Associate Professor Jo Coghlan

Biography

Jo’s research uses a sociological and political lens to examine a range of popular culture forms and contexts. An interdisciplinary researcher, Jo has conducted research on a range of popular and material culture areas including gendered political fashion, death studies with a focus on death fashion, critical film and television studies with a focus on class and violence, romance studies which examine issues of representation and historical accuracy, a study of the global history of swim suits (with Dr Lisa J. Hackett), James Bond studies with a focus on material culture, framing of royalty in popular culture with a focus on gender, fashion and celebrity and representations of animals in popular culture in a post-humanist context. Jo is currently writing the history of pigs in popular culture, and along with Lisa Hackett and Huw Nolan is writing a book on the royals in popular culture (Routledge 2024).

Jo is a co-founder of UNE’s Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN), Australia’s leading popular culture research network and is an Editorial Board Member of The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture (Intellect).

The Popular Culture Research Network

The Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) brings together researchers across a variety of disciplines to further popular culture studies. Established in 2021 in response to the University of New England’s strong research output in the popular culture field, it provides a centre of excellence to showcase academic talent. It provides a venue for researchers to share and collaborate on work. PopCRN also provides publishing opportunities for those presenters who would like to extend the reach of their work.

Our symposiums have attracted scholars from around the world, working in a diverse array of disciplines, all connected through popular culture phenomena. The popular culture field stretches across a number of modes, including television, music, fashion, theatre, literature, sport and film. Popular culture is an important aspect of society to study as it reflects issues such as trends, norms, and social identity. PopCRN furthers research into the field through collaborations of its members, with a focus on interdisciplinary work. PopCRN researchers are established in their field and their work represents the cutting edge of popular culture study. Jo supervisors PhD candidates in popular culture studies.

Website: PopCRN@UN Twitter: @PopcultureUne Facebook: PopCRN UNE

Jo is a former Chair of the UNE Human Ethics Committee, former Head of Department of Social and Philosophical Inquiries in HASS and was previously the Coordinator of the Bachelor of Arts and related degrees at UNE.

Qualifications

BA. Hons (UOW), PhD (UOW), GradCertAP (SCU)

Research Interests

Current Grant

2022 – 2023 Locating Authenticity in Crime Romance Novels: Perspectives from International Readers and Writers with co-investigator Dr Lisa J. Hackett (Criminology, UNE), Romance Writers of America Academic Grant (competitive).

The focus of this research is to examine how readers and writers of contemporary crime romance fiction negotiate issues and tensions of accuracy and authenticity in the genre, and the different levels of accuracy that may be wanted by readers. Crime can occur in any romance novel, however, there is a distinct subgenre of crime romance fiction. One prominent series is Harlequin Mills & Boon’s Intrigue series which promises the reader can “[d]ive into action-packed stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Solve the crime and deliver justice at all costs” (Harlequin 2022a). Crime romance fiction can be set in any era and can occur across various romance subgenres. This research is focused on romance novels from across the spectrum that have a strong focus on crime.

Research Supervision Experience

PhD “Tassie Goth-Noir: Space and place as character in TV crime fiction” (Sociology and Media Studies)

PhD “How Tongans Use Social Media as a Platform to Emphasise and Redefine Their Concepts of the Tongan Way in a Contemporary Setting” (Sociology)

PhD “Investigating the Inclusivity and Relevance of Australian Public Holidays” (Linguistics and Sociology)

PhD “Disrupting Peace: A Critical Inquiry into Power and the Prevalence of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Conducted by UN Peacekeepers” (Sociology)

PhD “Complicity: Australian Parents’ Extra-legal Acts of Child Protection when Family Law Fails to Protect” (Sociology)

PhD “State Fragility and Violent Ends: The Case of Pakistan” (Sociology)

PhD “The displaced homemaker dilemma in Australia” (Sociology)

PhD “Problematising the Private-Public Corruption Dichotomy: A comparative analysis of six corruption cases in Australia” (Politics)

PhD “Neuroqueering Leadership” (Management and Sociology)

PhD “Culinary Connections and Collections: An International View of Mormon Cooking until the 1970s” (Sociology and Studies in Religion)

PhD “A Critical Analysis of the Common Bonds of America and Israel Foreign Relations via the Lens of the Modern Israel Lobby and its Fundamentalist Influences: A Re-examination of Mearsheimer and Walt” (Politics)

PhD “Research Articles in Sociology and Literature: A Study of Important, but Neglected, Rhetorical Elements in Introductions and Discussions in English Written by Indonesian Researchers Published in Indonesia between 2000 and 2016” (Sociology and Linguistics)

PhD “Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: An analysis of women’s shifting involvement in contemporary Australian politics” (Sociology) New England Award

PhD “Curves & A-Lines: Why Contemporary Women Choose to Wear Nostalgic 1950s style clothing” (Sociology) New England Award

PhD “The Experience of Punjabi Indians with Palliative Care at Residential Aged Care Facilities: A Regional Perspective” (Sociology)

PhD “Diaspora Capital, Capacity Development and African Development: Role of Nigerian Migrants in Australia” (Sociology and Linguistics)

MPhil “A Sociological Analysis of Leitmotif in Gothic Literature and Carl Maria Von Weber’s Opera Der Freischütz” (Sociology and Music)

MPhil “Women pilots in propaganda: A uniform approach?” (History and Sociology)

MPhil “The Representation of Women in Cartoons During World War Two: With a Special Case Study of Ron Vivian” (History and Sociology)

MPhil “Young, Vulnerable and Voiceless: A feminist analysis of child marriage in the Syrian refugee population in Jordan” (Sociology and Politics)

Honours “The displaced homemaker dilemma in Australia in 2021” (Politics). Awarded First Class. Awarded University Medal. Awarded the Arthur J Davies Prize in Politics

Publications

Hackett, L. Coghlan, J. and Nolan, H. “Sport in Popular Culture”, Sport in Society. Forthcoming. 2024. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Empire Games”, Sport in Society. Forthcoming. 2024. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. “Adaptations in Popular Culture”. Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. Forthcoming. 2024. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Cooking for American Television: Adapting women’s food labour from home to screen, 1930s-1960s”, Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. Forthcoming. 2024. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. “Barbie in Popular Culture”, M/C Journal. Forthcoming. 2024. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Barbie Eats”, M/C Journal. Forthcoming. 2024. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. in Simona Strungaru The Hidden Child Brides of the Syrian Civil War: Vulnerable and Voiceless in Human Rights Law and Practice. Springer. Monograph. In Press. 2024. Foreward.

Strungaru, S. and Coghlan, J. “The National Lockout: Impacts of Australia’s International Border Closure on Family Relationships and Notions of Citizenship”, Special Edition Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, ‘More Than Just a ‘Home’: Understanding Living Spaces on Families’, Volume 25, Emerald Publishing New York. In Press. 2024. Book chapter.

Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. The Royals in Popular Culture. Routledge Popular Culture Series. Forthcoming. 2024. Monograph.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “A Life in Uniform: The mediated images of Queen Elizabeth II, the rainbow queen”, Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. In Press 2023. Journal article.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “Swimsuits as Uniforms: Bodily Transformation, Control and Transgression”, Clothing Culture. In Press 2023. Journal article.

Hackett, L. Nolan, H. and Coghlan, J. “The Uniform: Symbols of Power, Propaganda and Organisation in Popular Culture”, Clothing Cultures. In Press 2023. Journal article.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “The Mutability of Uniform”, M/C Journal, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2968. https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/2968. 2023.Journal article.

Coghlan, J. and Hackett, L. “Parliamentary Dress: Contesting the Political Uniform”, M/C Journal, 26(1), https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2963 2023. Journal article.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “Why Monopoly Monopolises Popular Culture Board Games”, M/C Journal 26(2), https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2956. https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal. 2023. Journal article.

Coghlan, J., Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. “The World is Not Enough: The Impact of James Bond on Popular Culture”, International Journal of James Bond Studies, 6(1). https://jamesbondstudies.ac.uk/13/volume/6/issue/1. 2023. Journal article

Hackett, L., Coghlan, J. and Nolan, H. “James Bond, Gender Studies and Popular Culture Pedagogy: A Case Study”, International Journal of James Bond Studies 6(1) https://jamesbondstudies.ac.uk/13/volume/6/issue/1. 2023. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “The British Royals: A hegemonic project - Why they intrude into our daily lives” for ‘Dieu et mon droit (God and my right)’: Representations of the British royal family in popular culture – 28-29 September 2023 UNE Popular Culture Research Network. Keynote address.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan J. “The Royal Fairytale: Negotiating authenticity in royal romance novels’ for ‘Dieu et mon droit (God and my right)’: representations of the British royal family in popular culture – 28-29 September 2023. UNE Popular Culture Research Network. Conference paper.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “Conjuring Up a King: The Use of Magic and Ritual in the Coronation of King Charles III. M/C Journal, 26(5). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2986 2023. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Cooking for American Television: Adapting women’s food labour from home to screen, 1930s-1960s” Like A Version: Adaptations, Reboots and Remakes in Popular Culture, Popular Culture Research Network, 1-2 December 2023. Conference paper.

Smith, S. and Coghlan, J. “Othering the Bag-Lady: Examining Stereotypes of Vulnerable and Homeless Women in Popular Culture”, Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, 11, Issue 1-2, pp. 81-97, DOI https://doi.org/10.1386/ajpc_00052_1. 2022. Journal article.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. Editorial Special Edition “Masculinities on Film”, Film, Fashion and Consumption, 11(2), pp. 115-119, DOI:10.1386/ffc_00042_2. 2022. Journal article.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “The Mad Kings of The Royals: Fashioning Madness in Royal Popular Culture Television”, Film, Fashion and Consumption, 11(2), pp. 139-153, DOI:10.1386/ffc_00044_1. 2022. Journal article.

Rall, D. Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. Boyd, A. “Dressing Up: Two Democratic First Ladies - Fashion as Political Performance in America”, [reprinted] Fashion, Women and Power: The Politics of Dress, ed. Denise N. Rall with Jo Turney, pp. 99-114, Intellect, UK. ISBN 978-1-78938-461-1. 2022. Book chapter.

Coghlan, J. “Love You To Death: Romance in the Disaster Film Genre”, Will You Be My Valentine? Romance, Love and Lust in Popular Culture, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Virtual Symposium, 10 February 2022. Conference paper.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “A Day in Uniform: How the Queen’s Clothing Signifies her Role and Status”, See and Be Seen: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Storytelling and Identity in Popular Culture, Popular Culture Research Centre, Auckland University of Technology, 13-14 September 2022. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. “Pigs Must Die: Pigs in Popular Culture”, If We Could Talk to the Animals: Representations of Fauna in Popular Culture, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Virtual Symposium, 6-7 October 2022. Conference paper.

Hackett, Lisa J; Coghlan, J. “Bubbles”, M/C Journal, 24(1), ISSN:1441-2616 10.5204/mcj.2763 https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/31207. 2021. Journal article.

Hackett, L., Coghlan, J. “The History Bubble: Negotiating Authenticity in Historical Romance Novels” M/C Journal, 24(1) ISSN:1441-2616 10.5204/mcj.2752. https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/31208 2021. Journal article.

Heurich, A. Coghlan, J. “The Canberra Bubble: A Toxic Gender Culture” M/C Journal, 24(1), ISSN:1441-2616 10.5204/mcj.2749. https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/31209. 2021. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Liminal Sewing: Political Sewing on the Fringes”, Popular Icons, Popular Tales: A Mini-Symposium on Popular Culture, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, 1st-2nd September 2021. Conference paper.

Nolan, H. and Coghlan, J. “Retrospective Sympathy for the Devil: Re-imaging Villains”, Halloween and everything in between: Explorations of the horror, gothic and things that go bump in the night, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Inaugural Virtual Symposium, 28th October 2021. Conference paper.

Rall, D. N., and Coghlan, J. Editorial “Rage”, M/C Journal, 22(1). ISSN:1441-2616 10.5204/mcj.1497 https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/31206. 2019. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Dissent Dressing: The Colour and Fabric of Political Rage” M/C Journal, 22(1). ISSN:1441-2616 10.5204/mcj.1497 https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/31206. 2019. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Rebranded Pauline Hanson: A Party of Policy or Protest?” The Rise of Right-Populism: Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and Australian Politics, ed. Bligh Grant, Tod Moore and Tony Lynch, pp. 179-199, ISBN:9789811326707 10.1007/978-981-13-2670-7_9 https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/31227. 2019. Book chapter.

Coghlan, J. “Dead Women Walking: Shoes, Gender and Death from Jessica Mitford to Aretha Franklin”, Gothic Journeys: Paths, Crossings and Intersections, Gothic Association New Zealand and Australia (GANZA), Surfers Paradise, Australia, 22-23 January 2019. Conference paper.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “Regal Queens and Spoilt Princesses: Dressing Royal Women on Television”, Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand (POPCAANZ), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, 3rd-5th July 2019. Conference paper.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “Mad Kings: Using costume to code royal power for television audiences”, The 6th International Conference of the European Popular Culture Association, University of Limerick, Ireland, 16th-18th July 2019. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. “The Power of Colour: Women highlighting disparity in political representation”, Shifting Identities, Political Change, and the Idea of the ‘Nation’, Australian Political Science Association National Conference, Flinders University, 22-25 September 2019. Conference paper.

Hackett, L. and Coghlan, J. “Waves and Bridges: A New Approach to Mixed Methods Research Design in Material Culture Studies”, Mixed Methods International Research Association, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand, 4-6 December 2019. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. “Building epistemological bridges for postgraduate supervision in Material Culture studies: A reflection on mixed methods practice”, Mixed Methods International Research Association, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand, 4-6 December 2019. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. “Men in Uniforms: The Fashion of Power and Authority”, Millennial Masculinities: Queers, Pimp Daddies and Lumbersexuals, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand, 10-11 December 2019. Conference Paper.

Coghlan, J. “Michelle Obama’s Political Body: Reimagining the Myth of American Womanhood”, Personas and Places: Negotiating Myths, Stereotypes and National Identities, ed. J. Raphael, C. Lam and S. Redmond, pp. 79-96, ISBN:9780993993893 https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/31228 2018. Book chapter.

Rall, D. Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. Boyd, A. “Dressing up” Two democratic First Ladies - Fashion as political performance in America”, The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture,
7(2), p. 273-287, issn:2045-5860 10.1386/ajpc.7.2.273_1. 2018. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Australian Ways of Dressing the Dead: The Body, Social Practice, and Material Culture in Contemporary Australia”, The Politics of Death, Centre for Death and Society, Bath University, England, 6-8 June 2018. Conference paper.

Hackett, L., and Coghlan J. “Fashioned Human Bodies and Fashioned Car Bodies: A Study in Material Culture”, Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand (POPCAANZ), University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, 2-4 July 2018. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. “Melania Trump’s Fashioned Political Body: Race, Celebrity and Culture in Donald Trump’s America”, The Politics of Dress: I really don’t care, do U?”, University of Adelaide, Australia, 28 October 2018. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. and Rall, D.  “The Pussy Hat Project: American Women March on Washington D.C. to take on Donald Trump”, Bridging Gaps: National Identity in Persona, Branding, and Activism, University of West Australia, Perth, Australia, 8-10 December 2017. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. “Michelle Obama’s Political Body: Reimagining the Myth of American Womanhood”, Bridging Gaps: National Identity in Persona, Branding, and Activism, University of West Australia, Perth, Australia, 8-10 December 2017. Conference Paper.

Coghlan, J. “Conceptualizing (re)Worked narratives of the American Family: From the American Dream to American Decay in ‘new’ Television”, The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, 5(1), pp. 33-48, issn:2045-5860 10.1386/ajpc.5.1.33_1 https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20692 2016. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. Hawryluk, L. and Whitaker, L. “Six Feet Under: A Gothic Reading in Liminality, Death and Grief”, Aeternum: The Journal of Contemporary Gothic Studies, 3(1), p. 16-32, issn:2324-4895 https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20712. 2016.  Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Excitable Speech and Performance of the Real on the Heterotopian US Political Stage”, Performance of the Real, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. 2016. Conference paper.

Thompson, L. and Coghlan, J. “Neoliberalism by Stealth: Exposing the Flaw of Neoliberal Understandings of ‘Freedom’”, Social Alternatives, 34(3), p. 60-66, issn:0155-0306 https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20806 2015. Journal article.

Coghlan, J. “Liminality, Grief and the Dead in Six Feet Under: Better Living Through Death”, Death, Dying and the Undead: Contemporary Approaches and Practices, Australian Death Studies Network, University of Southern Queensland, Noosa. 2015. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. “A Critical Discourse Analysis of ‘New’ Television: From the American Dream to American Decay”, Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand (POPCAANZ), Massey University, Wellington. 2015. Conference paper.

Coghlan, J. “Mandatory Detention: Twenty Years of Inhuman Public Policy”, in Asylum Seekers and Immigration Detention: Issues in Society, ed. J. Healy. ISBN:9781922084033. 2013. Book chapter.

Coghlan, J. “Immigration Policy” in The Story of the 2-13 Election: Insights and Analysis from Australia’s Leading Minds, ed. H. Sykes. ISBN: 9780987480713. 2013. Book chapter.

Coghlan, J., Minns, J., and A. Wells, Seeking Asylum: Asylum Seekers and Politics in a Globalising World, Halstead Press. ISN9781920831509. 2005. Edited book.

Coghlan, J. and Iredale, R. “Australia and Asia: Refugees Practices and Policies” in Seeking Asylum: Asylum Seekers and Politics in a Globalising World, ed. J. Coghlan, J. Minns, and A. Wells, Halstead Press. ISN9781920831509. 2005. Book chapter.

Coghlan, J. “In their voices: Experiences of Australia’s Mandatory Detention Policies”, in Seeking Asylum: Asylum Seekers and Politics in a Globalising World, ed. J. Coghlan, J. Minns, and A. Wells, Halstead Press. ISN9781920831509. 2005. Book chapter.

Popular Culture Research Network Symposia

CFP: Guilty Pleasures: Examining Crime in Popular Culture Online Conference 2-3 May 2024. Abstracts due 29 Feb 2024.

CFP: “Field of Dreams”: The Popular Culture of Sports 25-26 July 2024. Abstracts due 30 April 2024

CFP: “I canna’ change the laws of physics”: Depictions of Science in Popular Culture 16-17 October 2024. Abstracts due 31 July 2024.

CFP: “London Calling”: The British Capital in Popular Culture 5-6 December 2024. Abstracts due 30 September 2024.

CFP: History and Nostalgia: The 1950s in popular culture 28-29 March 2025. Abstracts due 31 January 2025.

2023 Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. "Like a Version: Adaptations, Reboots and Remakes in Popular Culture”, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Symposium, 1-2 December.

2023 Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H .“Dieu er mon droit (God and my right: Representations of the British Royal family in Popular Culture”, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Symposium, 28-29 September.

2023 Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. "Flying High: Aviation in Popular Culture”, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) and Aviation Cultures Symposium, 21 June.

2023 Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. "The Uniform: Symbols of Power, Propaganda and Organisation in Popular Culture”, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Symposium, 20 April.

2022 Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. "If We Could Talk to the Animals: Representations of Fauna in Popular Culture”, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Symposium, 6-7 October.

2022 Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. "The World is Not Enough: The Impact of James Bond on Popular Culture”, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Symposium, 26 May.

2022 Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. "Will You Be My Valentine? Romance, Love and Lust in Popular Culture”, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Symposium, 10 February.

2021 Coghlan, J. Hackett, L. and Nolan, H. "Halloween and everything in between: Explorations of the horror, gothic and things that go bump in the night”, UNE Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) Inaugural Symposium, 28th October.

External Profiles

• Google Scholar Profile
• ORCid Profile

Further Information

Honours and Postgraduate areas of supervision and marking interest include:

• Popular Culture
• Media, film and television
• Political Sociology
• Sociology of the Family
• Social Policy
• Australian Politics
• Human Rights and Refugee studies
• Gender
• Fashion
• Death studies
• Food studies
• Gothic studies
• British royals and celebrity studies
• Animal studies