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PROFESSOR Gary Wickham
BA (Hons) MA (Hons) PhD
Professor of Sociology
About me
Gary Wickham is Professor of Sociology. He has worked at Murdoch since 1985, having gained his BA (Hons) at Macquarie University, his MA (Hons) at the University of Melbourne, and his PhD at the University of Melbourne. He is ranked amongst the top ten sociologists in Australia in terms of international impact.
He has pursued two broad lines of inquiry:
1. The study of the intersection of society, law, politics, and culture (at the level of states and in more micro settings). Much of this work features an investigation into the best ways in which the thinking of Michel Foucault might be employed, particularly with regard to social research methods. This line of inquiry is reflected more in his publications between 1983 and (roughly) 2004.
2. The study of the way in which each of society, law, politics, state, sovereignty, and culture (along with other elements, such as morality, reason, and religion) has been and continues to be understood within the social sciences and humanities academy, with the development of arguments about how they might be better understood. This line of inquiry, reflected more in his publications between (roughly) 2005 and the present, has seen him adopt a more critical tone towards Foucault and develop a special interest in a number of early modern thinkers, especially Thomas Hobbes
Teaching area
- Social theory
- Law and society
Units taught in 2012
- SOC262 Sociology of Law
- SOC296 Power, Security and Modern Life
- SOC134 Introduction to Sociology (three guest lectures)
Research areas
- The intersection of society, politics, law, state, sovereignty and morality
- The history and practice of sociology
- Sociological methods
Current projects
- Sociology’s objects and the discipline’s relevance
- Hobbes’s commitment to society as a product of sovereignty
- The failure of governance and the governance of failure (with Jeff Malpas)
Awards and grants
No awards in the last five years, no external grants in the last five years
Citations
Google Scholar lists 1174 citations of my work (at 14 January 2012). The breakdown of these citations is:
379 citations of co-authored book (with Alan Hunt) Foucault and Law
379 citations of co-authored book (with Gavin Kendall) Using Foucault’s Methods
46 citations of co-authored book (with Gavin Kendall) Understanding Culture
19 citations of co-edited book (with George Pavlich) Rethinking Law
80 citations of co-authored paper (with Jeff Malpas) in ANZJS (1995)
76 citations of sole-authored paper in Economy & Society (1983)
119 citations of other sole-authored papers or sole-edited book
76 citations of other co-authored papers
Benchmark of Citations
My citation count of 1169 puts me in the top 10 scholars in Australian sociology.
[This ranking was arrived at by using the ‘Author’ function of the ‘Google Scholar Advanced’ citation database to count the total citations of all 16 scholars (of which I am one) on the recently published list of 16 scholars ‘located in Australia who have a major impact on theoretical developments in sociology worldwide’ (published in the latest edition of Australia’s main sociology text book, Van Krieken et al Sociology, 2010, p. 24)].
Prizes
1999 Mayer Prize for best article in the Australian Journal of Political Science (for ‘Democracy and Instrumentalism’, co-authored with Jeff Malpas)
Events and speaking engagements
National and international conference presentations since 2007
2011 The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Newcastle
2011 Australian Law and Society Conference, Wollongong
2010 The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Sydney
2009 The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Canberra
2009 Global Corporate Constitutionalism Conference, Copenhagen
2009 Society of Legal Scholars Conference, Keele, UK
2009 International Law and Society Conference, Onati, Spain
2008 The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Melbourne
2008 Australian Law and Society Conference, Sydney
2008 Australian Society for Legal Philosophy Conference, Melbourne
2007 ‘States of (In)security’ Conference, Carleton University, Ottawa
2007 ‘State, Security and Subject Formation’, Edmonton
2007 6th International Roundtable on the Semiotics of Law, Wollongong
National and international seminar presentations since 2007
2011 Law School, Victoria University, Melbourne
2010 Law School, University of NSW (two presentations)
2009 Law School, University of Westminster, London
2009 Law School, Birkbeck College, University of London
2009 Law School, University of Durham
2008 Department of Sociology, University of Melbourne
2008 School of Social Sciences, RMIT
2007 Department of Sociology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong
2007 Law and Society Seminar Series, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Professional and community service
University Governance
Academic Chair of Sociology 2009-2011 (and 1995-1998 and 2002-2004)
Member of the Murdoch University Academic Council 2009-2010
Broader Governance Achievements
Sole External Reviewer of the Sociology Program, University of Queensland 2010
Member of the Review of the Murdoch Business School 2009
Invited Expert on the 2008 Review of Honours Programs in the School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle
UNIVERSITY
Member of the Murdoch University Postgraduate Degrees and Scholarships Committee 2010
Member of Murdoch University School of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Committee 2009-2010
Member of Murdoch University School of Social Sciences and Humanities Disciplines Committee 2009-2010
Service on Murdoch Committees
Law Program Committee
Politics Program Committee
Sociology Program Committee
School Teaching and Learning Committee
PROFESSION
Service on Journal Editorial/Advisory Boards
2008-2012 International Journal for the Semiotics of Law
1999-2012 Journal of Law and Society
2001-2005 Journal of Sociology
1988-1991 Thesis Eleven
1982-1984 Melbourne Working Papers
1980-1984 Journal of Australian Political Economy
Membership of Professional Associations
The Australian Sociological Association
Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand
Australian Society of Legal Philosophy
Service on the National Executive of the Australian Sociological Association
My service to the Executive of The Australian Sociological Association between 1989 and 1991 saw me promoting the standards mentioned immediately above and also seeking to promote the interests of the discipline in Western Australia, particularly at Murdoch, being Western Australia’s only stand-alone sociology provider.
Service as a Judge for the Australian Sociological Association’s Jean Martin Award
In my service as a judge for the Jean Martin Award for the most outstanding PhD in the discipline (1995, 1997, 2003), I have always attempted to maintain the highest intellectual standards.
Service on the National Organising Committee, Australian Law and Society Association 1987-1991
In the Law and Society area, having been heavily involved in the field in Australia since 1985, I have tried to make the interdisciplinary approach (sociology and law) work in a practical manner, such that each discipline area benefits from the input of the other and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Refereeing for Journals
2012- Sociological Theory
2010- International Political Sociology
2010- Globalizations
2010- History of the Human Sciences
2009- British Journal of Sociology
2008- International Journal for the Semiotics of Law
2008- Law, Culture, and the Humanities
2008- Griffith Law Review
2008- Theory, Culture & Society
2008- Australian Universities Review
2006- Journal of Classical Sociology
2004 Journal of Australian Studies
2003 Australian Journal of Political Science
2002 National Identities
2001 Sociological Inquiry
2001 Polity
1999 Critical Public Health
1999- Journal of Law and Society
1990- Journal of Sociology (formerly ANZJS)
1990 Law in Context
Refereeing for Publishers
2009-2010 Routledge, London
1999-2010 Sage, London
2004-2010 Hart, Oxford
Refereeing for National Granting Bodies
2010 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Refereeing for Conference Proceedings
2010 Proceedings of The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Macquarie
2004 Proceedings of the Social Change Research in the 21st Century Conference, QUT
Magazine Publications Relating to the Profession
2007 Wickham, G. and B. Evers ‘But Culture Can Also Be Dangerous: An Outline of a Research Project’ Nexus (Newsletter of the Australian Sociological Association) 19:3, pp. 3-5 (please note that my co-author on this occasion, Barbara Evers, is one of my PhD students).
2005 Wickham, G. ‘Problems of Anti-State Sociology’ Australian Prospect (internet-based magazine) Winter (electronic magazine, no page numbers).
2002 Wickham, G. ‘Rethinking the Relationship Between the Social and the Cultural’ Nexus (Newsletter of the Australian Sociological Association) 14:2, 9-10.
1992 Wickham, G. ‘Interdisciplinarity and Australian Legal Education: A commentary on the Pearce Report five years on’ Socio-Legal Bulletin 7, 11-15.
Overseas Respondent to the Nuffield Inquiry on Empirical Legal Research, U.K. 2006
Doctoral and masters supervisions
Doctoral and masters supervisions since 2007
2011 Eric Whittle
2010 Barbara Evers
2010 Rachael Kitchens
2010 Andrew Stebbins
2010 Liam Stone
2010 Kirsten Harley (co-supervised through the University of Sydney)
Currently supervising three PhD students
Publications
Books
- Harley, K., Wickham, G., (2014),Australian Sociology: Fragility, survival, rivalry. Sociology Transformed,Palgrave Macmillan UK.
- Wickham, G., Goodie, J., (2013),Legal and Political Challenges of Governing the Environment and Climate Change: Ruling Nature,Routledge.
- Wickham, G., Pavlich, G., (2001),Rethinking Law, Society and Governance. Foucault's Bequest,,.
- Kendall, G., Wickham, G., (2001),Understanding Culture. Cultural Studies, Order, Ordering,,Sage Publications Ltd.
- Kendall, G., Wickham, G., (1999),Using Foucault's Methods,,.
Chapters
- Wickham, G., (2013),Foucault and Law,In: Law and Social Theory, Hart Publishing, pages 217 to 232.
- Wickham, G., Kendall, G., (2013),Critical Discourse Analysis, Description, Explanation, Causes: Foucault's Inspiration versus Weber's Perspiration,In: Critical Discourse Analysis. Volume 1: Concepts, History, Theory, Sage Publications Ltd, pages 351 to 369.
- Wickham, G., (2011),Foucault and the promise of power without dogma,In: Routledge International Handbook of Contemporary Social and Political Theory, Routledge, pages 45 to 55.
- Wickham, G., Evers, A., (2010),Society, State, Security, and Subject Formation: The Emergence of Modern Neutrality Society and the Formation of the Types of Subjects it Requires,In: State, Security, and Subject Formation, Continuum International Publishing Group, pages 116 to 132.
- Kendall, G., Wickham, G., (2004),The Foucaultian Framework,In: Qualitative Research Practice, Sage Publications Ltd, pages 141 to 150.
- Wickham, G., (2002),Foucault and Law,In: An Introduction to Law and Social Theory, Hart Publishing, pages 249 to 265.
- Wickham, G., (1997),Governance and Consumption,In: Constructing The New Consumer Society, Macmillan and St Martins Press, pages 277 to 291.
Journals
- Wickham, G., (2021), Post-nationalism, sovereignty and the state, Journal of Sociology, 57, 1, .
- Wickham, G., Evers, A., Goodie, J., (2017), The state and civility: a crucial nexus, European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology, 4, 2, pages 135 - 155.
- Wickham, G., (2016), Expanding the "social' in "social identity', Social Identities: journal for the study of race, nation and culture, 22, 4, pages 413 - 425.
- Wickham, G., (2014), Hobbes's commitment to society as a product of sovereignty: A basis for a Hobbesian sociology, Journal of Classical Sociology, 14, 2, pages 140 - 155.
- Wickham, G., Bryan, D., (2012), Money, Financial Regulation and the Fragility of Civil Peace: Maintaining Order in the Face of Chaos, Griffith Law Review, 21, 1, pages 190 - 208.
- Wickham, G., (2012), The core object 'society' and sociology's public relevance History versus theory, Journal of Sociology, 48, 4, pages 427 - 442.
- Wickham, G., Evers, A., (2012), Elias in the Footsteps of Hobbes?, Human Figurations: long-term perspectives on the human condition, 1, 1, pages 2 - 11.
- Wickham, G., (2011), Dousing the dragon's fire, Thesis Eleven: critical theory and historical sociology, 107, 1, pages 106 - 114.
- Wickham, G., (2010), Sociology, the public sphere, and modern government: a challenge to the dominance of Habermas, British Journal of Sociology, 61, 1, pages 155 - 175.
- Wickham, G., Kendall, G., (2008), What once was old is new again: reviving an early-modern form of interdisciplinarity for socio-legal studies, Flinders Journal of Law Reform, 10, 3, pages 485 - 501.
- Wickham, G., (2008), The social must be limited: Some problems with Foucault's approach to modern positive power, Journal of Sociology, 44, 1, pages 29 - 44.
- Wickham, G., (2008), High Society. Are our social sciences as relevant to government as they might be?, Australian Universities' Review, 50, 2, pages 25 - 32.
- Wickham, G., (2008), Protecting Law from Morality's Stalking Horse: The 'socio' in much socio-legal studies, Law Text Culture, 12, , pages 104 - 127.
- Wickham, G., (2008), Competing uses of history in researching the social. A reply to Peter Baehr, Current Sociology, 56, 6, pages 949 - 954.
- Wickham, G., Freemantle, H., (2008), The origins of sociology. Some additional knowledge conditions for sociology, Current Sociology, 56, 6, pages 922 - 939.
- Wickham, G., Kendall, G., (2007), Critical discourse analysis, description, explanation, causes: Foucault's inspiration versus Weber's perspiration, Historical Social Research, 33, 1, pages 142 - 161.
- Wickham, G., (2007), Expanding the classical in classical sociology, Journal of Classical Sociology, 7, 4, pages 243 - 265.
- Wickham, G., (2006), The Law-Morality Relation Revisited: A Challenge to Established Traditions by the Australian Sceptical Approach, Griffith Law Review, 15, 1, pages 27 - 48.
- Wickham, G., (2006), Foucault, Law, and Power: A Reassessment, Journal of Law and Society, 33, 4, pages 596 - 614.
- Wickham, G., (2005), Ethics, morality and the formation of cultural studies intellectuals, Cultural Studies Review, 11, 1, pages 71 - 86.
- Goodie, J., Wickham, G., (2002), Calculating 'Public Interest': Common Law and the Legal Governance of the Environment, Social & Legal Studies: an international journal, 11, 1, pages 37 - 60.
- Wickham, G., (2000), Foucault and Gadamer: Like Apples and Oranges Passing in the Night, Chicago-Kent Law Review, 76, , pages 913 - 942.
- Malpas, J., Wickham, G., (1998), Democracy and Instrumentalism, Australian Journal of Political Science, 33, 3, pages 345 - 362.
- Malpas, J., Wickham, G., (1997), Governance and the World: From Joe DiMaggio to Michel Foucault, UTS Review, The, 3-Feb, , pages 91 - 108.
Conference
- Wickham, G., (2012),Do we in sociology know what we are doing when we do 'theory'?,In: The Annual Conference of The Australian Sociological Association 2012.
- Wickham, G., (2011),Constitutionalism, Sovereignty, and the Troubled Category of Social Citizenship,In: The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Conference (2011).
- Goodie, J., Wickham, G., (2010),Competing understandings of the intersection between society and environment in the climate change debate,In: The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Annual Conference (2010).
- Wickham, G., (2010),Culture and the Study of Social Identity,In: The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Annual Conference (2010).
- Wickham, G., (2009),Sociology and International Law: some historical connections,In: The Australian Sociological Association 2009 Annual Conference.
- Wickham, G., (2008),Sociology after 9/11,In: The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Conference (2008).
- Kendall, G., Wickham, G., (2006),Problems with the Critical Posture Foucault and Crticial Discourse Analysis,In: Social Change in the 21st Century Conference (2006).
- Kendall, G., Wickham, G., (1998),Forget Postmodernism: Towards a Nonmodern Sociology,In: Refashioning Sociology: Responses to a New World Order.
Publications since 2007
Articles in refereed journals
- 2012 Wickham, G. and B. Evers ‘Elias in the Footsteps of Hobbes?’ Human Figurations 1:1 (print version forthcoming, electronic version released 1 February 2012).
- 2012 Wickham, G. and D. Bryan ‘Money, Post-Crisis Financial Regulation, and the Fragility of Civil Peace: Maintaining Order in the Face of Chaos’, Griffith Law Review 21:1 (forthcoming, accepted 21/2/12).
- 2011 Wickham, G. ‘Dousing the Dragon’s Fire’ (Review article), Thesis Eleven 107, 106-14.
- 2010 Wickham, G. ‘Sociology, the Public Sphere, and Modern Government: A Challenge to the Dominance of Habermas’ British Journal of Sociology 61:1, 155-75.
- 2010 Malpas, J. and G. Wickham ‘Rządzenie I porażka. O granicach socjologii’ Zarządzanie Publicczne (Good Governance) 11:1, pp. 92-102 (an edited Polish translation of ‘Governance and Failure: On the Limits of Sociology’ [1995] selected as a ‘classic text on governance’).
- 2008 Wickham, G. ‘Protecting Law from Morality’s Stalking Horse: The “Socio” in Socio-Legal Studies’ Law, Text, Culture 12, 104-27.
- 2008 Wickham, G. ‘The Social Must Be Limited: Some Problems With Foucault’s Approach to Modern Positive Power’ Journal of Sociology 44:1, 29-44.
- 2008 Wickham, G. ‘Competing Uses of History in Researching the Social: A Reply to Peter Baehr’ Current Sociology 56:6, 953-8.
- 2008 Wickham, G. ‘High society: Are our social sciences as relevant to government as they might be?’ Australian Universities Review 50:2, 25-32.
- 2008 Wickham, G. and G. Kendall ‘Critical Discourse Analysis, Description, Explanation, Causes: Foucault’s Inspiration Versus Weber’s Perspiration’. Historical Social Research/Historische Sozialforschung 33:1, 142-61 (reproduced from Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung).
- 2008 Wickham, G. and Kendall, G. ‘What Once Was Old Is New Again: Reviving an Early-Modern Form of Interdisciplinarity for Socio-Legal Studies’ Flinders Journal of Law Reform 10:3, 485-500.
- 2008 Wickham, G. and H. Freemantle ‘Some Additional Knowledge Conditions for Sociology’ Current Sociology 56:6, 925-42.
- 2007 Wickham, G. ‘Expanding the Classical in Classical Sociology’ Journal of Classical Sociology 7:3, 243-65.
- 2007 Wickham, G. and G. Kendall ‘Critical Discourse Analysis, Description, Explanation, Causes: Foucault’s Inspiration Versus Weber’s Perspiration’ Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung 8:2 (electronic journal, no page numbers).
Refereed chapters in books
- 2011 Wickham, G. ‘Foucault and the promise of power without dogma’ in G. Delanty and S. Turner (eds) Routledge International Handbook of Contemporary Social and Political Theory. London: Routledge, 45-55.
- 2010 Wickham, G. and B. Evers ‘Society, State, Security, and Subject Formation’ in A. Yeatman and M. Zolkos (eds) State, Security and Subject Formation. New York and London: Continuum, 116-32.
Special issues of journals (edited)
- 2012 Wickham, G. (ed.) Sociology’s Object(s) and the Discipline’s Relevance, Special Issue of the Journal of Sociology 48:4 (forthcoming, accepted 12/10/11).
Refereed Papers in Published Conference Proceedings
- 2011 Wickham, G. ‘Constitutionalism, Sovereignty, and the Troubled Category of Social Citizenship’in S. Threadgold and E. Kirby (eds) Local Lives/Global Networks. Newcastle: University of Newcastle and The Australian Sociological Association (electronic publication; no page numbers).
- 2010 Wickham, G. ‘Culture and the Study of Social Identity’, in S. Velayutham et al. (eds) Social Causes, Private Lives. Sydney: Macquarie University and The Australian Sociological Association (electronic publication; no page numbers).
- 2010 Goodie, J. and G. Wickham ‘Competing Understandings of the Intersection Between Society and Environment in the Climate Change Debate’, in S. Velayutham et al. (eds) Social Causes, Private Lives. Sydney: Macquarie University and The Australian Sociological Association (electronic publication; no page numbers).
- 2009 Wickham, G. ‘Sociology and International Law: Some Historical Connections’, in S. Lockie et al. (eds) The Future of Sociology. Canberra: Australian National University and The Australian Sociological Association (electronic publication; no page numbers).
- 2008 Wickham, G. ‘Sociology After 9/11’ in T. Marjoribanks et al. (eds) Re-imagining Sociology. Melbourne: University of Melbourne and The Australian Sociological Association (electronic publication, no page numbers).