Diversity and Creative Social Change

This strand brings together researchers – academic staff and HDR students – with interests across the fields of diversity and creative social change. Researchers in this strand concern themselves with issues of diversity: gender, race, sexuality, age, economic, religious, ability, cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and so on. While cultural diversity is a major characteristic of the Western Sydney Region, and features prominently in our research, the group also reflects important perspectives from the Global South.

Researchers in the strand use creative methodologies to understand and work with diversity: not just conventional research/policy, but also including alternative epistemologies and creative and performative practices. Creative methods are also used for research outputs and their dissemination to enable us to go beyond the precincts of language. Risk taking, to challenge and disrupt hegemonic structures and practices forms the core of the methodologies that the researchers in this strand employ within the overarching principles of social justice. The strand adopts an outward facing approach while extending solidarity and support to marginalised communities through participatory and ethical research practices.

Themes:

• Risk taking to challenge and disrupt hegemonic structures and practices
• Significance of lived experience of multiple and intersecting forms of diversity
• Diverse cultures, ontologies and epistemologies
• Using creative and performative practice to promote social change.