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Great divide shuts Australia out, says visiting academic

May 31, 2005

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Australia’s identity has far more in common with South Africa and Argentina than with Europe and North America, according to a visiting academic at The University of New England.
Professor Bob Connell, author and co-author of 18 books, believes Australian social scientists have “embedded” their view of the world using models from Europe and the US and this has led to a paradox; for while Australia is a rich, industrialised nation, similar to the US and European countries, its history and culture is more aligned with South Africa and Argentina.
“We should re-orientate our social inquiry so it is more relevant to the world in which we live,” Professor Connell said.
He will deliver his lecture, “Southern Theory: Thinking from Outside the Metropole” on Friday, June 3 at the Paul Barrett Lecture Theatre at UNE from 12.30pm.
The lecture is part of the Sociology Seminar Series and has been organised by Prfoessor Kerry Carrington.
UNESEX spokeswoman Dr Gail Hawkes said Professor Connell’s visit to UNE provided a rare and great opportunity to listen to a leading social scientist.
Professor Connell is based at the University of Sydney and has spoken at conferences across the globe.
He is renowned for his research on masculinity and gender equality. His other fields of study include neo-liberalism, globalisation and intellectuals.

Said Professor Connell: “In the 19th Century, Australia was seen as a symbol of primitiveness.
“Now, however, Australia is totally ignored in metropole sociology, even though Australia imports much of its ideas from the metropole.”
The metropole is largely made up of the rich, industrialised countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including Britain, Europe and the US. Although Australia is also rich and industrialised, it is also a post-colonial nation, separating it from many other countries forming the Metropole.
As well as ignoring Australian social science, Professor Connell said the Metropole also ignored Muslim theorists over the past 150 years or so.
“This is not good, since there is a powerful and fascinating cultural change happening there and Muslim theorists are simply not being read in Europe and the US,” Professor Connell said.
For more information phone Professor Carrington on 6773 3519 or
Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at May 31, 2005 10:17 AM