Australian Academy of the Humanities
Encyclopedia
The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter
in 1969 to advance scholarship
and public interest
in the humanities
in Australia
. To this end the Academy supports:
The Academy comprises a Fellowship of over 400 of the most influential humanists
in or associated with Australia. The abbreviation for a Fellow of the Academy is FAHA. The Academy is governed by a Council of Fellows and operated by a Secretariat. It is an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australian government.
The following ten disciplines serve as the Fellowship’s electoral sections:
Election to the Academy takes place at the Annual General Meeting
, following nomination by Council on the advice of the ten electoral sections.
The President, elected in November 2007, is Professor Ian Donaldson.
As of 31 December 2009, the Academy had Fellows, of which 397 are voting Fellows, 47 are overseas Fellows, and 71 are honorary Fellows.
(AAS), the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
(ASSA), and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
(ATSE). They co-operate by means of the National Academies Forum
(NAF).
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1969 to advance scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
and public interest
Public interest
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself...
in the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. To this end the Academy supports:
- humanities researchResearchResearch can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
through conferences, awards: - supports the diffusion of humanities research findings through publication subsidies and media promotion;
- provides advice to government, industry, the media, and the community on matters concerning the humanities;
- maintains collaborations with bodies concerned with national cultural prosperity;
- maintains relations and exchanges with international bodies.
The Academy comprises a Fellowship of over 400 of the most influential humanists
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
in or associated with Australia. The abbreviation for a Fellow of the Academy is FAHA. The Academy is governed by a Council of Fellows and operated by a Secretariat. It is an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australian government.
The following ten disciplines serve as the Fellowship’s electoral sections:
- Asian StudiesAsian studiesAsian studies, a term used usually in the United States for Oriental studies and is concerned with the Asian peoples, their cultures, languages, history and politics...
- Classical StudiesClassicsClassics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
- CulturalCultural studiesCultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
and Communication StudiesCommunication studiesCommunication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass... - EnglishEnglish studiesEnglish studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
- European Languages and CulturesEuropean studiesEuropean studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on current developments in European integration....
- HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
- LinguisticsLinguisticsLinguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
- PhilosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, ReligionReligious studiesReligious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
& the History of IdeasHistory of ideasThe history of ideas is a field of research in history that deals with the expression, preservation, and change of human ideas over time. The history of ideas is a sister-discipline to, or a particular approach within, intellectual history... - PrehistoryPrehistoryPrehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
and ArchaeologyArchaeologyArchaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes... - The ArtsThe artsThe arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
Election to the Academy takes place at the Annual General Meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
, following nomination by Council on the advice of the ten electoral sections.
The President, elected in November 2007, is Professor Ian Donaldson.
As of 31 December 2009, the Academy had Fellows, of which 397 are voting Fellows, 47 are overseas Fellows, and 71 are honorary Fellows.
Other academies
There are three other Learned Academies in Australia: the Australian Academy of ScienceAustralian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
(AAS), the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is an autonomous, non-governmental organisation, devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It was established in 1971...
(ASSA), and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering is an independent non-government organization dedicated to the promotion in Australia of scientific and engineering knowledge to practical purposes. Professor Robin Batterham is the current President of ATSE....
(ATSE). They co-operate by means of the National Academies Forum
National Academies Forum
The National Academies Forum was replaced in May 2010 by the Australian Council of Learned Academies.The National Academies Forum was established in 1995 as the peak organisation for the four Australian learned academies...
(NAF).