Social Change Stream - Abstracts
School: Global, Urban and Social Studies
Presentation type: Second Milestone Review
Time and location: 1:30 pm, 016.07.001
Title: Female Images in the English Translations of Shui Hu Zhuan
Abstract: There are four full English translations of Shui Hu Zhuan so far. Although the translators used the original texts that are almost identical, there are still many differences among these translations and between each translation and the original. Characteristically, most women in Shui Hu Zhuan play a passive role. This study aims to explore the female images in the English translations of Shui Hu Zhuan to explore how the translators have (re)constructed the negative portrayal of women in Chinese literature in different ways. More importantly, I will conduct contextual research on the translators and their translations to find out what led to these (re)constructions. The translators of the four translations are from different chronological and socio-cultural backgrounds and serve different publishers and publishing purposes, so these socio-cultural factors will be the focus of the study. I also look at socio-cultural trends and theories that may have influenced their translations. It is hoped that this study will provide a new perspective on the study of the female images in the English translations of Shui Hu Zhuan. This analysis may inspire scholars to further look at feminist translation studies from a more diverse and macroscopic perspective. More importantly, I hope the research can inspire readers to view women with moral defects in different ways rather than purely blaming them.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Confirmation of Candidature
Time and location: 1:30 pm, MS Teams
Title: Reading packaging designs better: Using visual semiotics to reduce consumer confusion
Abstract: Household food waste constitutes a significant portion of worldwide food waste generated yearly. Much of this waste is due to consumer confusion with interpreting and understanding information on food packaging and discarding food that is still edible. Addressing consumer confusion may reduce household food waste and relieve the stresses in other aspects of the food system. Packaging might be a way to help consumers reduce food waste. Consumers misinterpret and misunderstand information on packaging due to ambiguity, inconsistency, lack of clarity, or insufficient knowledge to make informed decisions. However, addressing this confusion is complex because multifaceted consumer behavioural infrastructures are contributing to this. Moreover, packaging is multidimensional, with coded messages embedded in the visual cues in the packaging design. This further adds to the complexity for consumers when they make meaning from the visual codes they see in food packaging. This research examines how visual codes in food packaging influence consumer decisions on food waste. Understanding what influences these decisions informs the visual semiotic approach to designing food packaging. By understanding what causes consumer confusion and what influences their choices, we can develop a visual semiotic framework that can facilitate the creation of packaging designs that are easier for consumers to understand and interpret.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Confirmation of Candidature
Time and location: 2:00 pm, 016.07.003
Title: Private 5G: Adoption of 5G for Enterprise Across Countries
Abstract: The adoption of private 5G networks by enterprises marks a significant transformation in global digital infrastructure, enabling businesses to leverage dedicated bandwidth, enhanced security, and tailored network configurations. This research examines the motivations, strategies, strategies, and outcomes of private 5G implementation across various countries, highlighting the diversity in adoption driven by factors such as industry demands, regulatory environments, and technological readiness. Through comparative analysis of countries like Australia, Bangladesh and Singapore, this research aims to identifies key trends, challenges, and opportunities, offering insights into the role of private 5G in achieving operational efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage. The study also aims to contribute to understanding the strategic implications of private 5G for enterprises navigating the evolving landscape of digital connectivity.
School: Global, Urban and Social Studies
Presentation type: Second Milestone Review
Time and location: 3:00 pm, 016.07.001
Title: 'Regional' languages of France: perspectives from the grassroots
Abstract: Now is a pivotal time for the historically marginalised regional languages of France. While they have seen significant declines in speaker numbers over the past 70 years, they have also received a cautiously growing level of government support—a shift from previous policies which sought to restrict their use (Fenet 2004). They can be taught in schools and are formally recognised as part of France’s cultural heritage (Blanchet 2022). In this time of great significance, however, the perspectives of regional language communities are missing from the literature. What do they want, hope and expect for the futures of their languages? How can their perspectives inform our understanding of the roles of the state and communities in reversing language shift?
This research investigates the perspectives of regional language communities on the state and future of their languages, situated in the broader context of language policy in France. Using Breton, Corsican and Occitan as case studies, a series of semi-structured interviews and online questionnaires are being conducted. Most participants speak the languages and engage with them regularly as teachers, students, activists or writers. The questionnaires and interviews investigate participants’ histories with the languages, their opinions on government policies (both implemented and proposed), and their hopes and expectations for the future of their languages. Using a thematic analysis, the study aims to provide findings on the perspectives of language speakers and communities at this key moment in time and ascertain whether government language policy is adequately supporting their needs and wishes.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Confirmation of Candidature
Time and location: 10:30 am, 016.07.003
Title: Inside Aphantasic Practice: exploring the impact of aphantasia on creative practice in image-making & animation
Abstract: How we experience our inner-world and imagination is unique and highly personal. Aphantasia is a little-known condition defined as the limited, or complete inability, to voluntarily visualise mental imagery in the minds-eye. A deeper awareness of the ‘invisible differences’ across the extremes of the imagination spectrum will influence how we create, communicate, collaborate, teach and learn. This research project explores the implications of aphantasia for creative practice in image-making and animation. The research seeks to expand understandings of creative practice by articulating how visual and moving image solutions are developed by people without mental imagery. To investigate this, I will explore my own practice as an artist, designer and animator with aphantasia by adopting a reflective framework and mixed-method approach to generate first-hand insights of ‘image-free’ creative cognitive processes occurring in practice. To enable a process of discovery, I will review my archival practice documentation, undertake exploratory and experimental making exercises, and create an independent 2D animated short film. I am interested in uncovering how aphantasia impacts areas of idea generation, narrative development, design, visual storytelling and animation aesthetics, performance and production. Through this practice-led enquiry, I will craft novel approaches to exploring and communicating inner processes and ways of working and making for the ‘aphantasic’ animation practitioner. The research aims to build awareness of this type of neurocognitive diversity amongst students, educators, and practitioners within the field by contributing a first-hand practitioner account.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Third Milestone Review
Time and location: 10:30 am, 016.07.004
Title: Disorder, disruption, disconnection: feminist non/fiction
Abstract: Disorder, disruption, disconnection: feminist non/fiction is a creative-critical research project exploring how cycles of feminist fiction and creative-critical writing might be brought together to deepen current understandings of feminist ways of knowing and resisting. The research adopts a feminist research-creation methodology which draws on the work of Natalie Loveless (2019) to examine the generative potential of the prefix dis- within contemporary feminist creative writing practice. Adopting Sara Ahmed’s claim that “theory can do more the closer it gets to the skin” (2017, P.10) as my point of departure, I explore dis- as a site of feminist resistance and transformation, writing into, around, and through an inventory of dis-words which resonate with embodied experiences of feminism. The research comprises three distinct, yet interconnected parts: a dissertation which provide a critical framing for the project, a fragmented essay cycle which adopts a creative-critical approach to seeking new conceptualisations of feminist resistance via the prefix dis-, and a short story cycle which works in concert with the essay cycle and interrogates similar terrain via the form of fiction. The cycles are informed by Sara Ahmed’s theorising of becoming feminist and the feminist snap (2017), Clare Hemmings’ notions of affective dissonance and affective solidarity (2012), Lauren Berlant’s writings on cruel optimism (2011), and Kathleen Stewart’s work on atmospheric attunements (2011). The research contributes to contemporary feminist literary practice and contemporary understandings of feminist ways of knowing and resisting.
School: Global, Urban and Social Studies
Presentation type: Second Milestone Review
Time and location: 11:00 am, 016.07.001
Title: Enabling societal impact of research: Exploring information behaviours of academics and professional staff
Abstract: The increasing expectations, globally, that academic research outcomes will provide tangible and demonstrable benefit to society represents a paradigm shift that is shaping universities. Research indicates that impact work requires time, resources, and creates different information needs and behaviours from those associated with traditional academic activities (e.g., publishing, grant writing). However, limited research examines the implications of impact work for both academic and professional staff and how the information environment and behaviours shape practice. The goal of this study is to understand how universities support researchers with the work involved in enabling societal impact, through exploring the information environment and behaviours that underpin this work.
School: Global, Urban and Social Studies
Presentation type: Third Milestone Review
Time and location: 11:00 am, MS Teams
Title: Ordinary Australians' sensemaking of the Anthropocene world
Abstract: As the proposed Anthropocene increasingly acts upon people, how they respond or make sense of the epoch is tethered to their relationship with the environment. This project aims to understand how ordinary Australians make sense of the Anthropocene via their relationship with the environment. In understanding the fundamentals of this relationship, pathways to sustainable transformation for Australian voters may be identified. The first study conducted three focus groups. Results indicate complex relationships with the environment, including how the nation responds to climate change. One similarity across the groups was the tendency to address the Anthropocene through future climate change. The two groups with an older median age who have witnessed the emergence of climate change over the course of their life desired greater knowledge that might affect their daily practices. Alternatively, the participants who have lived much of their lives with climate change as a normative feature of their world were concerned with inclusive action. A second study will analyse human-nature connection policies within Victoria to explore social and environmental relationships.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Confirmation of Candidature
Time and location: 1:30 pm, 016.07.003
Title: Social Cartoon Influencer Culture in Vietnam: Social Implications of Automated Content Production
Abstract: Social cartoon influencers (SCIs) is a new type of virtual influencers that are created with a clear indication of “fictional” characters who do not try to act as digital avatars of a real person. They emerge from the East Asian cultural flow of anime and webtoon and have captivated huge interest among young and digital consumers in Vietnam in recent years. This project studies the motivations, challenges, and visions driving the creative production process of SCIs, with a particular focus on the social implications of automated content production. By understanding the perspectives of content creators and others in the AIGC (artificial intelligence generated content) industry, the study will provide insights into the performance and development of SCIs, as well as the social implications of AIGC within the cultural production landscape. Vietnam is selected as the main project field due to its start-up mentality, AI readiness, and strategic position as a gateway to the ASEAN region for both cultural and economic products and implications.
The study employs Critical Techno-cultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA) framework to examine the intertwined relationships and impacts of platforms, AI and cultural production. Additionally, inspired by Actor-Network Theory (ANT), the study will also explore the roles and interactions of human and non-human actors within the SCI ecosystem. The overall findings are expected to contribute to the growing body of knowledge of social studies of science and technology (STS), media studies, and social media marketing regarding the new type of virtual influencers. By identifying the potential risks and benefits of AI application, the study will contribute to scholarship on AIGC in marketing and digital communication.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Confirmation of Candidature
Time and location: 2:00 pm, 006.04.006
Title: Queer community and new internet technologies
Abstract: The proposed thesis investigates how online queer communities utilise new internet technologies to engender opportunities for queer identification and community formation. I define “new internet technologies” as the latest generation of internet-based tools, platforms and protocols that have emerged, or have come into prominence, over the last six years, such as the blockchain and artificial intelligence. While these technologies are not necessarily new inventions, they are distinguished from earlier internet applications by their purported potential to disrupt existing modes of internet usage and drastically change what it means to be online. Although a considerable amount of literature has been published on the development of these emerging technologies, little attention has been given to their specific implications for LGBTQ+ communities. Using the qualitative methods of digital ethnography and in-depth interviews with queer individuals, this study will deploy a Blochian lens to explore the utopic potential of these technologies for queer communities. The study aims to understand how the specific affordances of these technologies may facilitate or hinder the formation and maintenance of queer communities online, ultimately offering insights that could inform both technology development and social policy into the future.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Second Milestone Review
Time and location: 3:30 pm, 006.04.006
Title: Digital Power in Queer Social Worlds: An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Australians with Diverse Genders and Sexualities
Abstract: Digital power is a multifaceted phenomenon that describes the various ways humans and non-humans influence their online environments. As a response to an increase in digital hostilities towards people of diverse genders and sexualities, new forms of digital power are emerging on social networking sites. There is a paucity of research on how the effects of these increasing hostilities influence digital power in online queer social worlds. This research aims to address this gap by exploring the lived experiences of people who are plurisexual, on the asexual-aromantic spectrum and of re-emerging genders and sexualities on social networking sites. To fulfill this aim, this research used mixed qualitative methods to explore: 1) the modalities of digital power in queer social worlds on social networking sites and 2) the influence of digital power on queer world-making. This mixed methods design deployed an online survey, and a digital ethnography on the social networking site Twitter. The themes identified in this research may offer insights into the effects of digital power on the social wellbeing of people with diverse genders, sexual and romantic orientations.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Second Milestone Review
Time and location: 12:00 pm, MS Teams
Title: Nation branding: Image of China in the cyber space through the lens of sports diplomacy
Abstract: Lilan’s study aims to explore the role of sports diplomacy in China’s nation branding and national image on social media, and how those messages are received by target audiences in Australia. Her researc/h will employ a content analysis framing approach, combined with social network analysis, to analyze data originating from China’s state-owned international broadcasters’ official social media accounts. Also, she will use in-depth interviews with target audiences in Australia about their responses to the messages generated by the Chinese international broadcasters. Using the three methods of analysis this project will offer a better understanding of (1) the Chinese government’s use of sports-themed content to boost its national branding; (2) how sports diplomacy connects publics to China’s image in cyberspace; (3) how sports influence perception of China’s national image in the cyberspace in Australia.
School: Global, Urban and Social Studies
Presentation type: Second Milestone Review
Time and location: 1:30 pm, 016.07.001
Title: The role of humanities and social sciences in university-based innovation hubs: An examination of practice, inclusion and multidisciplinary collaboration in Australia and South-east Asia
Abstract: To be provided.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Confirmation of Candidature
School and location: 2:00 pm, 006.04.006
Title: Troubling the Digital: Affect, Populism and Queer Subjectivity in Post-Socialist China
Abstract: There is growing evidence that the Internet has afforded Chinese queers unprecedented access to a diverse range of innovative, dissentive, and at times affective acts of communication that are rarely observed in Chinese cyberspace that is often known for housing one of the world’s most restrictive censorship infrastructures. In the meantime, online anti-queer populism in relation to rising global movements that transcends ideological and political divisions across different regions is incrementally garnering monument, adding a layer to the already-existing power struggles in post-socialist China. Through a Laclauian lens, this research aims to shed light on the digital interactivities between queer subjects, post-socialist governmentality and populist affects, as well as the digital advocacy amidst state repression in the affective-discursive turn scholarship. By employing digital ethnography, this research eventually looks for alternative forms of, and orientations toward, engagement with cyberspace in an authoritarian context.
School: Media and Communication
Presentation type: Second Milestone Review
Time and location: 3:30 pm, 006.04.006
Title: Mobile League: understanding mobile game e-sports in Indonesian popular culture
Abstract: This project explores the impact of mobile game e-sports on Indonesian popular culture. It examines how relevant mobile game actors – players, streamers, esports organisations and government – have worked to popularise mobile game esports as a significant practice within Indonesian media ecology. This project is guided by meta research questions on what the relation between mobile media practices and mobile game esports in Indonesia is, and its relation to the emerging unique Indonesian media ecology. These meta research questions are divided into three focused research questions on interactions among esports practitioners, mobile media affordances, and participatory social media amplification. It is framed within three main fields of study: mobile media studies, game studies, and social media studies. The methodological approach for this PhD research project is digital ethnography (Hjorth et al., 2017). It applies digital ethnography – primarily through semi-structured interviews of key actors – to capture both the core and paratextual activities surrounding mobile game esports and how they are anchored in the broader the sociocultural, communicative and participatory media contexts (Littlejohn & Foss, 2008) of Indonesia.
School: Education
Presentation type: Confirmation of Candidature
Time and location: 1:30 pm, MS Teams
Title: Knowledge Management and Its Contribution to Activating Administrative Innovation for High School Principals in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Abstract: This study aims to explore knowledge management practices among high school principals in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. This research study will examine high school principals' use of administrative innovation. Furthermore, the study explores whether there is a relationship between knowledge management practices and administrative innovation and how knowledge management processes contribute to administrative innovation. The research questions shaping this proposed study are:
There are three objectives for this study as follows.
School: Global, Urban and Social Studies
Presentation type: Third Milestone Review
Time and location: 10:30 am, 008.10.008
Title: Making sense of welfare quarantining in Australia
Abstract: Since 2007, a small number of people subject to welfare quarantining in Australia have had between 50 and 90 per cent of their social security income paid into a special account, so that the money cannot be spent on prohibited items including alcohol. In explaining the presence and persistence of welfare quarantining, many scholars suggest it is consistent with neoliberal, or marketised state welfare programs. This overarching account does not explain the many incoherencies of welfare quarantining. Contrary to the ‘evidence-based policy’ mantra, governments have disregarded the limited evidence for the policy’s benefits. Government rhetoric about the prudent use of ‘taxpayers’ money’ is at odds with welfare quarantining duplicating existing schemes. While problem framings of welfare quarantining suggest it should be applied to almost all social security recipients, the policy is highly targeted at people in specific locations. Despite these incoherencies there has been an enduring, bipartisan political commitment to welfare quarantining. In this thesis, I adopt a policy anthropology approach to make sense of these incoherencies by analysing and comparing the genealogies and transformations of welfare quarantining in various locations. I use data from policy documents and interviews with 27 policy actors, finding that while there are some commonalities across sites, local conditions and actors mediate rationales for and manifestations of the policy. Sometimes policy emerges through top-down processes. At other times, processes are driven by local actors attempting to secure their ideological, political or business interests. These context-specific geopolitics may be otherwise obscured by overarching ‘neoliberal’ or ‘settler colonial’ accounts or authoritative choice approaches to policymaking.
School: Global, Urban and Social Studies
Presentation type: Confirmation of Candidature
Time and location: 10:30 am, 037.05.002 & MS Teams
Title: Intercultural Communicative Competence: Mutual Benefits Between Australian and Vietnamese Higher Education
Abstract: In my presentation, I will outline my research proposal for my higher research degree at RMIT, focusing on the development of intercultural competence among international students in three academic disciplines: Management, Healthcare, and Information Technology. I aim to explore how intercultural competence evolves among Australia-based international students, considering perspectives from the students themselves, academics, and employers in Australian settings. To begin, I will delve into global, international, and local perspectives on higher education internationalisation, providing a broad context for my research. This will be followed by an examination of scholarly views and models on intercultural competence, laying the groundwork for understanding its significance in the Australian sociocultural system, particularly within academic and professional environments. Next, I will advocate for Byram's (1997) framework of intercultural communicative competence as a tool to understand the development of intercultural competence among international students in Australia. By integrating Byram's framework with Kahu's (2013) theory of student engagement, I will establish the conceptual framework for my research. The core of my presentation will focus on my mixed research methodology. I will discuss the development of both quantitative questionnaires and qualitative focus group and interview questions. I will elaborate on my research paradigms, data collection methods, and how I plan to utilize the conceptual framework to analyze data gathered from three participant groups: international students, academics and staff, and employers. Finally, I will provide a timeline for my research plan, offering a roadmap for its execution and completion.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.