School of Politics & International Relations
Out of Harm’s Way: How Australian Music Venues and DIY Events Make Safe Spaces (Emma Crocker, ANU) title
Australian music venues, bars, and DIY (do-it-yourself) music events post ‘safe space’ policies to walls, Instagram pages, and bathroom doors. These policies invite event attendees to think of themselves as being within a distinct safe space. What differentiates these spaces from other venues is not readily observable. So, how are safe spaces made? What makes them different from any other event space? Are they different at all?
How Cases Speak to One Another: Using Translation to Rethink Generalization in Political Science Research (Nicholas Rush Smith, CUNY) title
Regardless of method, political scientists often seek to develop arguments that can be generalized to a population of cases. But is this the only way to think about how cases speak to one another? We advocate for a new way to think about how qualitative research produces broadly applicable insights: translation.
What’s to know about politics? Positivism and tradition in Australian undergraduate program and course descriptions (William Howe, ANU) title
How do Australian universities today communicate to potential and new students what constitutes fundamental knowledge in the study of politics? In this talk I discuss results of research on required or core undergraduate course descriptions in political science; international relations; and, politics, philosophy and economics across five Australian universities. I describe how the program descriptions treat students as rational actors who want knowledge about politics for high-status employment.
The Will of the People Revisited title
The notion of the “will of the people” has long been at the centre of populist conceptions of democracy, but it has taken on renewed salience in recent years, with the rise of populist movements. Following the UK’s 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union, for instance, references to “the will of the people” became ubiquitous in British politics.
Carrots and Sticks title
How voter loyalty and electoral opportunities shape parties' policy priorities in Europe
Political parties often adjust their policy agendas in response to changing electoral landscapes, balancing the need to appeal to new voters against the importance of retaining loyal supporters. While these patterns are generally well-documented in the literature, the specific impact of voter availability on the electoral market remains underexamined.
The 2024 USA Presidential Election title
On 5 November, the United States will witness one of the most competitive and unprecedented presidential elections in recent history: From Donald Trump’s distinctive campaigning style to the unexpected Democratic nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside politically motivated violence and increasing political polarisation among the American electorate, the future of American democracy seems uncertain.
Historical ethnography and the study of elites (Rod Rhodes, Southampton) title
In principle, it is possible to observe British elites in action, but such access is rare. Therefore, Rhodes’s study of court politics is not ethnographic in the conventional sense as it does not rely on participant observation or deep immersion. However, it still seeks to understand the webs of significance that people spin for themselves; it is interpretive. The book uses eclectic methods for data collection, employing a ragbag of tools; whatever works best.
How to Do Interpretive Research: Insights for PhD Students and Early Career Researchers in the Social Sciences (Colette Einfeld & Helen Sullivan, ANU) title
Interpretive research unfolds differently to conventional dissertations and research projects that many ‘how to books’ are aimed at. This presentation draws on the contents of a forthcoming edited book about the experiences of those doing interpretive and critical research in different stages of their academic careers. Each chapter is written in a narrative style, sharing experiences, stories, and vignettes about the topic, serving as both a resource and a useful and supportive guide on how to do interpretive work.
Interpretive Political Science as a Tool for Understanding Policy Making in Practice (Sarah Ball, Melbourne) title
Policy-making is an ongoing process of negotiation and mediation of meaning but this side of policy often goes unnoticed, made up of ‘hundreds of practical judgments, the everyday, taken-for-granted-routines and practices’ (Wagenaar). This research draws on key concepts from Bevir and Rhodes’s interpretive political science to bring to light how traditions shape this process of meaning making within the public sector, and how this can explain why some interpretations of policy concepts gain traction over others.