Pivoting Post-Pandemic: Not-for-Profit Arts and Culture Organisations and a New Focus on Social Impact

While the Australian arts and cultural sector has been adept at shaping the national conversation around its economic significance, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought multiple and serious challenges. Weakened by years of government defunding, the sector now faces the shocks of shutdowns and social distancing on their bottom line. Post-COVID we propose that arts and culture organisations in the Not-for-profit sector express their contribution to society as social impact, in order to access more diverse sources of funding. This paper looks first at established ways of assessing economic value, then discusses the broader social value of arts and culture organisations. It then explores methods by which this can be measured and reported. Lastly, a review of relevant literature and best practice approaches to social impact measurement is provided, outlining a framework to produce evaluations that both strengthen their programs and enhance their ability to communicate their value to funders

The Manichaean Church : its name and identity in the Roman Empire

There is a substantial body of scholarship published on Manichaean doctrine, and recently several works have appeared, attempting to define its practices. Studies of the Church, however, have mostly been limited to general comments regarding the division between the Elect and the Catechumens, or the numbering of the hierarchy, as preserved in sources as varied as Augustine in fifth century North Africa and the eighth century Chinese documents from Turfan. Where dedicated studies exist, they are usually devoted to the Church in its eastern manifestation, after it had achieved a measure of temporal power. This dissertation considers the Manichaean Church in the context of sources from the Roman Empire. Manichaean documents, primarily the three major texts of the Coptic Medinet Madi ‘library’, will constitute the basis of this examination, although a selection of heresiological sources will also be employed, especially the extensive writings of Augustine of Hippo. Firstly, the still-traditional acceptance of the name ‘Manichaean’ in modern scholarship will be examined, dubious because originally conferred on it by opponents. The dissertation will also touch on the rather thorny issue of Manichaean identity, particularly as regards their understanding of themselves in relation to Christianity. Next it will investigate the names Manichaeans appear to have ascribed to themselves. Language concerning the ‘Church’, as well as terms defining the relationship of followers to the institution, will be examined, and in addition, a selection of other names described as being chosen by Manichaeans for themselves in the heresiological literature will be analysed. This dissertation is thus a significant original contribution to scholarship, in that it contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the Manichaean Church, which has long been a desideratum in the research

Queer-friendly neighbourhoods: interrogating social cohesion across sexual difference in two Australia neighbourhoods

This paper examines processes of social cohesion across sexual difference in 'queer-friendly neighbourhoods'-localities that have a heterosexual majority in residential and commercial terms, but where a significant presence of gay and lesbian residents, businesses, and organisations are welcomed. This investigation advances a lineage of work on the development and maintenance of gay and lesbian neighbourhoods, and their role in residents' well-being. The findings also extend understandings of social cohesion, a key theme in neighbourhood and policy research across the West. The context of this study is Australia, where recent projects on social cohesion have focused on public order, economic benefits, and race tensions. However, given that gay men and lesbians are present in Australian social and political debates, sexuality should be integrated into studies about neighbourhood cohesion. To analyse processes of cohesion between heterosexual and same-sex-attracted people, we draw on data from case studies of two queer-friendly neighbourhoods in Australia-the inner-city suburb of Newtown, NSW, and the regional town of Daylesford, Victoria. We discuss the findings in three analytical categories to highlight common processes and characteristics of queer-friendly neighbourhoods: diversity and difference; symbolic landscapes; combating homophobia