Travel writing is a key mechanism by which readers learn about other peoples and cultures, a genre that is crucial to the formation of identities, ideologies, and ideas. Australian travel writing provided foundational texts for those emigrating to the colony. This project positions Australian texts within an international comparative sphere. It will advance the understanding of colonial culture in Australia, and of the perceptions and values of those who settled colonial Australia.

This research is funded by an ARC Discovery Grant for 2004-2006.
Antarctica has for two centuries been the subject of numerous novels, poems and plays, both by writers who have never seen the continent, and by expeditioners and explorers themselves.
This project examines creative written responses to Antarctica, drawing on both published works and archival material, and focussing particularly on the cultural significance of Antarctica’s construction as a ‘continent for science’. Read More....

View research projects in the field of Applied Philosophy and Ethics.

This research focuses on the role celebrities play in political and environmental debate.

Wilderness as a site of mediated negotiation and contestation between various contending interests over time is the focus of this research area.