Events

The ideology of the postcolonial ‘developmental’ state not only results
in the marginalisation of minorities but also serves to legitimise and gloss over asymmetric power relations that produce such marginalisation. Development projects disproportionately target minority lands and forests, with long-term devastating effects on the cultures and the very existence of minorities.

Statelessness is a direct outcome of such political and economic marginalisation as part of the ideological operation of the postcolonial ‘developmental’ state. International law provides a framework within which international actors and postcolonial states suppress minority interests in the name of economic development, whereas minorities – being politically marginalised – suffer the most due to such development activities. Genocidal violence against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar illustrates these arguments.

The evolution of the very early universe is described by quantum mechanics and particle physics. The first moments after the big bang saw the creation of an asymmetry between matter and antimatter, the production of dark matter, and the formation of light elements in ‘primordial nucleosynthesis’. This lecture looks at the way quantum processes created the matter in our universe.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Due to current COVID-19 restrictions and University guidelines, there are a number of conditions currently in place for our in-person events. To read more about the University’s COVID-19 response, please visit:

https://www.unimelb.edu.au/coronavirus

• COVID-19 vaccinations (or valid exemptions) are a requirement for anyone attending University of Melbourne campuses. 
• Wearing a mask remains recommended when you cannot physically distance. 
• Please stay at home if you feel unwell or have been ordered to isolate.