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Thesis Topics and Supervisors - Politics

The following is a list of politics postgraduates and their thesis topics. If you are a postgraduate student in politics and would like to have your name added or removed from this list, or if you would like to have your email or and abstract listed as well, you can do so simply by contacting our Postgraduate Coordinator Sue.Stevenson@monash.edu

PhD

Name Thesis Title / Topic Supervisor/s
Stephen Acreman Reflective composition: An object-oriented account of political judgment Dr Michael Janover / Dr Paul Muldoon
Derya Dilara Akguner Secularism, Democracy and Identity Conflict in Turkey - The case of the Istanbul's Urban Elite Greg Barton / Peter Lentini
Kamilia Al-Eriani From Islam to political contention: Islamic militancy in Yemen Dr Ben MacQueen / Prof. Greg Barton / Prof. Charles Schmitz
Waleed Aly A theory of causality for global terrorism through the application of structuration theory (lapsed under reg. 18.2) Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Michael Janover
Virginie Andre Framing separatist terrorism in Thailand, from 1960s-2006: Collision, collusion, convergence Dr Pete Lentini / Prof. Greg Barton
Samantha Balaton-Chrimes Statelessness and the political in Africa Dr Michael Janover / Dr Paul Muldoon
Kate Barrelle From terrorist to citizen: How people move on from violent extremism Prof. James Walter / Dr Ben MacQueen / Prof. Greg Barton
Nathan Bell Ethics in hospitality: Possibilities of Levinas, impossibilities of Derrida Dr Michael Janover / Dr Paul Muldoon
Silvio Bonazinga The idea of practice in the political thought of Michael Oakeshott (lapsed under reg. 18.2) Dr Michael Janover / Dr Paul Muldoon
Alex Burns The evolution of strategic culture in counter-terrorism studies Dr Ben MacQueen / Dr Andy Butfoy / Dr Luke Howie
Annie Chan After 50+ years of independency (1947-2000), why is China is more advanced compared to India in the area of economic growth and infrastructure building? Dr Irfan Ahmad
Philip Chubb Digging deep: The implementation of climate change policy in coal mining regions Dr Paul Strangio / Prof. James Walter
Marina Cominos The question of political philosophy in Nietzsche (lapsed under reg. 18.2) Dr Michael Janover / Dr Paul Muldoon
Lara Elmaoula Islamism: Political theory or political façade? Dr Ben MacQueen / Dr Remy Davison
Netra Eng Accountability and decentralization: A study of district councils in Cambodia Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn / Prof. David Chandler / Dr Andrew Cock
Nick Faulkner Thinking, feeling and acting like a citizen of the world: The psychology of cosmopolitanism Prof. James Walter / Dr Michael Ure
Philip Gregory Australian intelligence liaison – Communication, exchange and co-operation in Southeast Asia: A critical history of the development of the Australian intelligence community and an Australian intelligence culture Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Terry MacDonald
Breck Hilton Should Australia adopt a hedging strategy regarding China? Dr Nick Economou / Dr Remy Davison
Renee Hindmarsh Real riches or fool’s gold? Doing business in China Dr Dennis Woodward / Prof. Bruce Jacobs / Dr Joel Atkinson
Michele Huppert Religious fundamentalisms in the 21st century: Solutions to the problems of identity in a globalised world Dr Michael Janove / Dr Irfan Ahmad
Alpha Lisimba PRC’s rising role in Africa: New resources politics in the ‘Dark Continent’? Dr Ben MacQueen / Dr Remy Davison
Usep Matin The management and use of Hadis Collections: A comparative study between the Shi’ite and Sunnite Hadis Collections Dr Julian Millie / Prof. Greg Barton / Dr Irfan Ahmad
Shayn McCallum The social-democratic deficit: Has Europe passed over its ‘social-democratic’ moment Dr Michael Janover / Dr Paul Muldoon
Bruce McFarlane Understanding the radicalization process – How online communications systems and literature affect this process and how to manage it Prof. Greg Barton / Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Simon Moss
Nashid Monir The political economy of corruption: The case of tax evasion in Bangladesh Assoc. Prof. Sharif As-Saber  / Dr Terry MacDonald
Ela Ogru Citizenship and identity: Young Africans in Australia Dr Pete Lentini / Prof. Greg Barton
Mary O'Kane Towards a theory of transversal politics: Exploring the agency of activist-refugees of Burma (lapsed under reg. 18.2) Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn / Dr Paul Muldoon / Dr Terry MacDonald
Allan Orr   The mythology of counter-insurgency Dr Andy Butfoy / Dr Ben MacQueen
Lachlan Pender    The Clausewitzian operation of strategic culture in the contemporary strategic environment: An examination of the operation of strategic culture in the Russian campaign of the Chechen conflict (lapsed under reg. 18.2) Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Andy Butfoy
Alexandra Phelan ‘Deradicalisation’: Areas of ‘success’, setbacks and what we can learn thus far Dr Ben MacQueen / Dr Pete Lentini
Nicola Pitt The (never) good-enough mother in 21st century US and China Prof. Lenore Manderson
Ahmet Polat Islamic philosophy and civic society activism: The differences between the secular schools associated with the Gulen Movement and Islamic schools in the secular states Prof. Greg Barton / Dr Salih Yucel
Cemen Polat The Gulen Movement’s educational philanthropy: Schools as social business enterprises Prof. Greg Barton / Prof. Irfan Ahmad / Dr Muhammed Cetin
Laura Portaro Deconstructing development: Exploring the Use of Gender-Responsive Language and the Reality of Current Development Practices Adopted by the United Nations in Cambodia Dr Terry MacDonald / Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn
Rasita Purba Decentralised education policies in Indonesia: A case study of two districts in Lombok Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn / Dr Craig Thorburn
Johann Rossouw Western modernity and Bernard Stiegler’s otium of the people Dr Michael Janover / Dr Paul Muldoon / Dr Pieter Duvenage
Justin Shearer State failure and small arms control as a conflict management strategy Dr Remy Davison / Dr Andy Butfoy
Veronica Sheen Living insecurity: Precarious Employment and Midlife Women (under examination) Prof. James Walter / Prof. Carla Lipsig-Mumme
Debra Smith Resituating emotion in the understanding of terrorist violence Prof. James Walter / Dr Michael Janover
David Tittensor New Islamic philanthropy and the vision of social development through self-development: A study of the Gulen Movement in Turkey (under examination) Prof. Greg Barton / Dr Pete Lentini
Cedomir Vignjevic The relationship of Serbia and Montenegro between 1992-2002 (lapsed under reg. 18.2) Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Dennis Woodward
Bill Walker Aid as ‘power of the people’: Designing participatory governance in local service delivery – the case of citizen voice and action Dr Terry MacDonald / Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn
Ben Whiteley Diversity, conflict and interpretation: Questioning value pluralism (lapsed under reg. 18.2) Dr Michael Janover / Dr Paul Muldoon
Rachel Woodlock The impact of religiosity on settlement and inclusion of Muslims in Australia Prof. Greg Barton / Prof. Gary Bouma / Dr Pete Lentini
Lorna Wright Politics, profits and power: Class and inequality in Hong Kong (external) Prof. James Walter / Prof. Joseph Cheng
Mokhammad Yahya Contemporary Indonesian Islamism: Genealogy of Islamist politics in Indonesia Dr Julian Millie / Prof. Greg Barton

Master of Arts (Research)

Name Thesis Title / Topic Supervisor/s
Sarah Barr The professional politician and party theory Dr Nick Economou / Dr Dennis Woodward
John Cooney Is killing the sine non qua of terrorism? (lapsed) Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Matt Tomlinson
Michael Krause The sub-Saharan plague: Small arms and light weapons in the Mano River Basin Dr Andy Butfoy / Dr Remy Davison
Kuldeep Kumar Tribal insurgency and counterinsurgency in Tripura in the 21st Century: An Indian case study of police-led counterinsurgency initiatives (under examination) Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Ben MacQueen
Melanie Larcombe The international response to nuclear, biological and chemical terrorism: The case of UN Resolution 1540 Dr Andy Butfoy / Dr Terry MacDonald
Judy Maddigan After the vote: The forgotten political history of Victorian women Prof. Jim Walter / Dr Paul Strangio
Alex Phillips Populist leadership in Australia and American during the Great Depression, with Huey Long and Jack Lang as case studies Dr Paul Strangio / Prof. James Walter
Tim Stoney The rise of Jemaah Islamyiah in Southeast Asia (lapsed) Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Remy Davison

Completed

Name Thesis Title / Topic Supervisor(s) Level Year
Damon Alexander Pauline Hanson's One Nation and the far right tradition in Australia Assoc. Prof. Brian Costar PhD 2006
Armig Arslanian Obstacles to peace: Israel, the Palestinians and the roadmap to peace Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Shahram Akbarzadeh MA 2005
Muhammad Bakashmar  Government control and the judiciary in Malaysia Dr Pete Lentini / Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville PhD 2008
Caner Bakir The politics of banking policy in Australia: The Wallis Inquiry, the Australian Prudential Authority and the Four Pillars Policy Dr Dennis Woodward / Dr Graeme Hodge and Prof. Michael Skully PhD 2003
Rebecca Barlow Universal human rights and the 'Muslim question': An inquiry into the Iranian women's movement Dr Michael Janover / Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh / Dr Terry MacDonald (PhD 2009
Emma Baulch Making scenes: Reggae, punk and death metal in 1990s Bali Dr Pete Lentini PhD 2003
Kylie Baxter Al Muhajiroun: Testing the limits of Islamism in the West Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh / Dr Andy Butfoy PhD 2007
Marko Beljac On the problems of knowledge and freedom: International relations theory and emancipation (under examination) Dr Michael Janover PhD 2008
Marko Beljac US nuclear deterrence and international security: Extended deterrence, escalation dominance and world order Dr Andy Butfoy MA 2001
Alex Caples Habitus, globalisation and the shaping of Australian foreign policy Dr Pete Lentini / Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville PhD 2006
Eshani Chakraborty Reinterpreting resistance: Women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Struggle, Bangladesh Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn / Dr Liz Reed PhD 2007
Damien Cheong Political survival and the Palestinian leadership 1994-2004 Dr Michael Janover / Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh PhD 2009
Benoit Cottenceau 'La Bombe' in New Zealand's backyard Dr Hyam Gold MA 2001
Ambrose Crowe War and conflict: The Australian Vietnam Veterans Association Prof. Brian Costar PhD 2004
Santo Darmosumarto Chinese foreign policy towards Southeast Asia in the post-Tiananmen period 1989-1995 Dr Dennis Woodward PhD 2005
Sue Downie Peace-keeping, peace-building and development: Lessons from Cambodia and East Timor Dr Andy Butfoy PhD 2004
Edward Eastwood The Dilemma of the mid-sized superpower ally: Australia-Taiwan relations Dr Dennis Woodward MA 2003
Tzvi Fleischer Great power cooperative management of regional conflict: A new theoretical approach Dr Andy Butfoy / Dr Richard Devetak PhD 2006
Rebecca Foley The challenge of contemporary Muslim women activists in Malaysia Dr Sue Blackburn PhD 2002
Tabitha Frith Reflexive Islam: The rationalisation and re-enchantment of religious identity in Malaysia Dr Paul James PhD 2001
Zareh Ghazarian Minor details: A comparative study of the minor parties in the Australian Senate and their affect on Australian politics (under examination) Dr Nick Economou / Dr Dennis Woodward PhD 2011
Damian Grenfell The state and protest in contemporary Australia: From Vietnam to S11 Dr Paul James PhD 2002
David Glanz Confusion grows from the barrel of a gun: The Communist Party of the Philippines Dr Paul James / Dr Sue Blackburn PhD 2001
Alistair Harkness Governing in a bicameral system: Victoria 1982-1992 Assoc. Prof. Brian Costar PhD 2005
Joe Ilardi From the IRA to al Qu'eda: Intelligence as a measure of rational action in terrorist operations Dr Pete Lentini / Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville PhD 2007
Haroro Ingram The transformative charisma phenomenon in Islamist insurgent terrorism: Spiritual guides, charismatic leaders and neo-charismatic leaders: A synopsis Dr Pete Lentini / Dr Ben MacQueen PhD 2011
Monsak Jangariyawong Thailand in Southeast Asia: A study of foreign policy, 1945-1991 Prof. David Goldsworthy PhD 2003
Lech Keller Visions of the future in the writings of Stanislaw Lem Dr Paul James PhD 2002
Jackie King The pluralist-statist dynamic of the refugee policy process in Australia: The case of the Kosovar safe haven visa Dr Nick Economou / Dr Sharon Pickering PhD 2008
Ganemy Kunoo The Karen's struggles in Burma: A Karen perspective Dr Dennis Woodward MA 2004
Charles Kwong The political economy of China's rural industrialisation: An institutional perspective Dr Dennis Woodward / Dr Pak Lee PhD 2004
Jay Lacharite Facing new challenges: A comparative study on the impact of population aging and technological change on Australia's and Canada's tax bases, social policies and regulatory future Dr Dennis Woodward PhD 2005
Archie Law The UN regional organisations and preventative action: Lessons learned from Rwanda and Macedonia Dr Andy Butfoy MA 2001
Chris Lewis The Howard Government (1996-1998): The extent to which non-government factors influenced the coalition's economic, social and environmental policy mix Assoc. Prof. Brian Costar / Prof. Jim Walter PhD 2006
Liz Martyn Gender and nation in a New Democracy: Indonesian women's organisations in the 1950s Dr Susan Blackburn PhD 2001
Kevin McGowan The American quest for global non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: Why the US will fail Dr Andy Butfoy MA 2000
Erin McKenna Americanist anti-statism: Understanding America's relent to turn to the Right Dr Ray Nichols MA 2001
Colin McNaughton The living of the real: Hegelian Marxism and the re-inventing of the emancipatory imagination Dr Michael Janover / Prof. Andrew Milner PhD 2006
John McSwiney A platform worth fighting for: A study of Federal Labor governments and their success in pursuing and implementing the Federal platform from 1901-1949 Dr Dennis Woodward PhD 2005
Toni Morton Political participation and re-enchanting being Dr Michael Janover MA 2002
George Myconos The globalisation(s) of organized labour: 1860-2003 Prof. Paul James / Dr Richard Devetak PhD 2004
Andrew Newman The United States Congress and the co-operative threat-reduction program, from August 1991 to December 1996 Dr Andy Butfoy PhD 2001
Ela Ogru Turkish nation-building and the development of Kurdish nationalism: Marginalisation and integration of identity and politics Assoc. Prof. Shahram Akbarzadeh/ Dr Michael Janover MA 2007
David O'Reilly Heirs of eternal liberalism: The third way from Australia to Britain Dr Nick Economou / Prof. Carl Bridge PhD 2005
Alex Owen Victorian Government economic policies and strategies: Responsibility and accountability 1982-1992 Assoc. Prof. Brian Costar PhD 2001
Nella Pasqua Ethnicity, intermarriage and national membership Prof. Alastair Davidson PhD 2001
Brook Quinn Faster, higher, stronger? Disability sport, the Paralympic Games and the politics of disability Dr Pete Lentini MA 2002
Tania Raffass Imperial, federal, national statehood and the break-up of the USSR Dr Michael Janover / Dr Pete Lentini PhD 2009
Navin Prabu Rajagobal A legacy of history: Malaysia-Singapore relations (1963-2000) Dr Paul James / Dr Andy Butfoy PhD 2004
Melinda Rankin Crisis in Southeast Asian transformation: From financial 'miracle' to sovereign risk Dr David Wright-Neville MA 2004
Leanne Reinke Community, communication and contradiction Dr Paul James PhD 2001
Dan Ross Heidegger and the question of the political Dr Michael Janover PhD 2002
Lynn Savery International norms of sexual non-discrimination and changing state practices: A comparative study of Germany, Spain, Japan, and India Dr Chris Reus-Smit PhD 2004
Christopher Scanlon The network community: Governance, ideology and the third way in Politics Dr Dennis Woodward / Prof. Paul James PhD 2004
Henry Scheyvens Evaluating Aid: The developmental impact of Japan's official development assistance Dr Sue Blackburn / Prof. David Goldsworthy PhD 2002
Judith Shaw No magic bullet: Microenterprise credit and income poverty in Sri Lanka Prof. David Goldsworthy PhD 2002
Steven Slaughter Public power in a global age: A critical analysis of liberal governance Dr Andy Butfoy / Dr Robyn Eckersley PhD 2002
Timothy Sonnreich Unconventional thinking: The 'defence of Australia' doctrine in a time of terror Assoc. Prof. David Wright-Neville MA 2007
Judith Starcevich The political economy of new growth industries: Information technology and telecommunications in Australian industry policy 1983-1998 Dr Dennis Woodward PhD 2005
Siti Syamsiyantun Serving young Islamic Indonesian women: The development of gender discourse in Nasyiatul Aisyiyah 1965-2005 Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn / Dr Anita Harris PhD 2006
Darshan Vigneswaran Citizenship and territoriality: A historical examination of attempts to detach citizenship from territorial political structures Dr Andy Butfoy / Dr Chris Reus-Smit PhD 2006
Anthony Walsh Aiding defence: The nexus between Australia's Aid and defence policies Dr Andy Butfoy MA 2001
Lucas Walsh For those who can climb? A critique of the instrumental rationalisation of mass education and its relationship to democratic citizenship Dr Paul James PhD 2002
Baiq Lekar Wardhani Diplomacy and ethnosecesssionism in post-Suharto Indonesia Dr Dennis Woodward / Dr David Wright-Neville PhD 2006
Kerry Wardlaw Limits to technological transcendence: Sexual difference, embodiment and the new technologies Dr Paul James PhD 2002
Michele Willson Technically together: The implications of using communications technologies for our understandings and experiences of community Dr Paul James / Dr Michael Janover PhD 2002
Sylvia Yazid Promoting the rights of Indonesian women migrant workers: NGO’s roles in influencing Indonesian policies toward migrant workers Assoc. Prof. Susan Blackburn / Dr Penny Graham PhD 2011