks ago, when he was awarded an honorary doctorate. He delivered a stirring speech that revealed him as both a realist and a romantic. As well as sharing his own special kind of (un)conventional wisdom with graduates, he urged the arts and sciences to work together to improve how knowledge is communicated. I think it's rather brilliant. Take a look.

Upcoming journal article - ‘What better excuse for a real adventure’: History, memory and tourism on the Kokoda Track.

Another teaser! I'm excited to announce that my first journal article will be published in The Public History Review (vol 20) in late 2013. I'll write a blog post closer to the date that explores the topic in more detail. In the meantime you can view the abstract below:

‘What better excuse for a real adventure’: History, memory and tourism on the Kokoda Track.

Rapidly growing numbers of Australian tourists visiting overseas battle sites associated with Australian military history have been met with enthusiastic academic interest by historians, yet the vast majority of studies focus on Gallipoli, rather than the Kokoda Track. Prior to 2001, few tourists had undertaken a journey along the narrow jungle pathway, which winds 96km through the Owen Stanley Ranges in Papua New Guinea. Just over a decade later, the track supports a competitive tourism industry, dominated by Australian companies, and attracts thousands of trekkers each year. This paper applies an interdisciplinary methodology to better understand the duality of locations of battlefield tourism as sites of commemoration and, unavoidably, sites of commerce. A survey of 107 trekkers suggests that, in addition to an expression of national identity, the mythology associated with the Kokoda Track has been appropriated by Australian tourists to represent individualistic goals of personal development and transformation: meanings that originate from the site’s history but extend beyond it.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Source: Wikipedia (Luke Brindley)

Upcoming conference paper - Anzac for Sale: The Gallipoli Campaign in Consumer Culture, 1915-1921

Sydney Morning Herald, 27 October, 1917.

I'm excited about delivering a paper at upcoming conference 'The British Empire and the Great War - Colonial Societies/ Cultural Responses', which will be held at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore between 19-22 February 2014.

"In 1914 almost one quarter of the earth's surface was British. When that same empire and its allies went to war in 1914 against the Central Powers, history's first global conflict was inevitable…It is the social and cultural reactions within these distant, often overlooked, societies now thrust into the mainstream of modern industrial conflict, which is the focus of this conference." Source: conference website.

The conference programme (draft) has recently been released and it looks fantastic. You can also read my abstract below.

Anzac for Sale: The Gallipoli Campaign in Consumer Culture, 1915-1921

The cultural impact of the Great War in Australia is most often examined in the shadow of the Anzac Legend, a powerful national mythology rooted in ideas of Imperial militarism and masculinity. While scholarship is commonly conceptualised around monuments and commemoration my own research examines Anzac in consumer culture. As Michael Billig has theorised, ‘every day’ representations of the nation may be banal but they are certainly not benign. After the Gallipoli Landing on 25 April 1915, the word ‘Anzac’ came to represent a set of aspirational values and attributes. Tea, soap, toys, soft drinks and other goods branded with the word ‘Anzac’ flooded the market, and businesses, such as hotels and cafes, were renamed to include it. Consequently in 1916, the federal government issued regulations restricting the use of the word. These regulations were enacted barely twelve months after the landing and only four months after the evacuation. This paper will consider what motivated Australians to use the word ‘Anzac’ for commercial purposes and why authorities moved so quickly to stop its use. It will argue that consumer culture offers an unexamined site of contest from which to examine the personal and collective impact of the Great War.

Lest we forget what?

The Anzac Centenary logo

With the centenary of the First World War looming, the Australian federal government has allocated over 100 million dollars for commemorative activity over four years. Like many historians, I share fears that commemoration will prioritise sentimentality rather than create spaces where Australians can engage with their military history in diverse and meaningful ways.

The event branding does not assuage these fears. The '100 Years of Anzac: The Spirit Lives 2015-2018' logo suggests a celebration of myth, rather than history.  In contrast to the New Zealand and British Centenary logos, which at least allude to the First World War, Australia seems firmly rooted in a mythic
present.

First World War Centenary UK

Remembering WWI New Zealand

With this in mind, I was excited to hear that the ABC has commissioned historian and writer/director Dr Rachel Landers to produce a new documentary that interrogates this potent military mythology.  Lest We Forget What? aims to start a national conversation about the increasing prominence of the Anzac Legend in the Australian national imagination.

The documentary producers requested video submissions from contributors and I had a marvellous time last weekend writing and shooting a video over 24 hours. Video is a powerful medium and the creative process was really rewarding in itself. The performative aspect was very new to me but once I got over initial awkwardness it was a lot of fun!

You can view my submission (and blooper video below).


Lest We Forget What? from Jo Hawkins on Vimeo.

Q1. Why do you love Australian history? (00.23)

Q2. What do you think is problematic about the way Australians remember WWI? (02.53)

Q3. Find a volunteer (friend, family or foe) and get into an engaging debate about WWI. Attempt to change their point of view. (08.00) The Debate: Is the AFL Anzac Day Clash an appropriate form of commemoration?

10 insights for humanities researchers from #ACHRC 2013

#ACHRC 2013: 2 days, 1 keynote, 6 panels.

Between 8-9 July, researchers converged on the University of Western Australia for the annual meeting of the Australian Consortium of Humanities Research Centres (ACHRC).

Humanists came from range of disciplines and institutions: university research centres, collecting institutions, advocacy groups, media, university administration and funding bodies. The diversity of attendees resulted in a range of perspectives and energetic debate.

All were united by a belief that, in a world facing pressing global challenges, we need the humanities now more than ever. In this context, it seemed appropriate that the keynote was delivered by Alan Liu, a digital humanities innovator and passionate advocate of the humanities.

Here are ten themes that emerged over an inspiring few days:

1. We need to learn how to tell compelling stories about the humanities.

4Humanities.org

We’re not doing enough to communicate the value of what we do. Alan Liu’s keynote stressed the importance of humanities advocacy and outlined the creation of 4Humanities.org - a “conceptual laboratory” that provides a space for humanists to tell their stories. Digital storytelling outcomes include:

• Infographic Friday - visualisations that express the impact of the humanities using statistics
• Humanities Backpack  - mini documentaries that bring the research process to life
• Humanities Showcase - online portal that allows public audiences to browse a gallery of research case studies

For Liu, public engagement starts with an articulation of fundamental principles which should be long-term, structural and local/global. What do the humanities stand for? Frustrated by the strategic plan outlined by your research institution? Liu and his colleagues at the University of California were. So they sat down and outlined their own vision.

To communicate values you need to know what they are. Several key outcomes of the 4Humanities project have been value finding exercises such as What everyone says about the humanities and Humanities plain and simple, which challenges contributors to outline why the humanities matter in plain language. Techniques include focus groups, crowd sourcing, and text mining values statements. For a best practice example, Liu pointed to a recently released report and video published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, “The Heart of the Matter: Commission of the Humanities and Social Sciences.”

2. And communicate these stories to our audiences more effectively.

Deakin University: Research My World

Engaging with public audiences is not about meeting research impact funding obligations; it’s a social responsibility. Andrea Whitcomb encouraged researchers to resist the notion that academic work is outside society and to develop research projects that emerge from problems and issues outside of academic debate.

Alan Liu outlined a framework for public engagement that involved (1) articulating a core message, (2) designing a communications plan (involving the selection of spokespersons - not necessarily the researcher, media channels, and specific media forms and genres) and (3) communicating this message to a specific target audience (such as fellow academics, practitioners or local communities). Researchers should seek to emulate organisations skilled in communicating for social change, such as the Occupy Movement, MoveOn.org and Amnesty International. He suggested researchers may like to read Jennifer Earl and Katrina Kimport’s recent book, Digitally Enabled Social Change, Activism in the Internet Age.

Deb Verhoeven felt it was important that researchers feed data and results back to communities. She described a recent project that engaged communities in the research process from the outset using crowd funding. Not only did the Deakin University Pozzible Campaign, Research My World, raise over $20,000 in research funding, it helped build the online profiles of the early career researchers who participated.

Jane Davidson, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions argued that research impact should include creative outcomes as well as traditional research outputs and outlined recent collaborations with ABC radio, schools and the arts. 

Andrew Jaspan, Editor of The Conversation, outlined his vision to provide a new business model for news media. The Conversation has 1.3 million unique views per month, with 80% of the audience outside of academia. An Australian success story, over 60% of academic contributors are followed up by other mass media outlets and the recent UK launch will be followed by launches in USA and India. Subsequently, Linguist Alan Dench reminded researchers that, while the written word has primacy in academia, spoken language remains a primary form of communication and is innate to human beings. He urged attendees to speak on the radio and encourage students to practice communicating their research verbally by participating in Three Minute Thesis competitions.

3. But often, we don’t really understand who our audience is.

Dev Verhoeven reminded researchers that we are not communicating to a homogenous group of people called “the public”.  Powerful storytelling necessitates a genuine understanding of our audience/s and these insights are the bedrock of any communication. Not only will this information assist researchers in crafting an impactful message, this kind of focus can assist in making decisions as to the most effective communication channels - vital when time and money are in short supply. Know your audience and design communications to resonate with specific concerns.  Then choose the most appropriate communication channel to reach each group.  Provide different touch points that allow people to become involved at various levels. For example, some may watch a video or share information on social media, others might like to make a donation or even examine research data for themselves.

4. It's not enough to start a discussion, we need to change the conversation.

We need to advocate the humanities on our own terms.  Christina Parolin, of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, argued that the term "benefit" captures the intention of research assessment better than "impact". Indeed, Alan Liu prefers the term “discovery” rather than words such as “invention”, and “innovation” as he believes it most aptly expresses the range of human meanings and possibilities associated with technological breakthroughs.
Liu suggested that researchers explore George Lakoff’s strategic frame analysis, a science based communications methodology that draws from linguistics, psychology, anthropology, political science and communications theory. If you're interested in Lakoff's work you can explore his eWorkshop Changing the public conversation on social problems: a beginners guide to strategic frame analysis  or read his article Framing 101: How to Take Back Public Discourse.

5. Continue to question the logic of measurement indicators.

Carmen Lawrence agreed that accountability for publicly funded research projects was important but compelled the audience to keep asking the hard questions. Why are you asking us to measure this? What is the likely benefit to the academy/society? How many dollars does it take to get one dollar on the desk of a researcher? Christina Parolin agreed that data collection was an issue, citing the administrative burden and cost of preparing case studies, the risk of over engineering the effort to measure impact, and the focus on demonstrating and communicating rather than making the research more beneficial.

Lawrence noted the private sector origins of the current obsession with measurement, citing the mantra "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it".  She compared dogmatic approaches to measurement with religious devotion stating "The fact that something is hard to measure does not mean that it is not real or important". Indeed she argued that the more any social indicator is used for social decision making, the more it will corrupt the very policies it aims to manage, quoting Goodheart’s Law which states "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure".

6. Form richer, mutually beneficial collaborations.

We’re stronger together. Humanists may have different goals but we tend to share a similar vision. Richard Neville, outlined how the State Library of NSW wants to "be a place where conversations happen, either on site or online", an objective which echoed several previous discussions. Yet collaboration between different research centres, disciplines and collecting institutions poses challenges.  Neville recognised opportunities to share staff, knowledge and experience based on mutual understanding and frank discussions about expectations, constraints and opportunities. Alec Coles, CEO of the Western Australian Museum, reiterated some of these concerns but was optimistic about ways in which partnerships could add immense value.

7. Think global.

Is the global turn in higher education merely economic opportunism or a genuine desire to train and educate graduates to become global citizens? Masashi Haneda, Vice President (International) of the University of Tokyo, argued that global issues such as climate change, food and water crisis, aging societies, bioethics, security and migrations, necessitated the development of a new global citizen and that the humanities should play a leading role. Krishna Sen, Dean of the UWA Faculty of Arts, was more cautious about the idea of “Global Humanities” arguing the centrality of difference and relativism to the humanities. Yet, the discourse surrounding the Asian century highlights the importance of alternative modes of understanding. According to Krishna, "We are the miners of ideas and we are the real miners of the Asian century".

8. Embrace new technologies.

Marvin eBook reader - iPad app

Alan Liu showcased some extraordinary new digital humanities projects such as Open Journal Systems (OJS), the Journal Author Name Estimator (Jane) and Marvin – an iPad app that automatically generates abstracts from ebooks.  Other innovations included JoVE, a Peer Reviewed Scientific Video Journal and Wikipedia Journal Articles. Liu’s visions for the future included a machine learning approach for identifying thesis and conclusion statements in student essays, and a computer program that could support academics in public outreach by automatically generating draft tweets and blog posts based on "business as usual" teaching and research activities.

According to Lui, Research Centres should act as “Think Tanks” for the Humanities.

• Taking a long term, strategic approach and contributing to public policy
• Becoming hubs for digital humanities by investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure (such as video conferencing), hosting workshops and conferences and offering support with communications and public outreach, websites and databases, and legal/IP issues.
•  Lobbying for institutional acknowledgment for blog posts and public outreach activity, referencing the recently published (and must-read) Young Researchers in Digital Humanities: A Manifesto. Carmen Lawrence also recognised that the immense pressure to publish and lack of reward for outreach activity discourages community engagement, stating "We are giving young researchers the wrong message".
• Supporting early career researchers by recognising that there are not enough academic jobs for graduates and helping to develop alt-ac career paths.  Kate Darian-Smith, of the University of Melbourne, also shared examples of how her team are trying to develop new career opportunities and forms of PhD supervision.

9. But be realistic about potential pitfalls and challenges.

Who is going to pay for it all? Several speakers recognised the logics of current funding systems provided considerable barriers to making such grand visions a reality. An ACHRC survey of 180 Australian Research Centres led by Tully Barnett revealed that many operate with minimal administrative support - yet this is vital for tracking research impact, planning events and public outreach activity.  Training and developing new skills is essential for researchers but this has limits. It it is inefficient to stretch competencies too wide. Research Centres should empower humanists to do what they do best and free their time for research as much as possible.

Toby Burrows, Director of eResearch at UWA, urged attendees to be aware of “The Nasties” when planning websites and databases. Blogs, social media and open source platforms are not “free”. They involve a long term commitment of time and effort, as well as  hard costs involved with backing up data, servers and web hosting. Should you seek open source, commercial or bespoke IT solutions? Burrows outlined pros and cons of working within IT systems or going it alone.

10. And stop complaining. 
Robert Phiddian, Director of ACHRC, didn’t mince words in his closing remarks, stating “It’s our own bloody fault” for taking the brace position rather than getting on the front foot. The meeting ended on an optimistic note, with a challenge to experiment, innovate and think differently about the ways in which we undertake and communicate humanities research.

There is much to be done but also much that can be done


*************

I was awarded a bursary to attend the 2013 meeting of the Australian Consortium of Humanities Research Centres (ACHRC) by the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies.  Huge thanks to the event convenors: ACHRC Director Robert Phiddian, ACHRC Research associate Tully Barnett and UWA innovation cheerleader, Susan Takao.

Don’t code? You’ve got plenty to offer at #GovHack.

Helen Ensikat recently described GovHack as “a weekend for people with ideas” and I couldn’t agree more. When I first heard about the event – an opportunity to get creative with government data – I was excited. But what could I offer? As a marketing manager I had worked with digital creative agencies, but never directly with developers.  As a History PhD student I had experimented with digital humanities tools, but I had never built one myself.  In fact, the closest I had got to code was embedding YouTube videos in my blog.  Was there a place for me at GovHack?

Absolutely! If you get excited about sharing knowledge, technology and creativity - and are not afraid to be pushed out of your comfort zone - you’ll have a lot to offer at GovHack.  If you’re a practitioner or a researcher working in a museum, library or university you’re likely to have valuable insights into real life issues and research problems. Janice Chan (@icecjan) has written a fantastic blog post about why librarians should attend GovHack and her insights resonated strongly with me. Non-programmers can shine in roles such as concept development, research, project management, copywriting, user testing, video production, design, and writing submission documentation.

Convinced to sign up for the 2014 event? Here’s how I prepared.

1. Explore the Govpond
GovPond is an index of Federal and Western Australian data compiled by Helen Ensikat (@HelenEnsikat) and Keith Moss (@kevin_rudds_cat). It is an extraordinary resource! I spent several hours exploring data sets, noting down what information was available and thinking about ways to combine this information to create meaning. If you begin to feel overwhelmed, don't panic! Take a break and then try to narrow your search to a specific topic or research problem.

2. Develop some concepts
A week before Govhack I spent a sunny Sunday afternoon brainstorming ideas and sketching out concepts visually.  I tried to ground ideas in research problems and insights into specific public audiences.

3. Use social networks to reach out for collaborators
I had never been to a hackathon before and I had no idea what to expect. The organisers of the Perth event held drinks on the Friday night prior to GovHack where I was able to meet some of the organisers, attendees and ask some questions. I also used social networks to share my ideas and find potential collaborators, posting ideas on our Facebook Page and tweeting to #GovHackPerth.

4. Research stand-alone tools available to hack government data
You don’t need to code to hack government data. There are literally hundreds of fantastic tools available to help individuals undertake digital humanities research – from text mining and visualisation to dynamic maps. I explored repositories such as Bamboo DiRT and the Stanford University Portal, Tooling Up for Digital Humanities, to get an idea of what was possible. 

5. Then let it all go!
I had done a fair amount of preparation before the event, but when I walked in the door I let it all go.  Sure, it would be nice to work on one of the ideas I had started thinking about, but I was just as open to working on someone else’s project or even working solo.  People pasted their ideas on the walls and we walked around discussing concepts and forming teams.  It was all really informal and friendly and it was amazing how organically people came together. I was lucky to find a group of extremely talented people who just happened to be interested in developing a similar concept as mine.

6. And enjoy the process!
The outcomes from GovHack Perth were breathtaking but for me it was all about the process. It was a huge buzz to watch a bunch of creative, passionate, smart people work together solve problems. I learned an incredible amount in 48 hours and was blown away by the generosity of my fellow hackers. For me, the weekend epitomised the spirit of creativity and collaboration and I was thrilled to be part of it.

And while I’ll never be a professional developer, the event has certainly inspired me to improve my digital literacy.

It’s true.

I’m joining Rails Girls.

And it's all to Team Pixtory. Thanks a million guys!

Dave Adams @solutionsmith - Project manager / Information architect
Andy Hope @AndyyHope - iOS Developer/ Designer
Darcy Laycock @Sutto - Developer
Matt Didcoe @mattman - Developer
Dave Newman @DaveJamesNewman - Information architect


Project update! (Thurs 6 June, 2013) We are thrilled to announce that Pixtory won two national prizes at GovHack 2013, 'Most innovative transport project' and 'Trove Prize' - in addition to the local 'Spirit of GovHack' Award. Incredibly proud of our team.

Why should historians attend #GovHack?

Because it makes you feel like this.



GovHack is a 48 hour national hackathon where teams compete to create mashups, visualisations and apps using government data.

Our team created Pixtory - an iPhone app that allows users to uncover the hidden history around them. Pixtory collects and exposes geo-tagged historic photos from the State Library of WA's photographic archive. The result is an immersive experience that facilitates meaningful encounters with Perth's history and heritage.

We were incredibly proud to win the 'Spirit of GovHack' Award for the Perth event - a prize awarded to the team that demonstrated what GovHack is all about.

Vote for Pixtory in the GovHack People's Choice Awards!
You can vote up until Wednesday night (5th June 2013). All you need to do is register on the site, then log on, visit our team page and vote using the flames.