Sydney Ideas

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_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_nassif_ghoussoub.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 Afghanistan and on the future of western military intervention. Held as part of Sydney Ideas on 26 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/michael_hintze_lecture_theo_farrell.shtml

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

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 intimate in the past contribute to better understanding in the future? This lecture was held as part of Sydney Ideas program on 24 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/australia_china_kate_bagnall.shtml

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 Fellow, Professor of International History, FAHA, the University of Sydney Held as part of the Sydney Ideas' The Thinker’s Guide to the 21st Century series on 25 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/thinkers_guide_21st_century_2017.shtml?cid=em_si-news

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 narratives of the deep past that may be taught in schools and universities, presented in museums and popular culture, and proudly shared by all Australians. The 2nd Bicentennial Australian History Lecture, hosted by the Department of History, the University of Sydney on 19 October 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_lynette_russell.shtml

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