Arts & Social Sciences at ANU

12/05/2026

🎬 Sign on Screen Festival
Sign on Screen is a three-day celebration of Deaf-led storytelling and the representation of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) perspectives in film.

Join us at the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) for this accessible and free event, featuring workshops, film screenings, discussions, networking opportunities, and an impressive lineup of special guests.

📍 Arc Cinema, NFSA, Canberra
🗓️ Friday 22 to Sunday 24 May
Whether you're passionate about film, accessibility, or learning more about Auslan and Deaf storytelling, this is an event not to be missed.

🎟️ Find out more and book: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/whats-on/sign-on-screen

Sign On Screen is a collaboration between the Australian National University, Deaf Connect, the Australian Research Council and the NFSA.

Image Credit: So Beautiful, Sofya Gollan

01/05/2026

This year’s Anzac Day service was interrupted by disrespectful protests relating to the Acknowledgement of Country. Anzac Day is widely regarded as a time for reflection on the cost of war and the sacrifices of those who served, and moments such as these can prompt broader conversations about remembrance, history, and national identity.

Since 2020, the ANU Annual Anzac Day broadcast has encouraged thoughtful inquiry into the meaning of Anzac Day, and the 2026 broadcast shines a light on a powerful and often overlooked story.

Paying tribute to Dr Mary Booth, founder of the Anzac Fellowship of Women and an influential yet often unrecognised figure in the development of Anzac remembrance, the program also features an insightful interview with Emeritus Professor Rae Frances, led by interviewer Emeritus Professor Bruce Scates.

Join us as we rediscover the rich and symbolic history of rosemary— a timeless emblem of remembrance — and deepen our understanding of the traditions and histories that shape our national commemoration.

Watch here: https://onehundredstories.anu.edu.au/stories/2026-women-and-war-hidden-history-anzac-day

28/04/2026

🎬 Sign on Screen Festival
Sign on Screen is a three-day celebration of Deaf-led storytelling and the representation of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) perspectives in film.

Join us at the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) for this accessible and free event, featuring workshops, film screenings, discussions, networking opportunities, and an impressive lineup of special guests.

📍 Arc Cinema, NFSA, Canberra
🗓️ Friday 22 to Sunday 24 May

Whether you're passionate about film, accessibility, or learning more about Auslan and Deaf storytelling, this is an event not to be missed.

🎟️ Find out more and book: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/whats-on/sign-on-screen

Sign On Screen is a collaboration between the Australian National University, Deaf Connect, the Australian Research Council and the NFSA.

Image Credit: So Beautiful, Sofya Gollan

24/04/2026

This year’s ANU Anzac Day broadcast pays tribute to Dr Mary Booth (founder of the Anzac Fellowship of Women and the unacknowledged architect of Anzac Remembrance) and features an interview with Emeritus Professor Rae Frances.

We turn back to the moment when Anzac Day was founded, exploring the key role women played in crafting commemoration. We retrace the steps of grieving wives and mothers as they made their pilgrimage to loved ones’ graves, explore the distinctive memorials women raised and recover the fascinating and forgotten history of rosemary as a symbol of remembrance.

Watch here: https://cass.anu.edu.au/news/2026-women-and-war-hidden-history-anzac-day

ANU History

24/04/2026

The war in Iran didn’t pull Europe in — but it pushed Europe closer together.

As the US acted alone, European countries focused on coordination, energy security, and a more independent global role.

A crisis that could divide is instead driving unity.

Read the full story by Associate Professor Romain Fathi: https://bit.ly/iran-war-eu-unity

Republished from The Conversation.

23/04/2026

🚨 New Season Alert: Urgent History Is Back!

Urgent History is now streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

In Season 2, Emeritus Professor Carolyn Strange joins Dr Filip Slaveski for fresh conversations with historians unpacking how the past shapes today’s world. This season delves into war and colonisation, evolving family life, and how news—past and present—shapes what we believe.

Season 2:
Ep 1: How war-ravaged eastern Europe struggled to recover
Guest: Dr Filip Slaveski
Ep 2: The privileges and perils of queenship in late Antiquity
Guest: Dr Meaghan McEvoy
Ep 3: The collision of worlds in Australian exploration
Guest: Professor Martin Thomas
Ep 4: Presenting the news, from balladiers to influencers
Guest: Associate Professor Una McIlvenna
Ep 5: Grandparenting’s transformations in the twentieth century
Guest: Dr Liz Allen
Ep 6: War criminals and culpability after World War Two
Guest: Emeritus Professor Robert Cribb

For more information: https://cass.anu.edu.au/news-events/podcasts/urgent-history

🎧 Listen via:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/49kl5Vb8Ac48rj7FVIadgu
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/urgent-history/id1835793437
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4bd33f72-e405-45c8-8d3f-9ee017621292/urgent-history
iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-urgent-history-290878895/

21/04/2026

📣 Event: Staging Social Change

Theatre spaces as sites for transformative civic dialogue
At a time of increasing polarisation, how can we create better civic discourse? Could the theatre be a useful place for hard conversations?

📍 At the Street Theatre
🗓️ Friday 24 April, 1pm

Please join us if you are a researcher, policymaker, campaigner, theatre-maker, theatre-goer, NGO worker, or an interested member of the public keen to learn about the history and future of theatre as a space for public dialogue.

🎤 Panellists include Dr Rebecca Clode and Dr Leslie Barnes

Presented by the ANU Freilich Project for the Study of Bigotry

🎟️Tickets are free – booking required: https://www.thestreet.org.au/shows/staging-social-change

🔗 Learn more: https://freilich.anu.edu.au/news-events/events/staging-social-change

10/04/2026

Attention History teachers in the ACT, NSW and Victoria!

The Australian National University (ANU) School of History and the ANU Centre for Classical Studies are teaming up with the ACT History Teachers' Association to host History Day at ANU 2026.

Come on a journey back thousands of years to discover the history and artefacts of the Ancient Mediterranean world. We’ll transport you to the trails of medieval pilgrims, the Age of Revolution, and the European battlefields, and together we’ll consider major issues like First Nations justice and environmental change.

Students in Years 10 -12 are invited to ANU campus on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country to learn directly from academics and get a taste of what it’s like to study history at university.

Bookings to be made by schools on behalf of their students/teachers via the registration link below:
https://history.cass.anu.edu.au/events/history-day-anu

30/03/2026

Louis Theroux uses a subtle approach in his Netflix documentary to expose online misogyny, with insights from ANU Sociologist Dr Simon Copland—read more: quicklink.anu.edu.au/ur8x

Louis Theroux managed to cleverly undermine the misogyny preached by extremist anti-feminist online communities and influencers in his new Netflix documentary, Inside the Manosphere.

Manosphere researcher Dr Simon Copland from the ANU School of Sociology unpacks what we can learn from Louis Theroux’s often subtle approach to exposing this deep misogyny.

Read more in ANU Reporter: quicklink.anu.edu.au/ur8x

27/03/2026

Today is ANU Open Day! There is so much to explore across the arts, humanities and social sciences! Check out what's on offer and join us this morning to meet our expert academics and knowledgeable professional staff. Take a tour, learn about a new discipline and maybe solve a murder mystery!
https://cass.anu.edu.au/open-day