Dr Kirsten McLean
Tel: +61 3 990 52418
Fax: +61 3 990 52410
Email: Kirsten.McLean@arts.monash.edu.au
Room W1114 11th Floor
Building 11 (Menzies) Clayton Campus
Kirsten McLean is a Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Political and Social Inquiry. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a PhD, both from Monash University, and a Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) from The University of Melbourne. Prior to coming to Monash in 2000, Kirsten taught in the TAFE sector for three years. Her PhD thesis, completed in 2003, examined the lives of 60 Australian bisexual men and women.
Teaching
Kirsten currently coordinates the following units:
SCY2031 / SCY3031 - Sexuality and Society
SYM4055 / SYM5055 - Data Analysis Software for Social Research
Kirsten is also the Postgraduate (Coursework) coordinator for Sociology, and for the School of Political and Social Inquiry.
Research
Kirsten's research interests are the sociology of sexualities, relationships and family in relation to gay, lesbian and bisexual people; qualitative research; data analysis software such as SPSS and NVivo, and the health and well-being of non-heterosexual women in Australia. She is particularly interested in the diversity of human sexualities, as well as the ethics and methodologies of sexuality research.
She is often called upon by the media to talk about sexuality and relationship issues. She has been interviewed by The Age about same-sex marriage, bisexuality, monogamy in relationships, and sexual fluidity, and by the gay and lesbian publications MCV and Melbourne Star about bisexuality and gay and lesbian rights.
Kirsten is also on the editorial board of the journal Journal of Bisexuality and Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review.
Current Research Projects
Kirsten's current research projects include an investigation of same-sex couple families in Australia (with colleagues from the University of Wollongong); an investigation of the pedagogical and methodological issues involved in teaching and researching sexualities; and a pilot project looking at the health and well-being of non-heterosexual women in Victoria.
Publications
- McLean, K. (2009) ‘So what should I come out as? Fluid sexualities in the higher education classroom’ Lesbian and Gay Psychology Review, Volume 10, Number 1.
- McLean, K. (2009) ‘Not Working in the Bedroom?’ Review of Bettina Arndt’s The Sex Diaries, Australian Women’s Book Review, Volume 21, Number 1.
- McLean, K. (2009) Review of Naomi Tucker (ed.) Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries and Visions, Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review, Volume 5, Number 2.
- Seear, K. & McLean, K (2008) ‘Breaking the silence: The role of emotional labour in qualitative research', The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Annual Conference Proceedings, Melbourne: University of Melbourne, December 2008.
- McLean, K. (2008) ‘Silences and stereotypes: The impact of (mis)constructions of bisexuality on Australian bisexual men and women', Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review, Volume 4, Number 3, December.
- McLean, K. (2008) “Coming out, again': boundaries, identities and spaces of belonging', Australian Geographer, Volume 39, Number 3.
- McLean, K. (2008) ‘Inside, outside, nowhere: Bisexual men and women in the gay and lesbian community', Journal of Bisexuality, Volume 8, Numbers 1-2.
- McLean, K. (2007) ‘To tell or not to tell? Researcher privacy in sexuality research', TASA/SAANZ Joint Conference Proceedings, Auckland: University of Auckland, December 2007.
- McLean, K. (2007) ‘Hiding in the closet? Bisexuals, coming out and the disclosure imperative', Journal of Sociology, Volume 43, Number 2, June 2007.
- McLean, K. (2006) ‘Coming out, again: exploring the lives of women who have changed a lesbian or bisexual identity', The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Annual Conference Proceedings, Perth: University of Western Australia, December 2006.
- McLean, K. (2005) ‘Correcting Some Guesstimates: Review of Juliet Richters and Chris Rissel, Doing It Down Under: The Sexual Lives of Australians' in the Australian Women's Book Review, Volume 17, Number 1, 2005.
- McLean, K. (2005) ‘Out of the Shadows: Talking Bisexuality in the Classroom', in Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli (ed.) When Our Children Come Out: How to Support Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Young People, Sydney, Finch Publishing, 2005.
- McLean, K. (2004) ‘Negotiating (Non)Monogamy: Bisexuality and Intimate Relationships', Journal of Bisexuality, Volume 4, Numbers 1-2, 2004.
- McLean, K. (2001) ‘Living Life in the Double Closet: Young Bisexual Speak Out', Hecate, Volume 27, Number 1, August 2001.
- McLean, K. (2000) ‘Where am I? Bisexual Invisibility in the Classroom', Redress, September 2000.
Postgraduate Supervision
Kirsten supervises a number of Honours, Masters and PhD students.Postgraduate research students currently being supervised include:
| PhD | ||
| Student | Topic | Supervisor / s |
|---|---|---|
| John McCormack |
"The use of popular music genres by Pentecostal churches in the greater Melbourne area" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Dr Andrew Singleton |
| Budi Sudarto |
"Cross-cultural relationships between gay Asian men and gay white men in Australia" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Dr Mark Davis |
| Delanie Woodlock |
"Why so sad? Antidepressants, and the girl power generation" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Prof Alan Petersen |
| Davina Lohm |
"How do young residents of Australia perceive their own national identities?" | Dr Kirsten McLean / Dr Dharma Arunachalam |
Recently completed postgraduate research projects:
Ibrahim Abraham (MA)
The queer Umma: Queer Muslim identity and community in Australia
Supervisors: Dr Andrew Singleton and Dr Kirsten McLean
Duane Duncan (PhD)
Embodying gay male identity: Gay men, body-image and political visibility
Supervisors: Dr Andrew Singleton and Dr Kirsten McLean
Rachmad Hidayat (MA)
Masculinity, Islam and Domestic Violence in Indonesia
Supervisors: Dr Kirsten McLean and Dr Andrew Singleton