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Centre for Research on Social Inclusion
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Dr Rochelle Spencer
BSocSci (Hons) Newcastle, PhD Macquarie
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
| Email: | rspencer@scmp.mq.edu.au |
|---|---|
| Phone: | +61 (0)2 9850 9678 |
| Fax: | +61 (0)2 9850 4432 |
| Office: | C5C Research Hub West, Room 381 |
Research Interests
Ethnographic and cultural qualitative research with a particular interest in rights-based development, community capacity building, social cohesion, development anthropology and anthropology of development. My PhD explored alternative models of ‘doing’ rights-based development in Cuba, notions of transformation and new social movement participation. I am keenly interested in the unique social development of socialist Cuba, particularly in this age of globalisation and neoliberalism, and transferring such insights to other development contexts.
Current Research Project
Building Bridges back into Community: Capacity Building for a Socially Inclusive Society
Working closely with the Australian Red Cross this research will address the issue of long term community capacity building, bringing together new theoretical insights with practice. At the moment we are considering monitoring and evaluating three broad areas of
Red Cross Community Service activity by designing a longitudinal and ethnographic research project around:
- Social isolation - ways in which Red Cross programs contribute to the reduction of social isolation among different vulnerable groups throughout Australia.
- Volunteerism - the contribution volunteers make to the social fabric through their efforts in building bridges back into community for vulnerable groups across Australia.
- Youth engagement - innovative ways to engage young people in the Red Cross movement and how to capture a younger generation's interest in volunteering through a functional approach.
Publications
Spencer, R. (2007) “Lessons from Cuba: A Volunteer Army of Ambassadors”, in S. Wearing and K. Lyons (Eds.) Journeys of Discovery in Volunteer Tourism: International Case Study Perspectives. CABI Publishers. (forthcoming)
Broad, S. and Spencer, R. (2007) ‘Shifting Paradigms: the convergence of tourism, conservation and development,’ in S. Babu, B. J. Parida, and S. Mishra (Eds.) Tourism Business: Some Reflections on a Changing Paradigm. Sage Publishers. (forthcoming)