Sydney Ideas

From community gardens to pop-up cinemas, from outdoor art installations to mobile libraries, temporary urban interventions are increasingly visible in contemporary cities. A burgeoning literature has highlighted ways in which these transient practices propose alternative lifestyles, reoccupy urban space with new uses, and reinvent daily life from the bottom up, in the pursuit of more just and sustainable cities. Find out how these guerrilla intervention are really transforming our cities and whether or not they are contributing to social justice and sustainability. Speakers: Associate Professor Lee Stickells, University of Sydney, Amelia Thorpe, UNSW and Timothy Moore, Sibling Architecture. In conversation with Professor Ann Forsyth, the Director of the Urban Planning Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. A Festival of Urbanism event for Sydney Ideas held on 8 August 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/festival_of_urbanism_pop_up_justice.shtml

Christina Lamb, a multi award-winning foreign correspondent for the UK Sunday Times in conversation with Aparna Balakumar, a final year Media and Communications student at the University of Sydney. Christina Lamb has acted as Washington Bureau Chief for the paper and in 2009 was awarded the prestigious Prix Bayeux Calvados for her reporting from Afghanistan. She won the Foreign Press Association Award for Story of the Year in 2007, and has been named Foreign Correspondent of the Year in the British Press Awards five times. She is the author of many books including the best-selling memoir she co-authored with Afghan schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 7 August 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/christina_lamb.shtml

The winners of the Australian Book Review prestigious Calibre Essay Prize this year, Michael Adams and Darius Sepehri, read extracts from their Prize-winning essays, and discuss the themes of grief and mortality found in both pieces. Michael Adams, an associate professor of Human Geography at the University of Wollongong, won first prize for ‘Salt Blood’, a remarkable and highly original meditation on freediving and mortality, which was published in the June-July 2017 issue of Australian Book Review. Darius Sepehri, a PhD student at the University of Sydney, won the second prize for his essay ‘To Speak of Sorrow’, an essay about the many kinds of grief and their different expressions in writing and culture, as lament, testimony, or ritual. His essay will be published in the August issue of Australian Book Review. Hosted by Peter Rose, Editor of Australian Book Review. A Sydney Ideas event at the University of Sydney on Monday 7 August, 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/australian_book_re

Experts in law, security, and international relations consider why have cultural, religious, and national issues reappeared in the new international order. Speakers: - Professor James Der Derian, Centre for International Security Studies, the University of Sydney - Professor Christian Reus-Smit, Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland - Professor Anne Orford, Laureate Program in International Law at the University of Melbourne - Professor Glenda Sluga, ARC Laureate Fellow and Professor of International History, the University of Sydney This panel was held as part of The Thinker’s Guide to the 21st Century series on 2 August, 2017. http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/thinkers_guide_21st_century_2017.shtml

Causes of compulsive behaviour are complex and unexpected. What are they? Our researchers reveal the mental, physical and social origins of addiction and highlight discoveries that are improving people’s lives. Panelists: - Professor Nick Lintzeris, Clinical Professor, Discipline of Addiction Medicine, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, and Director and Senior Staff Specialist, Drug and Alcohol Services, South East Sydney Local Health District, NSW Health - Professor Kate Conigrave, Conjoint Professor Addiction Medicine, Head, Indigenous Substance Misuse Programs Addiction Medicine, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney - Dr Andrew J. Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology , Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, e-mental health, cyber-psychology, and child, adolescent and family mental health Held as part of Sydney Ideas Health Forums series on 2 August, 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/health_forums_2017.shtml

A multi-award Iraqi film director, producer and civil activist in in conversation with Dr Lucia Sorbera from the Department of Arabic Language and Cultures on social power of cinema.

How did Jane Austen, a no-name author in her own day, become an international literary icon? It started long before Colin Firth’s wet-white-shirt Darcy. Devoney Looser will introduce you to some of the unsung innovators who first turned ‘Miss Austen’ into a household name, from artists and activists to actors and audiences, looking at how they made and remade her image before popular audiences. July 2017 marks the 200th anniversary of Austen’s death. This talk celebrates Austen’s life and writings and makes sense of how her characters and stories have come to be imprinted on each new generation of readers. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Professor Devoney Looser is Professor of English at Arizona State University, writes on literature by women. Her most recent book, The Making of Jane Austen (2017) was named a Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book. Fun fact: Devoney has also played roller derby under the nom de guerre Stone Cold Jane Austen. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 20 July 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/syd

This forum explores the shifts in assumptions, mindsets and ways of thinking that are required to achieve gender equality and how symbols, such as portraits may assist. The topics are discussed by Professor Emerita Margaret Harris, Dr Ann Stephen, Dr Scott Hill and the artist Celeste Chandler. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 19 July, 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/portraits_and_place_forum.shtml

Millennials, those born in the final decades of the twentieth century, have come of age in an unsettled world – one that offers few clear or established pathways to a secure future. But what exactly are they up against, and how are they responding to the societies they've grown into? Griffith Review 56 writers Natalie O'Brien, Frances Flanagan, Michael Newton, and Adam Peaston join assistant editor Jerath Head to explore work, labour and economics in the twenty-first century. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 12 July 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/GR56_millennials_strike_back_forum.shtml

Our culture is our identity. It is multiple expressions of plural identities. Nobody owns it. We share it with each other. More…or less. The stories that resonate, the luminous moments, are our inheritance from the past and our bequest to future generations. The endeavour for the storyteller is to illuminate experience. For the executive like me, the endeavour is to enable the storyteller. Dr Ruth Harley explores my experience as a CEO in the screen sector on both sides of the Tasman in terms identity, shared experience, diverse perspectives, the role and practice of government as an enabler and the essential humanity of our endeavour. She concludes with some personal perspectives of the opportunities and challenges for the screen industry and how they might play out in New Zealand and Australia in the global screen industry. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 7 July 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/dr_ruth_harley.shtml

Fusion power is one of a very few sustainable options to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary energy source. Although the conditions for fusion have been reached, much remains to be done to turn scientific success into commercial electrical power. Fusion has progressed from the insight of Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington in 1920 and Fermi's speculations in 1946 to the threshold of fusion burn at JET at Culham and soon in the international experiment ITER. The challenge of providing carbon free energy for the whole world is greater than ever. We need fusion. In this Sydney Ideas lecture, Professor Steven Cowley, theoretical physicist and international authority on nuclear fusion and astrophysical plasmas, and President of Corpus Christi College Oxford examines two key questions: What scientific questions must be resolved and how can we hasten the first fusion electricity?

A phenomenal mathematician, Hanna Neumann achieved her success in the face of the Nazis, an imprisoned husband, and entrenched misogyny. She arrived in Australia in 1963 to take academic positions at the Australian National University, and was made chair of pure mathematics in 1964, making her the first female Professor of Mathematics in Australia. Her most widely known work 'Varieties of Groups' was published in 1967. Dr Peter Neumann OBE describes the life of his mother, Hanna Neumann, and her long and distinguished career as a female mathematician in the early part of the 20th century.

The civil war in Syria has entered its seventh year. With death toll estimates ranging from 220,000 to 400,000 casualties and more than 11 million civilians internally displaced or seeking refuge abroad, it has been described as the world’s deadliest conflict of recent times. In this forum, a panel of experts will explore political, cultural and humanitarian dimensions of the Syrian tragedy. The panel focuses on questions relating to allegations of genocide, the use of archaeological and historical monuments as ‘weapons of war’, and the causes and consequences of failures to prevent atrocity crimes in Syria and elsewhere. The discussion also considers the limitations of our capacity for empathy towards ‘distant others’ and the implications for effective action towards peace and human rights. SPEAKERS - Dr Ross Burns has published two books on the history and monuments of Syria Monuments of Syria (2009); and Damascus; A History (2005). - German born Syrian-American composer and pianist Malek Jandali has spo

What is the impact of Hillary Clinton's loss and will it discourage or motivate women to become more politically engaged? In conversation with Geraldine Doogue, current host of ABC Radio National’s Saturday Extra, Anna Greenberg who has over 15 years of experience polling in the political, non-profit and academic sectors, charts a way forward for women in politics in both the United States and Australia. A Sydney Ideas and US Studies Centre event at the University of Sydney on 21 June 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/women_politics_anna_greenberg.shtml

What does it mean to urbanise? Are industrialisation and urbanisation two aspects of the same process? How do villages have a chance to thrive if a state is determined to urbanise the country? Drawing on cases in the peri-urban area of the Pearl River Delta, this talk by Professor Luigi Tomba, Director of the China Studies Centre, The University of Sydney, discusses aspects of China’s rapid urbanisation. It will explore strategies that village collectives have put in place to defend their economic, social and cultural autonomy in the face of the desire of the state to both claim control of ever greater portions of the country’s collective land, and to urbanise as much as possible of the population. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 20 June, 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_luigi_tomba.shtml

Belkis Wille is senior Iraq researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division, Human Rights Watch. She discusses the worsening situation for civilians in Mosul, the prospects of justice for victims of ISIS abuses, the prospects for reconciliation in Iraq, and why the international community including Australia should do more to ensure respect for human rights in Iraq. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 15 June 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/belkis_wille.shtml

Professor Yolanda Moses, Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Cultural Competence, National Centre for Cultural Competence. Based on an article ‘Confronting the Trump Effect on Our Campuses’, recently published in Inside Higher Education, Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Cultural Competence, Professor Yolanda Moses will discuss institutional commitments to diversity, social justice and inclusion in today’s current political climate. She will make the case that an “America first “policy clashes with the core values of contemporary higher education in the U.S., and suggest some strategies and practices to resist the proposed “closing of the American mind.” Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 9 June 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_yolanda_moses.shtml

Carlos Ghosn, one of the world’s most influential business leaders and was the first executive to run two Fortune Global 500 companies simultaneously, discusses the future of the automotive industry, the importance of innovation in business, and what it takes to be a truly global leader. Mr Ghosn has been the industry's leading advocate for sustainable transportation; Renault and Nissan were the first automakers to launch a range of affordable zero-emission vehicles. He is also leading the Alliance’s pioneering effort to develop autonomous-drive and connected-car technologies and services. Presented by the Australian Lebanese Foundation in partnership with the University of Sydney Business School and Sydney Ideas This event was held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 8 June 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/carlos_ghosn.shtml

The challenges that face schools are not simple but there are local, national and international models that may provide some pathways to changing school learning and teaching practices, leadership and governance. This panel considers how schools and schooling can benefit from new models and approaches to learning. They draw on international experience, emergent models (such as the 4Cs) and discuss the role of technology in enabling and potentially impeding learning. Speakers: Professor Michael Anderson, School of Education and Social Work; Mrs Robyn Evans principal, Casula Public School; Dr Miranda Jefferson , Teaching Educator, Catholic Education Office Parramatta; Mr Greg Whitby, Executive Director of Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta; Dr Phil Lambert PSM (panel chair. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 8 June 2017. http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/ESW_deans_lecture_series.shtml

We think we know civil war when we see it. Yet ideas of what it is, and what it isn’t, have a long and contested history, from its fraught origins in republican Rome to debates in early modern Europe to our present day. Defining the term is acutely political, for ideas about what makes a war “civil” often depend on whether one is a ruler or a rebel, victor or vanquished, sufferer or outsider. Calling a conflict a civil war can shape its outcome by determining whether outside powers choose to get involved or stand aside: from the American Revolution to the war in Iraq, pivotal decisions have depended on such shifts of perspective. A panel of historians, lawyers and philosophers respond to David Armitage’s book 'Civil Wars: A History in Ideas', in which he offers a unique perspective on the roots and dynamics of civil war, and on its shaping force in our conflict-ridden world. Speakers: Professor David Armitage, Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History, Harvard University; Associate Professor Maartje Abbenhuis