Dr Fiona Probyn-Rapsey
BA Hons (Monash University), PhD (1999, UNSW). Research, supervision and teaching areas include human animal studies, multidisciplinary approaches to postcolonial feminism, critical whiteness studies, Australian literature and film. Convenor of GCST1602 Introducing Gender, GCST3601 Gender, Race and Australian Identities, and GCST2603 Animal/Human Cultures (offered in 2012). Current projects include research into animal/human subcultures (with Dr Jay Johnston) and Significant Others: Race and family in Australia (with Dr Vicki Grieves).
Fiona is Coordinator and Executive member of HARN: Human Animal Research Network at the University of Sydney, and also Executive Member of Minding Animals Australia.
Recipient of Brown Fellowship for 2011
Current projects include research into animal/human subcultures (with Dr Jay Johnston) and Significant Others: Race and family in Australia (with Dr Vicki Grieves).
Publications
Guest Editor
Probyn-Rapsey, F. and Anne Brewster, (2007) 'Approaching Whiteness' Edition of Australian Humanities Review No. 42. Contributors: Joseph Pugliese, Rolf de Heer, Vicki Grieves, Adam Hill, Alison Ravenscroft and Philip Morrisey. Introduction by Fiona Probyn-Rapsey and Anne Brewster.
Probyn F. and James Paull (1997) 'Spatial Issue' Edition of New Literatures Review No.34 Winter 121 pages. Contributions from Liam Davison, Paul Carter, Amanda Nettlebeck, Ruark Lewis, Gillian Tyas and Sue Best. Introduction by James Paull and Fiona Probyn pp.1-4.
Book Chapters
Probyn-Rapsey, F., 2009. ‘Putting Complicity to work for Accountability’ in Bregje van Eekelen, Begüm Özden Firat, Sarah de Mul, Sonja van Wichelen Eds. Commitment and Complicity in Cultural Theory and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Probyn-Rapsey F., 2009 “Complicity, Critique and Methodology: Australian con/texts” in David Carter Ed. Australian Literature: Theory and Criticism, Edinburgh University Press and China Ocean University Press.
Probyn-Rapsey, F., 2007. 'Playing Chicken at the Intersection: The White Critic of Whiteness' in Damien Riggs Ed. Taking Up the Challenge: Critical Race and Whiteness Studies in a Postcolonising Nation, Crawford Publishers, Adelaide, pp. 322-346.
Probyn, F. (1998). "Cancerous Bodies and Apartheid in J M Coetzee's Age of Iron", in Kossew, S. Ed. Critical Essays on J M Coetzee, G K Hall and Co., pp 214-25.
Refereed Journal Articles
2011 “Furries and the Limits of Species Identity Disorder: A Response to Gerbasi et al” in Society and Animals 19 (2011):294-301.
2011 forthcoming: “White Closets, Jangling Nerves and a biopolitics of the public secret”, Australian Literary Studies
Probyn-Rapsey, F., (2008) “The Bushman and his daughters: the cultural politics of witnessing” Antipodes:A North American Journal of Australian Literature
Probyn-Rapsey, F., (2008) “Uplifting’ White Men: Maintenance, Marriage and Whiteness in Queensland, 1900-1910” Postcolonial Studies 12.1
Probyn-Rapsey, F., (2008) 'Country Matters: Sexing the Reconciled Republic of Australia' Feminist Review (UK), Issue 89, pp. 73-86
Probyn-Rapsey, F., (2007) 'Complicity, Critique, Methodology' ARIEL: A Review of International English Literature (Canada). Vol 38.2 pp. 65-82
Probyn-Rapsey, F., (2007) 'Black Sheep Nation' ACH: Australian Cultural History 26, pp. 171-193
Probyn-Rapsey, F. (2007) 'Paternalism and Complicity: Or how not to atone for the "sins of the father"', Australian Literary Studies, 23:1, pp. 92-103
Probyn-Rapsey, F., (2007) 'Bringing them Home, Bringing Us Home: Kin-fused Reconciliation' Australian Humanities Review, Issue 42 Special Edition on Whiteness Studies.
Probyn-Rapsey, F., (2007) 'Some whites are whiter than others: The whitefella skin politics of Cecil Cook and Xavier Herbert' JASAL: Journal for the Study of Australian Literature, Special Issue 2007: Spectres, Screens, Shadows, Mirrors, pp.168-185.
Probyn-Rapsey, F. and Adam Gall (2006) 'Ivan Sen and the Art of the Road' Screen (UK), Winter 47:4, pp 425-439.
Probyn-Rapsey, F. (2006) 'Bitumen Films in Postcolonial Australia' Journal of Australian Studies 88, 97-109.
Probyn, F. (2005). The Ethics of Following and the No Road Film: Trackers, Followers and Fanatics in Australian Humanities Review, December, 37, 17 pages.
Probyn, F. (2004). "Playing Chicken at the Intersection: The White Critic in/of Critical Whiteness Studies", In Borderlands 13:2, (27 pages).
Probyn, F. (2004). "Talk towards a Postcolonial Practice of Writing: Emails with Margaret Somerville", Hecate (May).
Probyn, F. (2003)."The White Father: Paternalism, Denial and Community" Cultural Studies Review 9:1.
Probyn, F. (2002). "A Poetics of Failure is no bad thing: Stephen Muecke and Margaret Somerville's White Writing". Journal of Australian Studies.
Probyn, F. and Simpson, C. (2002). This Land is Mine/This Land is Me: Reconciling Harmonies in 'One Night the Moon'. In Senses of Cinema, May.
Probyn, F. (2002). "J M Coetzee: Writing with/out Authority". In Jouvert: A Journal of Postcolonial Studies, No. 7, October.
Probyn, F. (2002). "How does the Settler Belong?" In Westerly, v47, pp74-94.
Probyn, F. (2001). "Adam Aitken: 'Second Degree Native Informant'". In Meanjin, pp37-52.
Probyn, F. (1999). "'That Woman' Pauline Hanson and Cultural Crisis". In Australian Feminist Studies, Volume 14 pp161-171.
Probyn, F. (1996). "Cancerous Bodies and Apartheid in J M Coetzee's Age of Iron". In Antithesis, Vol.8, No.1, pp.105-121
Probyn, F. (1996). "Interview with Liam Davison - Author of 'The White Woman", New Literatures Review, No. 32, Winter pp.59-71.
Reviews in Academic Journals
Probyn, F. (2004). "A Review of Stephen Kinnane's Shadowlines". In Journal of Australian Studies 22, March
Probyn, F. (2002). "Academic Power: Altered States of Consciousness and Indigeneity". In Australian Humanities Review
Probyn, F. (2002). "A Review of Simone Lazaroo's The Australian Fiancé", In Journal of Australian Studies, No.4
Conferences
International Conferences
2011 - “Black Sheep Nation”, Berkshire Women’s History Conference, University of Amherst, Massachusetts, US.
‘Putting Complicity to work for Accountability’ at Trajectories of Commitment and Complicity, University of Amsterdam, School of Cultural Analysis, March 27-30 2006.
‘Terrorising Bodies: Alert but not Alarmed?’ Cultural Studies Association of Australasia, Christchurch NZ, 2003.
Australian Conferences
2011 “Activating Care and cultural politics of denial”, Minding Animals, Griffith University
2006. ‘Kin fused Reconciliation’ AWSA (Australian Women’s Studies Association) Conference, Mebourne. Panel called 'Love Trouble', with Linnell Secomb and Catriona Elder. Hosted by Monash University and RMIT, July 9-11th.
2006. ‘Shadowlines: Complicity, Intimacy and Historical Responsibility’ ASAL (Association for the Study of Australian Literature’, Perth. Hosted by the University of Western Australia. July 3-5th.
2004. ‘Australian No Road Movies: the Tracker films’. (Panel with Catherine Simpson, Stephen Muecke, Adam Gall) Conference of the Cultural Studies Association of Australasia, Dec 9-11, Fremantle.
On Kinship and the White Fathers (with Prof. Sarah Franklin and Paula Dobjeckie)- Gender Studies Seminar Series.
2003 "The White Fathers", Australian Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Association, Flinders University, October.
2002 "Tracking the Postcolonial Road Movie", 2002 Film and History Conference, Flinders University, Adelaide.
2000 Performing Anxieties: 'Inadequate' Academic Responses to the Hanson Phenomenon, at the Double//Edge 2000, Transforming Cultures Series, the University of Technology, Sydney, 9 December.
1997.‘”Supplying Sovereignty”: Representations of the “White Woman” in a Post-Mabo Republic’ as part of the School of English ‘Edges of English’ Staff and Student Seminar Series in Session One, 1997.
1997.‘‘That Woman”: Pauline Hanson and a Culture in/of Crisis’, given at the School of English Postgraduate Symposium II held on October 31st 1997.
Editorial Board
Australian Humanities Review
Research Grants
- 2005-2007 Australian Research Council Discovery Grant
- 2006 Research and Development Grant (University of Sydney)
- 2004 Sesquicentenary Grant (University of Sydney)
- 2003 Start Up Grant (University of Sydney)