RUSSIC

Research Unit for the Study of Societies in Change (RUSSIC) is a multidisciplinary research and teaching unit within the Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University.

RUSSIC examines processes of social and cultural transformation associated with global economic change to better understand the full dimensions of development and underdevelopment. The Unit, while maintaining an emphasis on development related issues, seeks to broaden its approach to these issues by incorporating some of the newer perspectives to the study of changing societies. It recognises for example that processes of globalisation are making the earlier tripartite division of the world less tenable, and seeks to draw out theoretical and practice implications for the study of societies in change.

Our aims and objectives

  • encourage inter-disciplinary and comparative approaches to the study of communities and societies in change, and, towards this end, promote scholarly cooperation and collaborative research within the University and with external agencies;
  • examine how the prevailing academic and institutional discourse has defined and delimited issues of poverty, power and social inequality;
  • encourage critical debate about old and new approaches to the study of societies in change by supporting and advancing research and scholarly debate on these issues;
  • actively seek funding to support the research activities of the Unit.

Management committee members

View our management committee members

Co-Directors

Dr Aileen Hoath
PhD (Curtin)
Senior Research Fellow, Curtin Graduate School of Business (CGSB), Curtin University.
A.Hoath@exchange.curtin.edu.au
Research interests: power, equity and environmental and social justice, processes of belonging, mobility, displacement and resilience in the development and conservation of environment and natural resources. Indonesia and Australia.

Dr Gina Koczberski
PhD (Sydney)
Senior Research Fellow, Department of Planning and Geography, School of Built Environment, Curtin University
G.Koczberski@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: PNG and the Pacific; migration; regional development; and gender and development.

Management committee members

Dr Greg Acciaioli
PhD (ANU)
Senior Lecturer, School of Social and Cultural Studies, University of Western Australia
Gregory.Acciaioli@uwa.edu.au
Research Interests: Environmental anthropology, world indigeneity, development and resistance, socio-economic contestations in and around National Parks and Reserves

Dr Ian Chalmers
Ph.D. (ANU)
RUSSIC Research Associate
RUSSIC, Curtin University
Ian.mc.chalmers@gmail.com
Research interests: Political economy of development in Southeast Asia, Indonesian Studies, the politics of religion, Islamisation in Asia.

Dr Shaphan Cox
PhD (Curtin)
Lecturer, Department of Planning and Geography, School of Built Environment, Curtin University
S.Cox@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: urban geography, human interactions with space and place, indigenous issues.

Professor George Curry
PhD (UNE)
Professor of Geography
Department of Planning and Geography, School of Built Environment, Curtin University
G.Curry@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: PNG and Pacific; food security; regional development; and rural resource planning.

Dr Amanda Davies
PhD (UWA)
Lecturer, Department of Planning and Geography, School of Built Environment, Curtin University
A.Davies@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: Population growth, migration, rural and regional development, industry change

Associate Professor Jaya Earnest
PhD (Curtin)
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Curtin University
J.Earnest@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: Education and health reform in post-conflict nations, refugee and migrant health, participatory and empowerment research, social and cultural issues affecting women and youth.

Emeritus Professor Roy Jones,
PhD (Manchester)
Faculty of Humanities
R.jones@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: how and why places change and the impacts of such change on their populations and environments. Much of his early work, including his secondment to the federal government in Canberra focussed on aspects of regional disadvantage. Tourism and leisure, with a particular focus on heritage and cultural issues

Dr Tod Jones
PhD (Curtin)
Senior Lecturer, Department of Planning and Geography, School of Built Environment, Curtin University
T.jones@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: sustainable tourism, cultural and heritage policy in Australia and Indonesia, Aboriginal arts and heritage issues.

Dr Marilyn Metta
PhD (Curtin)
Lecturer, School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts, Curtin University
M.Metta@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: Lifewriting, Feminist & Women studies, Gender & Cultural studies, Asian Australian studies, Psychotherapy and Counselling – Family & Domestic Violence

Dr Ali Mozaffari
PhD (UWA)
Australia-Asia-Pacific Institute (AAPI) Research Fellow, Humanities Research and Graduate Studies, Curtin University
A.Mozaffari@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: Imagination and place making, cultural heritage, Iranian studies, Museum Studies, Architectural design and Urban design.

Adjunct Professor Bob Pokrant
PhD (Cambridge)
School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts, Curtin University.
B.Pokrant@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: Fisheries and aquaculture in India and Bangladesh, coastal development in South Asia, disasters, and development and the global food system.

Associate Professor Fay Rola-Rubzen
PhD (UNE)
Deputy Dean, Research and Development, Curtin Business School, Curtin University
F.Rola-Rubzen@curtin.edu.au
Research interests: Rural development, smallholder farming systems, small business entrepreneurship, marketing and agribusiness systems analysis, supply chain analysis and development, linking farmers to market, impact assessment (poverty & social impact assessment), monitoring and evaluation, economic analysis of projects, poverty and gender issues.

Dr Sudeep Thing
PhD (Curtin)
Research Associate, Department of Planning and Geography, School of Built Environment, Curtin University
Sudeep.Janathing@curtin.edu.au
Research Interests: Indigenous Peoples; political ecology; Management/governance of natural resources