Educational research in a global economy of knowledge production : what troubles a traveling textworker?

The first (and most specific) postcolonial intersection to which this paper refers was constituted initially by an Australian-South African institutional links project (funded by the Australian federal government) and subsequent collaborations and partnerships between Australian and South African academics arising (directly or indirectly) from this project. In this paper I will focus on activities that were intended to enhance research capacity in educational leadership and in environmental education, with particular reference to appropriate methodologies and supervision practices. Other postcolonial intersections to which this paper will refer include those that have been formed as a result of international students from various locations in Africa and Asia studying at Deakin (either on-campus or by distance modes). My purposes in the paper are (i) to examine, through cases and examples, some ways in which difference (with particular reference to race, ethnicity, language and location) might be linked to individual and/or community dispositions to take up (or to reject) specific research methodologies and epistemologies, and (ii) to consider the implications of such differences and dispositions for academic practices directed towards developing 'communities of understanding' at postcolonial intersections.

The quick and the dead : Stawell and its race through time

Examines the history of the Stawell Easter Gift from its beginnings in 1878 and, in doing so, tells the story of an Australian country town, its inhabitants, its visitors, its troubles and its traditions.

Tale of Gresham's law

Gresham’s law, which says that bad money tends to drive good money out of circulation, may account for many nations’ episodes of money troubles, as far back as ancient Athens. This Commentary discusses the two main explanations for Gresham’s law and suggests some circumstances in which the law does not apply.

Rough justice : young people in the shadows

Even in an age of economic prosperity, there are young people who live on the edge of western societies and who are held accountable for their every indiscretion, sometimes even for those of others. This book employs a sociological imagination to make connections between the public issues and private troubles of youth living on the street.

Resilience as a double-edged health promotion goal : examples from Lao PDR

Individual and community resilience are undoubtedly important targets for health enhancement and invaluable aspirational outcomes in the health promotion endeavour especially in disaster contexts. However, overreliance on resilience as a proxy for positive well-being has serious personal and political implications in many contexts, as illustrated in research findings on women's quality of life in southern Lao PDR. Case studies derived from focus group interviews with ethnic minority Lao women about their quality of life are used to exemplify how overt signs of resilience may mask, rather than mirror, covert existential reality leaving women without a voice. The political implications of this silencing are profound. Private troubles remain hidden rather than being identified as public issues subject to public policy. This conundrum is not confined to third world countries. Structural limitations to achieving profound fulfilment abound in affluent countries also, yet neo-liberal governments rely heavily on the resilience of populations to minimize public spending. The challenge for health promotion researchers, policy makers and practitioners is to explore the nexus between individual agency and structural change in each specific context to ensure that health promotion initiatives do not inadvertently perpetuate disparities in access to power and resources.