Centre for Heritage and Culture

The Centre for Heritage and Culture works in partnership with communities to uncover, analyse and reinterpret the stories and experiences of regional Australia.

Our world-class research in archaeology, history and heritage studies seeks to understand past societies and cultures and their significance in the present. Aligned research in cultural studies, literature, law and creative arts pursue and deepen our knowledge of contemporary regional communities.

Research themes

Professor Bryce Barker and HDR candidate Leanne Bateman have conducted research on the archaeology of the Australian Native Police – ARC-funded Discover Project examining the material evidence of an indigenous perspective on nineteenth-century frontier violence in Queensland. The database and launch that resulted from this work will be officially launched at the Queensland Museum in early December.

South-West Indigenous Cultural Trail with addition of new ARC Linkage project by Professor Lorelle Burton

Assoc Professor Jess Gildersleeve's award-nominated book on the work of Christos Tsiolkas, one of Australia’s most important contemporary writers - shows how the worlds Tsiolkas creates provoke us to think about our roles within the national and global community.
Archaeology of the Papua New Guinean Plateau with Professor Bryce Barker and Associate Professor Lara Lamb
Postgraduate research students:
- Seasonal agricultural workers in South East Queensland (Esther R Anderson)
- New Farmers in Tasmania (Jennifer Buckley Smith)
- Indigenous work in World Heritage at Lake Mungo (Linda Baulch)
- Impacts of rising sea levels on coastal communities in Tasmania (Kellie Brandenburg).

Associate Professor Andrew Hickey’s work on youth engagement has received a number of accolades and finds direct application in the development and implementation of a youth engagement strategy for the Toowoomba Regional Council.
Results of the ARC funded project on Indigenous People and World Heritage (Associate Professor Celmara Pocock et al) is being used to inform the revision of UNESCO’s 'Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit' to enable its use for both natural and cultural heritage sites.
Professor Simon Young works at the intersections of law, history and culture. His research projects include 'The Increments of Justice: Exploring the Outer Reach of Akiba's Edge towards Native Title Ownership'. He has also collaborated with First Nations scholar Marcelle Burns to ‘redraft’ the controversial High Court 2002 rejection of the Yorta Yorta claim, from an Indigenous perspective, as part of the ARC-funded ‘Indigenous Voices’ national collaborative project.
Dr Jess Carniel, researcher and humanities lecturer looks at why the European song contest, Eurovision, appeals to viewers in Australia. Dr Carniel's published book, Understanding the Eurovision Song Content in Multicultural Australia, draws together fan interviews and surveys to explore why the European song content appeals to national views.

Dr Melissa Forbes’ research explores our lived experiences of singing and how the singing voice shapes identity and well being. She is engaged in a research project that uses a professionally designed group singing program to assist people living with Parkinson’s. This research has demonstrated the improvement to quality of life through group singing and social interaction for people with Parkinson’s and their carers.
Associate Professor Beata Batorowicz’s work with postgraduate students (Dark Rituals, Magical Relics 2018-19) and Dr Nike Sulway’s creative writing practice showcase the combinative potential of research and creative practice exploring subversive contemporary narratives concerning culture, gender and social wellbeing.
Postgraduate research students:
- Women Living with Autoimmune Diseases in regional Queensland (Leith Heyman)
- The role of culture and heritage in Indigenous Social and Emotional Wellbeing (Julianne Kealey, Megan Forbes)
- Silencing in Suicide (Peter Davison).