Dr John Tate

I was appointed as the foundation lecturer in Politics at the University of Newcastle in August 1997. I teach across six different Politics subjects in areas such as Australian politics, international relations, political philosophy, the politics of rights, Australian public policy, and the politics of globalisation. My primary research interests fall within the areas of political philosophy and history of political thought. Within these fields I am particularly interested in issues of freedom of speech and expression, toleration, and other issues relating to individual liberty and its limits within liberal democratic polities. I am also particularly interested in the history and practice of liberalism - a tradition of political thought stretching back over three hundred years encompassing concerns centered on individual liberty and its relationship to state and society. My work on liberalism includes the history and practice of toleration. One of the seminal figures within the liberal tradition, and a fundamental influence on the development of its ideas on toleration, is the seventeenth century English political philosopher, John Locke. I have published widely on Locke, including authoring the following book: Liberty, Toleration and Equality. John Locke, Jonas Proast and the Letters Concerning Toleration (New York: Routledge, 2016). I am currently working on my second book on Locke for Routledge. I have also published in such areas as Australian Prime Ministers, state sovereignty, multiculturalism and New Zealand native title. My publications on Locke, liberalism, freedom of speech and toleration have appeared in a number of international journals including the American Journal of Political Science, Political Theory, Political Studies, European Journal of Political Theory, Philosophy and Social Criticism, Journal of European Studies and Journal of Religion as well as national journals such as the Australian Journal of Political Science, Journal of Australian Studies and the Australian Journal of Politics and History. My work on New Zealand native title has appeared in the Victoria University of Wellington Law Review, Canterbury Law Review, and Waikato Law Review.  I have also published on topics concerning Enlightenment and modernity in journals such as Telos, Philosophy and Social Criticism, and Journal of European Studies.  In conjunction with Martin Drum from the University of Notre Dame, Western Australia, I have published a textbook on Australian politics for Australian university students - Martin Drum and John William Tate, Politics in Australia. Assessing the Evidence (South Yarra: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).  

Research Expertise
My primary research expertise is in the area of political philosophy and history of political thought. Concerning political philosophy I am interested in toleration, freedom of speech and expression, and the extent to which liberal democracies ought to tolerate non-liberal values and practices. This question of the extent to which liberal democracies ought to accommodate such difference is a salient one within contemporary polities, given the increasing cultural diversity of their populations, the fact that multiculturalism is often embraced by such polities as a normative policy, and also given the rise of religious fundamentalism and other movements that do not embrace liberal values. I am also interested in the relationship between toleration and free speech, not least whether a tolerant society requires an expansion of, or limits upon, free speech. Concerning the history of political thought, I am interested in the foundations and the development of the liberal tradition. Currently I am working on the political philosophy of the seventeenth century English philosopher, John Locke, who is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of the liberal tradition, at least within the English-speaking world. But I am also interested in other major figures, influential on the development of liberal ideas, such as Voltaire and other thinkers prominent within the eighteenth century Enlightenment, as well as nineteenth century figures such as John Stuart Mill. I am interested in Australian government and politics, in particular, Australian Prime Ministers and also issues of state sovereignty. I have published journal articles on Paul Keating and John Howard in the Australian Journal of Political Science and the Australian Journal of Politics and History. I am also co-author of a textbook for Australian university students which focuses on Australian government and politics - Martin Drum and John William Tate, Politics in Australia. Assessing the Evidence (South Yarra: Palgrave 2012). Finally, I am interested in comparative government and politics, particularly regarding Australia, the United States and Britain. This concerns areas of constitutional law (particularly as this relates to freedom of speech and expression) and also questions of their competing values and principles in areas of liberal democracy. 

Teaching Expertise
I have had to cover a wide range of topics within Politics in my teaching career as from 1997 to 2005 there were only two Politics staff to teach the Politics major in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Science at the University of Newcastle. We therefore had to cover the entire major between us, as well as the fourth year Honours courses. The areas in which I have consistently taught courses since 1997 at the University of Newcastle are political philosophy, politics of globalisation, Australian politics, introductory first year Politics, Australian public policy and international relations. I also taught a course entitled Politics and Power in Asia for a number of years. 

Administrative Expertise
Chair of the Faculty Library Committee 1998-2005. Member of the Faculty Carbon Footprint Committee (chaired by Associate Professor Kala Saravanamuthu). Member of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee 2014-15. Head of Discipline in Politics & International Relations 2010-2012; Student Academic Conduct Officer (SACO) for the Newcastle Business School 2017- present; Editor of the Newcastle Business School Discussion Paper series, 2018 to 2020.