Research Projects

No place like home? A phenomenology of racialised non-belonging – Dr Helen Ngo 

Racism is an urgent problem in Australian society, yet its existential effects and how the persistent experience of racism can engender a feeling of non-belonging remain poorly understood. This project seeks to better understand the experience of racialised non-belonging through the conceptual frame of ‘home’, which provides an essential link for understanding racism not just as a political problem, but an ontological one. In doing so, this project will contribute original research on racism’s existential impact, which will help guide more robust anti-racist efforts in the pursuit of a more racially just society. 

Constituent power in federal constitutions – A/Prof George Duke 

This research aims to better understand the ways federal constitutions are adopted and approved by ‘the people’ of the country – both the multiple peoples of the constituent states and the singular people of the federation. A clearer understanding of these issues will influence the way governments and the courts apply and interpret federal constitutions, including the Australian constitution. It will also contribute to discussion about the roles of the people(s) in constitutional amendment and reform.