Sydney Ideas

Protesting police brutality, mass incarceration and racial disparities in all areas of American life, Black Lives Matter has spanned two very different presidencies, transforming political debate and making visionary demands for justice. The founders of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, in Australia to accept the 2017 Sydney Peace Prize, join the ABC's Stan Grant for an intimate conversation about the birth of the protest movement, the future of black lives under President Trump, and what lessons Australians can learn from the American experience. Speakers - Patrisse Cullors (Founder, Black Lives Matter Global Network) - Rodney Diverlus (Founder, Black Lives Matter Toronto) - Stan Grant (journalist, ABC) A Sydney Ideas event co-presented with the US Studies Centre on 3 Nov 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/black_lives_matter_forum.shtml

The United States, like Australia and other countries with modern economies, gets played by multinational corporations who earn profits in their country, but siphon profits out as tax-deductible expenses – expenses companies pay to themselves. It is as if individuals could get a tax break by moving money from their right pocket to their left. These tax breaks are not based on real expenses, or economic reality, but on shams and faux calculations. They rest on nothing more substantial than moving symbols around on pieces of paper. And these tax breaks certainly are not honest, legal though they may be. Even in Trump’s America, there are powerful new solutions to unreal and unfair tax systems. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of 'The Making of Donald Trump', David Cay Johnston outlines ways to ensure that taxation of corporations is accurate, honest and fair for citizens. Held as part of Sydney Ideas program on 1 November 2017. Co-presented with Sydney Democracy Network and supported by the Sy

One of the best kept secrets about mathematicians is that we are often at the tip of the spear in the struggle for social/political causes. We are inspired by the mathematical hell raisers of previous generations, but we are also shaped by their personal tragedies. In 1800 France, Sophie Germain had to publish her works using a male pseudonym. Only recently, Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian born mathematician, became the first female recipient of The Fields Medal, the highest honour in mathematics. In between lies a rich and poignant history of mathematical scientists confronting prejudices, injustices, and social stigmas, sometimes with tragic outcomes. Mathematics comes with its own stories of defeats and victories, not always brought about by its widely publicised intellectual challenges. SPEAKER: Nassif A Ghoussoub, Professor of Mathematics and a Distinguished University Scholar at the University of British Columbia. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 31 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney

The forum brings together expert First Nations Community and University speakers to discuss the importance of increasing awareness about mental illness within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Joe Williams, a First Nations mental health campaigner and former elite athlete, shares his story and discusses his current work in the keynote address. He is joined in a panel discussion by University of Sydney and community members Dr Vanessa Lee , Percival Knight and Will Muwadda. Facilitated by actor Luke Carroll. A Sydney Ideas event on 26 October 2017. More information http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/aboriginal_torres_strait_islander_mental_health_forum.shtml

Professor of European Integration at the University of Athens, Loukas Tsoukalis looks into the reasons behind the successive crises in the EU in recent years. Does the European Union suffer from overstretch? Was the creation of the euro a terrible mistake that is now almost impossible to undo, or is the European project just the victim of collateral damage caused by globalisation and the technological revolution? We first need to understand what went wrong in recent years. But we also need to understand what keeps the Union together in times of big crisis and against the predictions of all kinds of doomsayers. Will the more favourable economic and political environment lead to a new relaunching of European integration? This public lecture was held as part of the Sydney Ideas program, copresented with the Sydney Democracy Network on 26 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_loukas_tsoukalis.shtml

The 2017 Michael Hintze lecture presented by the Centre for International Security Studies At sixteen years and counting, Afghanistan is the longest war for western states of the post-Cold War period, and NATO’s first overseas war. At its height, the US and its NATO allies deployed 130,000 troops in its efforts to stabilise the country. NATO combat forces withdrew by December 2014 having failed to defeat the Taliban insurgency. Professor Theo Farrell explores what went wrong in Afghanistan and teases out the lessons for the utility of western military power. He argues that whilst Afghanistan demonstrates that western militaries are able to develop the capabilities to achieve tactical success in counterinsurgency wars, they are unable to translate battlefield gains into strategic success due to the intrinsic political challenges of such conflicts. He then goes on to explore how military culture limits the effectiveness of the NATO mission in Afghanistan. And concludes on the prospects for peace in Afghanist

There is no word with more purchase in present political discourse than Globalisation. But what does it mean, and why is it so important? This panel surveys the extent of today’s globalisation, and asks: How globalised is the world really? What is the significance of this idea for politics? Is globalisation good for us? Does the European Union represent the past or a future, a world increasingly interconnected and interdependent, or torn apart? Have we arrived at an impasse and begun to fragment around nationalist economics and ideologies? Join our panel of economists, political scientists and historians who study the global to consider these questions–and find some alternative views–at the last of our Thinker's Guide to the 21st Century Series event for 2017. Speakers: - Dr Thomas Adams, Lecturer in American Studies and History, the University of Sydney - Professor John Romalis, Sir Hermann Black Professor in Economics, School of Economics, the University of Sydney - Professor Glenda Sluga, ARC Laureate F

December 2017 marks 45 years since Australia and the People's Republic of China established formal diplomatic relations. In celebrating such anniversaries, it is common for politicians and diplomats to note how the Australia–China relationship has developed over the intervening years – citing trade and investment figures, and tourism dollars, and the growing numbers of Chinese students at Australian universities. But what of Australia–China relations before 1972? Before 1922? Before 1872? In this lecture Dr Kate Bagnall considers a different history of Australia–China relations. With the first known Chinese settler in New South Wales arriving almost 200 years ago, what do we know about the men and women whose lives crossed between China and Australia, and Australia and China, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? What do we know of the connections of people and place forged before and below the nation-to-nation ties of the late twentieth century? And how might a focus on the personal and intimat

Democracy depends on sound public opinion about the major issues of the day. Today these issues are of unprecedented complexity and difficulty, requiring serious deliberation and decision making, and the need to move beyond the factional struggles and attempts to win over key parcels of votes we see dominating politics today. What we need is well considered public opinion to set the agenda for the politicians, and demarchy is a new proposal on how this can be done. Author of The Demarchy Manifesto former University of Sydney Professor of Philosophy, John Burnheim joins us for a special conversation about the ideas behind demarchy, with Associate Professor Carolyn Hendriks from the Australian National University Crawford School, and Dr Nicholas Gruen from Lateral Economics. Hosted by Professor Geoff Gallop. A Sydney Ideas forum co-presented with the Graduate School of Government, Sydney University Press and The newDemocracy Foundation http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/demarchy_forum.shtml

How do we understand, imagine, visualise and create narratives for 50,000 years of Australian history? As commonly presented, Australia’s past seems to consist of 230 years of European colonisation and over 50,000 years of Aboriginal culture, the former the purview of historians and the latter of archaeologists. Yet it presents striking opportunities for a truly integrated and seamless deep continental history, combining disciplines and methodologies. Such a history would consider the full range of human experience from arrival, through changes in climate, technologies and belief systems to interactions with Maccassan, Portuguese, Dutch, French and finally the British. It would stretch across 2500 unbroken generations of people birthed, nurtured and sustained: people who modified landscapes, hunted, sang songs, practised religion and buried their dead. In this lecture, Professor Lynette Russell (Monash Indigenous Studies Centre, Monash University) argues for mixing epistemologies to create historical narra

The study of food choice is at the forefront of research in economics today due to its repercussion on nutritional issues for the population and consequently on public health. Consumers display varied preferences towards food, and react sometimes controversially to nutrition information conveyed to them via food labels or other formats. Choices vary according to taste preferences, but are also influenced by factors such as certification of origin, geographical indication, sustainable production methods and, importantly, health concerns and psychological traits of consumers. Understanding the sources of various forms of preferences is crucial, as it allows to set up successful public health programs and strategic market policies. SPEAKER: Assoc Professor Mara Thiene, an economist at the University of Padua in the Department of Land, Environment and Forestry Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 19 October: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/associate_professor_mara_thiene.shtml

The 2017 ASAL Patron's Lecture (with special thanks to the Cultural Fund of the Copyright Agency) Malaysian-Australian author, rapper and poet from Queanbeyan, Australia, Omar Musa combines readings from his own work with his thoughts about his writing process, such key themes as migration, belonging and dreams, and reflections on Australian literature and culture at large. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas on 17 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/asal_patrons_lecture_omar_musa.shtml

Professor of Middle Eastern History at University of California, Irvine, Mark LeVine asks us to engage in the process of thinking outside the box, and move towards enabling Palestinians and Israelis to imagine a shared future that is no longer a zero-sum game or based inevitably on the domination of one group over the other. Chair: Dr Lucia Sorbera, Department of Arabic Language and Cultures, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Discussants: Lana Tatour, School of Social Science at UNSW, and Antony Loewenstein, an independent journalist and author of My Israel Question. A Sydney Ideas event on 22 September, 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lecture/2017/professor_mark_levine.shtml

Are you addicted to social media? Is this such a big deal? Or can you improve your mental health with technology? Our panel of experts from the Brain and Mind Centre join special international guests to discuss the pros and cons of technology when it comes to mental health. Held as part of Sydney Ideas and the 2017 Mental Health Month on 16 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/technology_youth_mental_health_forum.shtml

Professor Colin Mackerras surveys how the West has viewed China over time. He notes distinct worsening over the last half decade or so, both in the United States and in Australia, and argues that there is a good deal of politics in the images and that we should see these images not only as a reflection of China, but also of the West itself. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program co-presented with the China Studies Centre on 16 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_colin_makerras.shtml

Historians these days probably get less sleep than anyone else – kept up by the echoes of the past in the radically shifting world political landscape. The historical allusions of contemporary governments in the US, and in Europe, are driving all manner of comparisons with the 1930s in particular, and the rise of Nazism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism. This panel brings together four University of Sydney academics who specialise in the political cultures of the last century, to discuss the relevance of the past, and these categories to the present. We consider Greece, Egypt, Europe and the US. If we can work out how different the present is from the past, hopefully we can all get some sleep! Speakers: - Professor Vrasidas Karalis, Sir Nicholas Laurantus Professor of Modern Greek, the University of Sydney - Professor Dirk Moses, Professor of Modern History, the University of Sydney - Dr Lucia Sorbera, Senior Lecturer, Department of Arabic Language and Cultures, the University of Sydney Held as part of Sydney

A Sydney Ideas talk by Dr Mark Stafford Smith, Chief Coordinating Scientist – Adaptation, CSIRO. Co-presented with the Planetary Health Initiative at the University of Sydney. Mark Stafford Smith from CSIRO Australia is chair of the Future Earth’s Science Committee, which aims to ensure that Future Earth science is of the highest quality and makes recommendations on new and existing projects, as well as emerging priorities for research. For his Sydney Ideas talk Mark addresses the theme of integration: of research disciplines, policy responses, knowledge systems, and means of implementation. This lecture was held on 10 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/mark_stafford_smith.shtml

Indonesia’s anti-corruption commission has investigated and prosecuted many big-fish corruption cases, and has secured many dozens of convictions, including very senior judges and politicians. This represents real progress; even a decade ago, many of the commission’s current targets would have been largely untouchable. However, the commission has faced serious resistance from those it has pursued and their associates. This resistance threatens to weaken the commission or even disband it, and to discredit its commissioners. This forum examines the future of corruption eradication efforts in Indonesia, bringing together three speakers Professor Todung Mulya Lubis, one of Indonesia’s leading lawyers and anti-corruption advocates; Dr Laode Syarif, Commissioner for Indonesia Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK); and Professor Simon Butt, who specialises in Indonesian law and its corruption courts. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 10 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/fighting_co

In 2001, Stanford mathematician Dr Keith Devlin, also known as ‘The Math Guy’ on NPR’s Weekend Edition, set out to research the life and legacy of the thirteenth century mathematician Leonardo of Pisa, popularly known as Fibonacci. Leonardo introduced the Hindu-Arabic numeral system and arithmetic to the Western world, and thereby helped start a global, social and economic revolution. Devlin recounted Leonardo's story in a 2011 book titled The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci’s Arithmetic Revolution. In a simultaneously published companion e-book, Leonardo and Steve: The Young Genius Who Beat Apple to Market by 800 Years, he drew remarkable parallels between the careers of Leonardo and Apple’s Steve Jobs. His new book, Finding Fibonacci: The Quest to Rediscover the Forgotten Mathematical Genius Who Changed the World is a first-hand account of his experiences in uncovering the story, reconstructed from his project diary and notes, together with stories of three other contemporary scholars who were also motivated to

Is home a closed-off and self-sufficient place, or can it be reimagined to be where we find our connections to others and the world? By exploring home in relation to the figure of the stranger and public space, as well as with a focus on practices of dwelling and materialities, the authors of 'Reimagining Home in the 21st Century' demonstrate that thinking differently about home advances our understanding of belonging as a social process in which we are all implicated. SPEAKERS: - Associate Professor Ellie Vasta, Department of Sociology, Macquarie University - Dr Justine Lloyd, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Macquarie University - Professor Greg Noble, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University - Dr Justine Humphry, Lecturer in Digital Cultures, Digital Cultures Program, Department of Media and Communications, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences - Professor Heather Horst, Department of Media and Communications, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the University of Sydney