New Hawke Research Institute Director
By Geraldine Hinter
Studies of regional and remote communities will be part of the research focus within the Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies, according to its new Director, Professor Alan Mayne, a historian who comes to UniSA from the University of Melbourne.
Prof Mayne has a strong record in developing a diverse and productive research culture. His studies into social life and social policy have generated extensive research networks and partnerships across academic disciplines and countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.
Modern urban history has long been a major research focus for Prof Mayne, and he is now also exploring contemporary issues of justice and social disadvantage in third world cities, where massive urban growth has brought with it a raft of infrastructure and social problems that need to be effectively addressed.
More recently, Prof Mayne’s research has broadened to include social sustainability in rural and regional communities.
“If we take Australia’s wheat belt as an example, Australia is a key player in wheat production flowing into world markets, but the benefits don’t flow back effectively in terms of social returns for those communities,” Prof Mayne said.
“I will be encouraging studies of remote and regional areas and identifying strategies that enable us to capture a sense of the vitality that harnesses grassroots energy within these communities. This includes building communication links with remote Indigenous communities by working with them and for them,” he said.
Prof Mayne will take up his new position in March, following the retirement of Professor Alison Mackinnon in December last year.