Social science and humanities researchers in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Charles Sturt University are interested in exploring a wide range of research focusing on social change, psychosocial wellbeing, community resilience, and environmental justice. A transformative approach is adopted to reflect underpinning research principles relating to holism, diversity, relationality, and the questioning of dominant assumptions. The group’s research efforts are guided by Yindyamarra Winhanganha – ‘the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in’ - and the University’s ethos - ‘for the public good’ (DET, 2017).

The group’s projects include collaborative research in partnership with individuals, groups, organisations, communities, government and global entities. Strengths-based and outcomes focused research as well as theory-building projects are undertaken to explore topics such as (but not limited to):

• Wellbeing e.g. health, mental health, ability and disability;
• Development across the lifespan e.g. healthy ageing, children and young people;
• Indigenous Australian and First Nations’ knowledges;
• Rural communities;
• Sex and gender e.g. patriarchal power, privilege and diversity;
• Sustainability and the environment;
• Cultural diversity and multicultural communities;
• Professional practice e.g. identity, education and praxis.

A range of theoretical frameworks underpin the group’s research endeavours, including critical social theory, feminist theory, complex systems theory and post-conventional approaches. Qualitative methodology and mixed-methods approaches are used in the group’s projects.

The group is committed to sharing knowledge through quality publications and research outputs, external collaborations, as well as professional development activities with a range of local, national and international partners. As an active, diverse group of peers from a range of disciplines, there is also a strong commitment to supporting other researchers, including early career researchers and postgraduate students at all levels. The wide-ranging nature of the group’s research is in alignment with the intersecting aims of the University’s research strategy – resilient people, flourishing communities and sustainable environments.