Specifically, we appreciate the conceptual leadership, as well as substantial practical support, ... more Specifically, we appreciate the conceptual leadership, as well as substantial practical support, provided by Steve Maillet, Dave Wells, Deborah Fewster and Nick Johns. We thank all students, staff and parents who gave generously of their time and their insights.
This report is the first phase of a two-phase action research project titled Building Activist Ca... more This report is the first phase of a two-phase action research project titled Building Activist Capacities of Young People Through Issue-based Campaigns. The report explores key social issues facing young people aged 16 to 25 in Victoria, Australia, and examines how they respond to these issues. This study aims to better understand young people’s experiences of voice, the contexts and conditions in which they can cultivate their voices for social change, and where their voices resonate.
This paper argues that developing strong relationships is an important precursor to research bein... more This paper argues that developing strong relationships is an important precursor to research being able to be done. We introduce the concept of relationshipwork as an integral part of the research process. The funded project that provides the context for this argument considers how the educational experiences of young people incarcerated into the youth justice system can be improved. Little has been written about enabling relationships that allow quality research to begin. This paper outlines the significance of the positive interactions with people that make it possible for research to be undertaken. The importance of the relationships developed between members of our research team and the project stakeholders is explained.The major contribution of this paper, then, is our conception of relationshipwork. We add this term to the three terms Van Maanen (1988, 2011) uses to describe the components of research: fieldwork, headwork and textwork.
The 6th International Conference on Community Psychology was held in the city of Durban in South ... more The 6th International Conference on Community Psychology was held in the city of Durban in South Africa in 2016. The conference theme ‘Global Dialogues on Critical Knowledges, Liberation and Community’ reflected the country’s current political struggle for transformation and the connection to issues of social and economic inequality internationally. Guided by storytelling as a methodology, this paper draws on individual reflections of delegates from NAME University to explore the implications of the conference for us individually and collective in terms of teaching, research and action. We organise our collective reflections on our conference experience around two themes: the constraints and challenges of psychology teaching and training, and the value and challenges associated with critical and contextualised approaches to community psychologies. Drawing on these reflections, the implications for teaching, research and practice is discussed as well as the importance of forging spa...
Specifically, we appreciate the conceptual leadership, as well as substantial practical support, ... more Specifically, we appreciate the conceptual leadership, as well as substantial practical support, provided by Steve Maillet, Dave Wells, Deborah Fewster and Nick Johns. We thank all students, staff and parents who gave generously of their time and their insights.
This report is the first phase of a two-phase action research project titled Building Activist Ca... more This report is the first phase of a two-phase action research project titled Building Activist Capacities of Young People Through Issue-based Campaigns. The report explores key social issues facing young people aged 16 to 25 in Victoria, Australia, and examines how they respond to these issues. This study aims to better understand young people’s experiences of voice, the contexts and conditions in which they can cultivate their voices for social change, and where their voices resonate.
This paper argues that developing strong relationships is an important precursor to research bein... more This paper argues that developing strong relationships is an important precursor to research being able to be done. We introduce the concept of relationshipwork as an integral part of the research process. The funded project that provides the context for this argument considers how the educational experiences of young people incarcerated into the youth justice system can be improved. Little has been written about enabling relationships that allow quality research to begin. This paper outlines the significance of the positive interactions with people that make it possible for research to be undertaken. The importance of the relationships developed between members of our research team and the project stakeholders is explained.The major contribution of this paper, then, is our conception of relationshipwork. We add this term to the three terms Van Maanen (1988, 2011) uses to describe the components of research: fieldwork, headwork and textwork.
The 6th International Conference on Community Psychology was held in the city of Durban in South ... more The 6th International Conference on Community Psychology was held in the city of Durban in South Africa in 2016. The conference theme ‘Global Dialogues on Critical Knowledges, Liberation and Community’ reflected the country’s current political struggle for transformation and the connection to issues of social and economic inequality internationally. Guided by storytelling as a methodology, this paper draws on individual reflections of delegates from NAME University to explore the implications of the conference for us individually and collective in terms of teaching, research and action. We organise our collective reflections on our conference experience around two themes: the constraints and challenges of psychology teaching and training, and the value and challenges associated with critical and contextualised approaches to community psychologies. Drawing on these reflections, the implications for teaching, research and practice is discussed as well as the importance of forging spa...
This paper analyzes aspects of the process of resilience in the lives of young people who are exp... more This paper analyzes aspects of the process of resilience in the lives of young people who are exposed to psychosocial risk in the Brazilian context. The reflections presented are grounded in the experience of a youth service that provides art activities, within a milieu of civic engagement and social participation. Through the use of arts pedagogies, this youth service aims to create emancipatory dynamics and disrupt oppressive social structures for young Brazilians experiencing disadvantage. Using a qualitative approach, namely interviews and a focus group, with six young people who had graduated from the youth service, we identified five themes that were associated with the youths' resilience and the role of the arts and the youth service in their lives. The findings provide a better understanding of the trajectories
A mixed methods approach was used to explore dimensions of sociopolitical development of youth in... more A mixed methods approach was used to explore dimensions of sociopolitical development of youth in El Salvador. Photovoice was used to engage 2 groups of adolescents from a rural village to document and discuss their community. Using previous theory and models of sociopolitical development as a guide, themes were identified to inform the development of a quantitative measure we call sociopolitical consciousness. New and preexisting items were combined to create a measure that reflected the themes from the qualitative data. The resulting measure was completed by 682 Salvadoran high school students across 3 different community contexts; 7 factors were subsequently identified representing both individual and collective dimensions of sociopolitical consciousness. The study demonstrates how a contextualized research process can facilitate a synergy between the emic and etic dimensions of sociopolitical development.
te Riele, K. M, & Baker, A.M. (2016) Ethical challenges in visual research in J. Moss, & B. Pini ... more te Riele, K. M, & Baker, A.M. (2016) Ethical challenges in visual research in J. Moss, & B. Pini (Eds.) Visual research in education: A critical review of the practice and politics of contemporary methods, Palgrave.
Our initial interest in developing this book stems from the place in which we find ourselves. As ... more Our initial interest in developing this book stems from the place in which we find ourselves. As a group of scholars from a range of disciplines, we have in common the place in which our university is situated, Footscray. This suburb, just west of the city of Melbourne, is a place with a dynamic and rich history, shaped by economic, cultural and social change. As a network of scholars from different disciplines, but with shared interests in the process of social change, we pondered the effects of economic, social, cultural and planned forms of change around us. Our research also intersects in terms of our focus on implications for the various groups of people in Footscray -- long term residents, service providers, shoppers, students, traders and more. We started with an interest in the intersection between global and local networks, curious about the ways the local was constitutive, and the various ways in which very differently positioned communities of people give meaning to Footscray. The questions we have been considering in light of these ongoing changes include: How have the histories of economic, cultural and social change shaped Footscray into the place that it is today and how are the current day contestations changing the landscape of this town? To what extent does it reflect the broader social contexts in the city and to what extent is locality important? These questions are central to the sense book series on “Innovations and Controversies: Investigating Educational Change” as it seeks to advance inclusive and transformative knowledge that can contribute to the disruption of privilege and promote social inclusion and equity. Footscray is a place that is being transformed and is transforming. It is in many ways unique. Dynamics centred around class and migration are particularly significant in shaping the history and the current day portrait of Footscray. The waves of cultural and ethnic migrant groups that have come to Footscray have each contributed to the diverse and dynamic fabric of this place. The earlier history of migration in the suburb has been shaped by a migration hostel that was nearby. An immigration detention centre was also located nearby, but its presence has not had the same impact on the locality. Racism and racialisation have also been part of the dynamics of Footscray. Racism and racialisation appear in many forms, but a range of groups and agencies are also contesting racism by using various forms of social intervention, advocacy, and public pedagogy. The changing ethnic and economic composition of the town also points to patterns of gentrification and ‘urban renewal’. Historically Footscray was populated by a sizable working class Anglo-European population and has since seen the settlement of a number of migrant communities including the Vietnamese and more recently those from the African diaspora. Yet it is fair to say that gentrification is now displacing some of the existing ethnic networks. Changing patterns of ethnicity point to the differing patterns of migration. There is increased development by investors from Asian countries, while there would also appear to be an increase in workers in the suburb on temporary visas. Thus class, ethnicity and racialisation are key shaping forces in Footscray but are also key to some of the ways the suburb is changing today, and the ways it is being contested today. Some of these changes are specific to Footscray. But others, including those reflective of urbanisation and gentrification of inner-cities and the contraction of heavy manufacturing, are similar to changes in other cities. We were interested in understanding Footscray as a global city and have been building knowledge toward this through research. In an initial study, we considered the range of ways differently positioned people give meaning to Footscray through diverse understandings of culture and difference, the effects of urban renewal, and the segmented physical geography which signals how different communities are carving out spaces of commerce and for social engagement in Footscray (Oke, Sonn, & McConville, 2016). This work raises further questions for us about migrancy, diaspora and place; urban renewal and gentrification; racialisation, whiteness, and place; and Indigenous people, place and memory. At the core of these questions were the concepts of place, privilege and power and the extent to which these are useful for developing deeper insight into the interconnections between place, privilege and the dynamics of identity and community making-in-place. These questions are central to the Sense book series on “Innovations and Controversies: Investigating Educational Change” as it seeks to advance inclusive and transformative knowledge that can contribute to the disruption of privilege and promote social inclusion and equity.
Uploads
Papers by Alison Baker
Footscray is a place that is being transformed and is transforming. It is in many ways unique. Dynamics centred around class and migration are particularly significant in shaping the history and the current day portrait of Footscray. The waves of cultural and ethnic migrant groups that have come to Footscray have each contributed to the diverse and dynamic fabric of this place. The earlier history of migration in the suburb has been shaped by a migration hostel that was nearby. An immigration detention centre was also located nearby, but its presence has not had the same impact on the locality. Racism and racialisation have also been part of the dynamics of Footscray. Racism and racialisation appear in many forms, but a range of groups and agencies are also contesting racism by using various forms of social intervention, advocacy, and public pedagogy. The changing ethnic and economic composition of the town also points to patterns of gentrification and ‘urban renewal’. Historically Footscray was populated by a sizable working class Anglo-European population and has since seen the settlement of a number of migrant communities including the Vietnamese and more recently those from the African diaspora. Yet it is fair to say that gentrification is now displacing some of the existing ethnic networks. Changing patterns of ethnicity point to the differing patterns of migration. There is increased development by investors from Asian countries, while there would also appear to be an increase in workers in the suburb on temporary visas. Thus class, ethnicity and racialisation are key shaping forces in Footscray but are also key to some of the ways the suburb is changing today, and the ways it is being contested today. Some of these changes are specific to Footscray. But others, including those reflective of urbanisation and gentrification of inner-cities and the contraction of heavy manufacturing, are similar to changes in other cities.
We were interested in understanding Footscray as a global city and have been building knowledge toward this through research. In an initial study, we considered the range of ways differently positioned people give meaning to Footscray through diverse understandings of culture and difference, the effects of urban renewal, and the segmented physical geography which signals how different communities are carving out spaces of commerce and for social engagement in Footscray (Oke, Sonn, & McConville, 2016). This work raises further questions for us about migrancy, diaspora and place; urban renewal and gentrification; racialisation, whiteness, and place; and Indigenous people, place and memory. At the core of these questions were the concepts of place, privilege and power and the extent to which these are useful for developing deeper insight into the interconnections between place, privilege and the dynamics of identity and community making-in-place. These questions are central to the Sense book series on “Innovations and Controversies: Investigating Educational Change” as it seeks to advance inclusive and transformative knowledge that can contribute to the disruption of privilege and promote social inclusion and equity.