Title: All the Colours of the Rainbow? Monochrome Reef Research and the Hues of the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Summary: How could we – or should we – disrupt established patterns and bring more Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) to the centre of Reef research? Great Barrier Reef research is to some extent, predictable in its focus. Like other environments in Australia and globally, knowledge of the Reef is mostly commandeered by science, industry and politics, and it is to these places that power and wealth accrue. In Reef research, projects that align with these powerful interests are many and usual. Projects that, for example, provide data or feedback to existing policy and planning through the natural sciences and social sciences are critical to the governments, businesses and communities who variously depend on the Reef. Leveraging the value of this existing work, this presentation considers the context for Reef research and explores its boundaries. Tracing key moments, this presentation begins to unpack how authority and legitimacy are established and with what consequences for those at the fore of Reef research and those that struggle for entry. Drawing on her own work and experiences, Kerrie asserts the potential of more ‘colour’ in Reef research and invites others to reflect on how the full expression of HASS disciplines and their ‘hues’ might better connect the Reef, its communities and ecologies.
Bio: Kerrie Foxwell-Norton is an Associate Professor of Environmental Communication and Media at Griffith University, where her work is supported by the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research and the Griffith Climate Action Beacon. Her research explores communication politics at the juncture of community, culture and nature, with a particular focus on coastal and marine environments. Recent and current Reef projects include a co-edited (with Professor Iain McCalman, USyd) special issue of Queensland Review, 'Between Pride and Despair: Stories of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforests'. With Dr Deb Anderson (Monash), she co-leads the project: Women of the Great Barrier Reef: Untold Stories of Conservation. Her book, The Great Barrier Reef: Media, Politics and Ecology (Palgrave MacMillan, with Dr Claire Konkes, UTAS) is due for release in 2024.
Where: IMAS Salamanca (Aurora Lecture Theatre) and online (Zoom Link: https://utas.zoom.us/j/89792354506 )
When: 7th May 2024, 12pm-1:30pm
