Professor Andrew Metcalfe

Andrew Metcalfe is a Professor at the School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UNSW.  He was trained in Anthropology, but no longer cares to distinguish Anthropology and Sociology, belonging to both the Australian Sociological Association and the Australian Anthropological Society.

Andrew works collaboratively with Professor Ann Game. He has recently done research on the first year student's experience of university, the teacher-student relation, creativity and inspiration, the nature of subjectivity, the time and space of ritual, the logic of charity, hospitality and the gift. Their new book, published by Australian Scholarly Publishing in 2015, is called What is a Social Relation? They have a blog -- www.livinginrelation.com -- where copies of their recent articles are available.

Andrew’s first book, For Freedom and Dignity (Allen & Unwin, 1988), won the Jean Martin Prize awarded by the Australian Sociology Association; one of the books he co-wrote with Ann Game, Passionate Sociology (Sage, 1996),  was nominated for the Amalfi Prize in European Sociology, the only Australian book ever nominated. Both books have been listed as major milestones in the history of international sociology since 1800.

Research Areas

Health, relationship, pedagogy, religion, everyday life, creativity

Postgraduate Research Supervision

Areas of Supervision

Teacher-student relation; creativity and inspiration; the nature of subjectivity; the time and space of ritual; belonging; intimate relationship; ecology; the logic of charity, hospitality and the gift.

Recent Postgraduate Research Completions

·       Guy Oliver Hungerford, PhD Sociology, The teflon degree: a Batesonian-Cybernetic study of love in learning

·       Diana Tahhan, PhD Japanese Studies, Touching at depth: intimate spaces in the Japanese family

·       Diana Borinski, PhD Sociology, In sickness and in health: Identity - based and relational discourses of intimacy in the early 21st century

·       Cynthia June A'Beckett, PhD Sociology, Playing in the in-between: implications for early childhood education of new views on social relations

·       Anthony King, PhD Sociology, Violence, suicide, masculinity

Current Postgraduate Research Supervision

·   Zoe Baker, PhD Anthropology, Camino pilgrimage

     Guat Im Bok, PhD Sociology, Alienation and fashion retailing

·       Kim Chong, PhD Sociology, Gardens and culture

·       Richard Sanchez, PhD Sociology, Ethics of musical performance

·       Rosalind Tan, PhD Sociology, A Sociological interpretation of porcelain consumption in Eighteenth-Century England

Teaching

Teaching areas

Relationships, theories of self, ecology, health and healing, living and dying, social teory and policy.

Current teaching

ARTS 1871 Understanding Cultural Experience

ARTS 3876 Ecology and Health

SRAP 3000 Policy and Social Theory

Affiliation and Memberships

Presiding Member, UNSW HREC (2006-13)

Other Information

Andrew’s scholarship in the area of learning and teaching has been recognised in a UNSW Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2003, and an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Award for team-teaching in 2006. He has served on selection panels for teaching awards at Faculty, UNSW and national levels.