Trans-Disciplinary Seminar Series
Synapse is a trans-disciplinary seminar series hosted by the School of Culture, History & Language at the Australian National University. Seminars showcase the research of scholars committed to exploring questions about human history that emerge at the intersection of multiple disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, archaeology, cultural evolution and ontogeny, genetics, history, linguistics, palaeoecology, and philosophy.
Presentation and participation in the Synapse series contribute to the development of a community of trans-disciplinary practice, building on networks that integrate ANU researchers with national and international colleagues. Synapse seminars are presented both in-person and online, and recordings are typically made available for those unable to participate in the initial event.
The SYNAPSE seminar series is part of the School of Culture History & Language Flagship program.
Previously recorded seminars can be found on our YouTube channel.
All available seminars for registration can be found on our Eventbrite collection.
2024 series
Proposed 2024 seminar dates
| No seminar in January 1 February, 3pm AEDT – Seminar: Culture and cultural evolution in birds – Speaker: Lucy Aplin (ANU) – Recording available 1 March, 10am AEDT – Seminar: Tupaia’s Wind Positioning System: (Re)Modelling Ancestral Polynesian Voyaging and Navigation – Speaker: Lars Eckstein (University of Potsdam) – Recording not available 7 March, 3pm AEDT – Seminar: Mi laek multi nao! New configurations of identity and diversity in a Solomon Islands language movement – Debra MacDougall (University of Melbourne) – Recording available 18 April, 3pm AEST – Ben Shaw & Stuart Bedford (ANU) – ANU cultural heritage fieldschools – Recording available 9 May, 3pm AEST – Seminar: Trying to model the history of Mian speakers (Telefomin District, PNG) without the skyhooks of social science: some preliminaries – Don Gardner (University of Lucerne) – Postponed, new date to be determined 13 June, 11am AEST – Seminar: Trying to model the history of Mian speakers (Telefomin District, PNG) without the skyhooks of social science: some preliminaries – Don Gardner (University of Lucerne) – Recording available 25 July, 3pm AEST – TBC 1 August, 3pm AEST – TBC 19 September, 3pm AEST – Seminar: Adults, children and how languages diversify: A case study of Light Warlpiri, an Australian mixed language – Carmel O’Shannessy (ANU) – Recording available 3 October, 3pm AEST – Seminar: Pathways (in)to Australia: Past environmental context of modern human expansion – Frederik Saltre (Flinders University) – Recording available 7 November, 3pm AEDT – TBC No seminar in December |
2024 series
Past seminars
Thursday 1 Feb: Culture and cultural evolution in birds – Lucy Aplin (ANU) – recording available
Thursday 7 Mar: Mi laek multi nao! New configurations of identity and diversity in a Solomon Islands language movement – Debra MacDougall (University of Melbourne) – Recording available
Thursday 18 Apr: ANU cultural heritage fieldschools – Ben Shaw & Stuart Bedford (ANU) – Recording available
Thursday 13 Jun: Trying to model the history of Mian speakers – Don Gardner (University of Lucerne) – Recording available
Thursday 19 Sep: Adults, children and how languages diversify – Carmel O’Shannessy (ANU) – Recording available
Thursday 3 Oct: Pathways (in)to Australia – Frederik Saltre (Flinders University) – Recording available
| Past seminar recordings |
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| 2024 seminars |
| 2023 seminars |
Evolution of Cultural Diversity 