Ask a Social Scientist

In this episode, we talk with Dr Lana Tatour (Senior Lecturer, Global Development at the School of Social Sciences, UNSW) about Palestine and the intersections of citizenship and settler colonialism in Palestine and Australia. We discuss Lana's research on citizenship and how it is used to dominate and erase indigenous populations. We contexualise Palestine in a global history of settler colonialism and imperialism, and demonstrate how these forces manifest now, in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Finally, we explore the crucial role of academia in reshaping an uncertain world, particularly in times of rising racism and violence.

In this episode, we speak with Mailin Suchting (manager, Gendered Violence Research Network, UNSW), about the policy landscape of gendered violence in Australia, which includes sexual violence, domestic and family violence, and financial abuse. We consider the surprising - and important - role that workplaces and financial institutions have in creating safety protocols and support for both victims and perpetrators. Finally, we emphasise the importance of integrating lived experiences into research and policy, and why we need intersectional approaches to address gendered violence.

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In this episode we talk with Dr Yuvisthi Naidoo (Senior research fellow, SPRC UNSW). Yuvisthi’s research focuses on poverty, inequality, material deprivation, and families. Our conversation centres around how we think about and measure poverty in Australia, and why understanding how people experience poverty is essential to designing effective policy solutions. We talk about the different and diverse family structures in Australia and about the importance of wellbeing and opportunities for social mobility. Finally, we talk about why policy needs to shift from deficit models to well-being frameworks to improve quality of life. Our discussion concludes by emphasising the significance of advocacy and partnerships, and why we should all take even small actions towards reshaping an uncertain world.

In this episode, we reflect on abolition, art, and study with Dr Astrid Lorange (Senior Lecturer, School of Art & Design UNSW) and Dr Andrew Brooks (Lecturer, School of Arts & Media UNSW), who together are critical art collective Snack Syndicate. We discuss the concept of "study" as a social practice, and a way of making communities of solidarity. We talk about collaboration, the need to analyse and understand structural crises, particularly the expansion of police powers and policing as part of the grammar of the settler colony. Finally, we discuss their new book on art's role in abolition, which explores how art can critique and reimagine societal structures, highlighting the potential for transformation.'

Photo Credit: Jacquie Manning

This episode, we talk to Susan Thompson (Professor at the School of Built Environment UNSW) about her research on urban planning and healthy built environments. We talk about how our cities can make us healthier in our bodies and our minds, and why we should create environments that support physical activity, social connection, and access to healthy food. Infrastructure such as walkways, cycling paths, and green spaces can have a tangible impact on our sense of belonging to a place and to a community, and they can also help us live healthier lives and help the planet. We discuss the importance of working with a range of stakeholders to achieve healthy cities, and why we should consider diverse community needs and advocate for preventive health measures in urban planning.

In this episode, we talk with Dr Miri Raven, a Nyoongar-Yamatji and non-Indigenous woman from Western Australia and Senior Scientia Lecturer in the Social Policy Research Centre and Environment & Society (E&S) Group, UNSW. Miri’s work focuses on Indigenous knowledge and biodiversity conservation, and explores how Indigenous knowledge(s) can be protected through international protocols, and even integrated through legislative frameworks. We consider the extractive nature of intellectual property laws and why we need to consider biodiversity and not just climate change when we think about the world we inhabit and our obligation and relation to places, plants, and animals.