Professor James Walter
Tel: +61 3 990 59433Fax: +61 3 990 52410
Email: James.A.Walter@monash.edu
Room W11.20 11th Floor
Building 11 (Menzies) Clayton Campus
Biography
Professor James Walter is Professor of Political Science in the School of Political and Social Inquiry. He has broad interests in Australian politics and history. He holds a B.A. (Hons) and a Ph.D from the University of Melbourne, and an M.A from La Trobe. Professor Walter is a former Head of the School of Political and Social Inquiry (2006-2009), and a past President of the Australian Political Studies Association (2007-8). He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (and served on the Academy’s Executive 2006-2009), and of the Royal Society of Arts and Manufactures (UK). Prior to his appointment at Monash, he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Arts) at Griffith University (1996-2002), and Professor of Australian Studies (1987-2002). He remains a Professor Emeritus at Griffith University. He was Professor and Head of the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies at the University of London, 1990-1993.
James Walter has published widely on Australian politics, history, biography and culture. Among his books are The Leader: a political biography of Gough Whitlam (1980), The Ministers' Minders: personal advisers in national government (1986), Intellectual Movements and Australian Society (with Brian Head, 1988), Tunnel Vision: the failure of political imagination (1996), The Citizens' Bargain: a documentary history of Australian views since 1890 (with Margaret MacLeod, 2002), No, prime minister: reclaiming politics from leaders (with Paul Strangio, 2007) and What were they thinking? The politics of ideas in Australia (2010). He has also edited books on Australian studies, biographical methods, foreign policy and urban development.
Professor Walter is currently working on a study of political careers; an analysis of the evolution of role of the prime minister; and an examination of the ways in which politicians use history. He maintains broad interests in political leadership, political psychology, political biography and the history of Australian political institutions.
Professor Walter teaches:
ATS2689 - Ideas and Power
ATS2903 ATS3903 - Leaders, publics and power: Australian politics in an age of leadership centrality
ATS4315 APG4315 APG5315 - Civilising Global Politics
Postgraduate Supervision
| Name | Thesis Title / Topic | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Veronica Sheen | The implications of precarious employment for individuals and society | Prof. James Walter / Prof. Carla Lipsig-Mumme |
| Debra Smith | Resituating emotion in the understanding of terrorist violence | Prof. James Walter / Dr Michael Janover |
| Kate Barrelle | Psychological processes in the transformation from citizen to violent extremist, and back again | Prof James Walter / Prof Greg Barton / Dr Ben MacQueen |
| Philip Chubb | The Coal industry and the Australian Labour Party from Kyoto to Copenhagen | Dr Paul Strangio / Prof James Walter |
| Name | Thesis Title / Topic | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Judy Maddigan | After the Vote: the forgotten political history of Victorian women | Prof. James Walter / Dr Paul Strangio |
| Alex Phillips | Populist Leadership in Australia and America during the Great Depression, with Huey Long and Jack Lang as case studies. | Prof. James Walter / Dr Paul Strangio |
Recent Publications
- Walter, J. (2010) What were they thinking? The politics of ideas in Australia, UNSW Press, Sydney—for details see http://www.unswpress.com.au/isbn/0868409715.htm
Endnote bibliography for What were they thinking - Walter, J. (2009) ‘”My heart bleeds”: Personalities, Ideas and the Drama of Fusion’, in Confusion: The Marking of the Australian Two-Party System, eds Paul Strangio and Nick Dyrenfurth, Melbourne University Press, Australia, pp. 188-224.
- Walter, J. (2009), ‘Political Biography’, in The Australian Study of Politics, ed. R.A.W. Rhodes, Palgrave Macmillan, UK, pp. 97-106.
- Walter, J. and P. ‘t Hart (2009), ‘Political Psychology’, in The Australian Study of Politics, ed. R. A. W. Rhodes, Palgrave Macmillan, UK, pp. 356-365.
- Peel, M., Reed, L., and Walter, J., (2009), ‘The importance of friends: the most recent past’, in Friendship: A History, eds Barbara Caine, Equinox, London, pp. 317-355.
- Walter, J. ( 2008), ‘Is there a command culture in politics? The Canberra Case’, in Public Leadership: Perspectives and Practices, eds Paul 't Hart and John Uhr, ANU E Press, Australia, pp. 189-201.
- Walter, J. ( 2008), ‘Political leaders and their Publics’, International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, vol 5, issue 3, Wiley InterScience, UK, pp. 153-170.
- Walter, J. (2008) "Can Kevin Kick the Command Culture?", APSA Presidential Address, Australian Political Studies Association Conference, Brisbane, July 7th, 2008. View "Can Kevin Kick the Command Culture" here
- Walter, J and P. Strangio (2007), No, prime minister: Reclaiming politics from leaders, Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.
- Walter, J. (2007), "Howard's Strength", Journal of Australian Studies, No. 91, pp. 59 – 68.
- Walter, J. (2007), "Political Leadership", in G. Rizer, ed. The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Sociology Vol VII, Oxford, Blackwell, pp. 3441-3445.
- Walter, J. (2007), "Political Biography", "Leadership", "A.F. Davies" and "Political Psychology", entries in B. Galligan and W. Roberts, eds Oxford Companion to Australian Politics, Melbourne: OUP.
- Walter, J. (2006). "The utility of short lives." Biography 29(2): 329-337.
- Walter, J. (2006). "What if Whitlam had won another opportunity to implement his program?" What If? Australian History As It Might Have Been. S. Macintyre and S. Scalmer, eds. Melbourne, Vic, Australia, Melbourne University Press: 138-160.
- Walter, J. (2006). "Why prime ministers go too far: The case of John Howard". Australian Security After 9/11: New and Old Agendas. D. McDougall and P. Shearman, eds. Aldershot, UK, Ashgate Publishing Ltd: 189-206.
- Walter, J. (2006). "Ministers, minders and public servants: Changing parameters of responsibility in Australia." Australian Journal of Public Administration 65(3): 22-27.
- Walter, J. and T. Moore (2006), "State Socialism: A Reconsideration", Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol. 52, no. 1, 2006, pp. 13 - 29.
- Walter, J. (2006). "Political leadership". Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia. A. Parkin, J. Summers and D. Woodward. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia, Pearson Education Australia: 312-326.
- Walter, J. (2006). "The 'life myth', 'short lives' and dealing with live subjects in political biography". Australian Political Lives: Chronicling Political Careers and Administrative Histories. T. Arklay, J. Nethercote and J. Wanna. Canberra, ACT, Australia, ANU ePress: 29-34.
- Walter, J. (2006). "Friendships in the hothouse: Power, politics and the possibilities of friendship." History Australia 3(2): 39.1-39.10.
- Walter, J. (2006). "Ministerial staff and the 'lattice of leadership'." Democratic Audit of Australia 2006(4): 1-7.
- Walter, J. (2006). "Politics, policy and change: Collective biography and the age of uncertainty". Australasian Political Studies Association Conference 2006, Newcastle, NSW, Australia, The University of Newcastle.
- Saunders, P. and J. Walter (2005), eds, Ideas and Influence: Social Science and Public Policy in Australia, Sydney: UNSW Press.