Newsletter – 15 June 2026

Welcome to our fortnightly newsletter. If you have things you’d like to share with the CCH community, please email Scott over the coming fortnight. We will also share news and updates on LinkedIn. Please tag us in the news you post on LinkedIn so we can share it!

News from Members and Associates

A huge congratulations to Max Billington, who has been awarded the Philip Brown Award for 2026! The prize is awarded annually to a graduate researcher within the Faculty of Arts and Education, for research into Australia, Australian History, or other relevant areas of study in which aspects of Australian History are present. Marvellous!

Roy Hay has published an article on the history of soccer in Geelong between the wars. This is the first of several pieces for the Geelong Historical Society, revised from Roy’s earlier work on the subject. Timely work!

Klaus Neumann has two new publications to his name. The first of these – ‘Walter Benjamin reloaded‘ – has come out with Inside Story. The second – ‘Flucht vor den Wellen‘ – in Neuer Atlas der Migration, eds Johanna Bussemer, Dorit Riethmüller and Christian Jakob (Berlin: Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung), 22-23.

Rebecca Cairns has published an important article in Curriculum Inquiry – ‘The Middle East as a history curriculum discourse in the context of the Gaza crisis‘.

CCH Support for Research Projects

Events

History Council of Victoria Book + Author Seminar – Jessica Urwin’s Contaminated Country

Date: 25 June 2026
Time: 6–7pm
Location: Bard’s Apothecary, Melbourne CBD

During the twentieth century Australia was embroiled in the military and civilian nuclear programs of numerous global powers. From uranium extraction to weapons testing, Australia’s lands became sites of imperial exploitation under the guise of national development and was subject to rampant nuclear colonialism. Aboriginal communities, bearing the brunt of these processes, persistently resisted, reclaiming their rights to Country and demanding reparations.

As Jessica Urwin shows, extraction, testing and waste disposal have caused incalculable physical, spiritual, and cultural harm to Aboriginal communities and lands. Tracking the colonial mechanisms Australia used to pursue nuclear industry, Urwin simultaneously highlights how Aboriginal peoples rejected and reshaped those same mechanisms. Contaminated Country reveals how Australia’s nuclear past has been entangled with colonialism locally, nationally, and internationally.

Find out more, and get your tickets, here!

CCH Shut Up and Write

Every Monday, 9am-12pm, on Zoom. 

Start the week strong with a Shut Up and Write! We run 3 x 50 minute blocks of writing/focus, with breaks in between to chat and grab coffee. All CCH colleagues welcome, especially ECRs, HDRs, and those who work remotely. Feel free to join at any time.

The zoom link is here (Meeting ID: 879 3895 9029, Password: 97747034). If you would like a recurring invite in your calendar, or you have any trouble joining, email Mia at mia.martinhobbs@deakin.edu.au

Calls for Papers

Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History – Current Debates

In January 2025 The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History launched a section devoted to opinion and commentary. Here we publish shorter pieces (1–4,000 words) on topical issues or debates broadly construed within the field of the British Empire and Commonwealth, or imperialism and colonialism more generally. In order to address current affairs in a timely manner and to retain the integrity of the opinion piece essays/discussion, pieces published in this Current Debates section are not subject to peer-review.

The framing and argument are entirely up to authors although the editors are very happy to consider essays investigating themes such as: the dismantling of settler-state structures; truth, justice, and redress; global power hierarchies; current inter-imperialist rivalries; climate change and colonial legacies; past and present migration and colonialism. There are no set deadlines and pieces are usually published online within two-three weeks upon receipt.

If you have any questions, or are interested in pitching an idea, then please get in touch with Current Debates Editor Jonas Fossli Gjersø – jonas.f.gjerso@uis.no. Alternatively, find out more here!

‘The Greater Second World War and Modern Global Geopolitics’

Date: 8–9 February 2027
Location: UNSW Canberra City, Canberra

In 2025, the world marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, but for millions across the Asia-Pacific, Allied victory in 1945 did not bring peace. Numerous wars ravaged the region in the years that followed, decolonisation created dozens of new states, and millions of people died, migrated, or were otherwise displaced by conflict. The longer-term effects of the conflict have shaped, and continue to influence, the development of nations, their relationships, and the societal, environmental, and geopolitical challenges the region faces today. In this context, there has been much renewed discussion about reconciliation (or the lack thereof), reconstruction, and the preciousness of long-term peace, both in the Asia-Pacific and globally.

In recognising the continued influence of the Second World War on the Asia-Pacific today, the War Studies Research Group (UNSW Canberra) and the Second World War Research Group (King’s College London) will be hosting an international conference that addresses the aftermath of the war, and its longer-term impacts on the region. The conference seeks to act as a nexus through which to bring together researchers from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond, to bridge international and scholarly boundaries, and foster connections beyond the conference.

Submissions due 2 August 2026. Find out more here!

Australian Historical Association’s Guardian Column

CCH members may be interested in the opportunity to propose their work for inclusion in The Guardian‘s  ‘Past/Present’ column. Written by AHA members, the column aims to provide a historical perspective on recent events, showcase the important work that historians in Australia do, and demonstrate the value of history and historical thinking to a wide audience.

If you’d like to contribute to “Past/Present”, please send a short pitch to the Executive Officer of the AHA, following the pitch guidelines outlined here.

SHAFR in the Asia Pacific network

The Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations has established a network for historians in the Asia Pacific. The network will run small workshops with SHAFR scholars to develop works-in-progress, online seminars, and provide networking opportunities.

If your research explores any aspect of American foreign policy and you are interested in joining, visit the SHAFR website for further information. Or, reach out to our own Mia Martin Hobbs with questions!

Publish in the Australian Policy and History Network

This is an open invitation for CCH members to contribute opinion pieces, policy briefs, and book reviews for publication inAustralian Policy and History. Drafts will be workshopped with APH editors, so if you have an idea but are unsure if it fits, please do get in touch!

Email australianpolicyandhistory@gmail.com with pitches, book requests, or questions.

Call for applications – Journal of Pacific History Publication Incentive Grants

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. See here for the journal’s aims and scope, journal information, and instructions for authors. Applicants must follow the instructions scrupulously in preparing their manuscript.

Prospective applicants should note that the journal is ‘dedicated to historical research concerning the Pacific Islands, their peoples, and their pasts. Its core geographical focus includes all of New Guinea and adjacent islands. Its chronological remit is broad: from prehistory to the present. It publishes articles in social, cultural, religious, political, economic, geographical, and environmental history and the history of science’. Where difficult choices have to be made in the selection process, historical projects with such a focus are likely to be preferred.

Qualifications:
Anyone who has completed a PhD or thesis-based MA relevant to Pacific history, or who is currently enrolled for a doctorate in a relevant field, can apply for a grant of AU$3,000 to prepare a manuscript for submission to peer review by the Journal of Pacific History. In the case of co-authored proposals, all cited authors must meet these guidelines. For multiple authors, the total grant will be AU$4,000, divided equally.

Successful applicants will receive their grants in three tranches:

• AU$500 upfront;
• AU$1,000 if and when the Journal’s Editors decide to send a submitted manuscript for peer review. Manuscripts must be submitted through the Journal of Pacific History Taylor & Francis web portal before 15 December 2027. It will be the Editors’ decision whether to send them directly for peer review; to request revisions before they are sent for peer review; or to reject them. In the latter case, no further grant payments will be made.
• AU$1,500 when an accepted final article is sent for production by the publishers ofthe Journal of Pacific History.

Application process:
Candidates should submit a recent CV, letters of support from two referees, and a proposal of up to 1,000 words by 30 September 2026 to the Secretary of JPH Inc (bronwen.douglas@anu.edu.au). It is not acceptable to use generative AI tools to prepare a proposal.

Article proposals should include the following:
Title and 200-word abstract
Outline: rationale of the topic and a brief historiography demonstrating the candidate’s familiarity with relevant historical literature, including primary materials
Timeline: to submission via the JPH online portal before 15 December 2027.

Applications will be assessed by the Prizes & Grants sub-committee of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Pacific History. A mentor will be appointed to assist successful applicants, who are strongly encouraged to take regular advantage of their mentor.

Helen Gardner
Chair, Prizes and Grants sub-committee, JPH Inc.

Australian and New Zealand Legal History Society Seminar Series

The Australian and New Zealand Legal History Society are organising four seminar series that will be held from March to October 2026. These sessions will bring together a diverse group of scholars and members of the public to workshop a pre-circulated paper. Our definition of law is expansive and pluralistic; we encourage papers that focus on legal culture and laws beyond western courts as well as more traditional legal history. After brief remarks from the author and an assigned commentator, the discussion will be opened to the floor. All are encouraged to ask questions, provide feedback on the circulated essay, and discuss the topic at hand. Sessions are free and open to everyone.

If you would like to present a paper in either mid-March, mid-May, mid-August, or mid-October, please send an abstract and a list of possible commentators (they do not need to be from Australia or New Zealand).

Submissions due to alecia.simmonds@uts.edu.au

Opportunities

Applications Open: The 2026 Deakin Library Margaret Cameron Residency

Drawing on the trove of rare and unique materials held in Deakin University Archives and Deakin Library’s Special Collections, the Margaret Cameron Residency aims to share the rich stories captured within these collections, which document over a century of history, research and collecting at Deakin, along with its predecessor institutions and the regions in which the University has operated. The $10,000 grant is open to current Deakin research students at honours or postgraduate level and Deakin staff.

Learn more about the residency, and hear from last year’s inaugural resident, our own Anna Kent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0kYYMFe6CE.

Applications for the 2026 Deakin Library Margaret Cameron Residency are open until Monday 22 June: Apply here!

Laura Bassi Scholarship

The Laura Bassi Scholarship was established in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed. The value of the scholarship is remitted solely through editorial assistance as follows:

Master’s candidates: $750
Doctoral candidates: $2,500
Junior academics: $500

Applications due 12 July 2026. Find out more here!

State Library of NSW Fellowships

Applications are now open for a suite of fellowships at the State Library of NSW, designed to support the study, writing, and teaching of Australian history and culture:

• Imago Fellowship: $50,000 for creative writing, fiction, or non-fiction across any genre, utilising the SLNSW collections

• Dr AM Hertzberg AO Fellowship: $30,000 for research into any aspect of the social, cultural, and political history of industry and manufacturing in Australia, from colonisation to today

• Nancy Keesing AM Fellowship: $25,000 for research into aspects of Australian life and culture, using the SLNSW resources

• Ian Stapleton Fellowship: $25,000 for research into any aspect of architecture and the built environment in Australia, from colonisation to today, drawing on the SLNSW resources

• Australian Religious History Fellowship: $20,000 for the study and research of any aspects of Australian religious history of any faith

• CH Currey Memorial Fellowship: $20,000 for writing Australian history, making use of the SLNSW original sources

• Merewether Fellowship: $12,000 for the research and writing of nineteenth-century NSW history, using the resources of the Mitchell Library

• David Scott Mitchell Memorial Fellowship: $12,000 for the research and writing of Australian history, using the resources of the Mitchell Library

• Ross Steele AM Fellowship: $12,000 for research into the SLNSW pictorial collections

Applications due 10 July 2026. Find out more!

Cover Photo

Margaret Cameron, c. 1980s, Deakin University Archives.