Listen to past lectures


A Journey in Writing Place

Monday, 29 October 2018: Professor Alexis Wright, Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature, on her deep interest in our own storytelling world. What it means to come from an oral storytelling culture.

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Professor Alexis Wright: A Journey in Writing Place

Why and how the Soviet Union won the Second World War in Europe

Monday, 3 September 2018: Professor Mark Edele, the inaugural Hansen Chair in History, on how the Wehrmacht's back was broken by the Red Army in WWII, and how this victory narrative has played out in different parts of Europe.

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Professor Mark Edele: Why and how the Soviet Union won the Second World War in Europe

'Let me stop here' - a classical journey into the 21st century

Thursday 16 August 2018: Professor Tim Parkin, the inaugural Elizabeth and James Tatoulis Chair in Classics, makes a case for why Classics matters in the twenty-first century and why it will continue to be vital in the future, both in Melbourne and around the world.

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Professor Tim Parkin: 'Let me stop here' - a classical journey into the 21st century

Where to Begin - Writing a history of Australian art

Wednesday 6 June 2018: Professor Ian McLean, Hugh Ramsay Chair of Australian Art History at the University of Melbourne, seeks to understand what is required of national art histories and in particular, what Bernard Smith called 'a national tradition in Australian art'.

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Professor Ian McLean: Where to Begin - Writing a history of Australian art

'No Petty People' - The making of literary Ireland

Thursday 12 April 2018: Professor Ronan McDonald, Gerry Higgins Chair in Irish Studies at the University of Melbourne, seeks to account not just for the merit of Irish writing in itself, but for its success in that wider cultural economy.

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Professor Ronan McDonald: 'No Petty People' - The making of literary Ireland

'Things Fall Apart' - Putting the world back together one document at a time

Wednesday 28 Mar 2018: Professor Robyn Sloggett, Cripps Foundation Chair in Cultural Materials Conservation, explores the ways in which risks to a community’s cultural heritage result in broader risks in education, health, knowledge transfer and well-being.

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Professor Robyn Sloggett: 'Things Fall Apart' - Putting the world back together one document at a time