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....

This research area includes the history of Australian poetry, contemporary poetic practice, the literature of Tasmania and the production of literature in Australia, including arts administration, publishing, public policy and funding, and literary communities

This research is funded by an ARC Discovery Grant for 2003-2005.
For convict women sent to Australia, 'transportation' meant international travel. By mapping the convicts as travellers, this project will afford a new perspective on women whose convict itineraries radically affected the direction of their lives. Read More....

In collaboration with Radhika Mohanram (Cardiff University) Ralph is working on a reader on Imperial Whiteness.
Imperial Whiteness: A Reader will provide an introduction to the field of imperial whiteness. It will include essays which examine the racial dimensions of imperial whiteness in tandem with other political realities such as those that spring from class, gender, sexual, and other affiliations.