Dr Jennifer Debenham
Honorary Lecturer
School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci (History)
Career Summary
Biography
Currently a Senior Research Assistant in the Centre for the History of Violence and Conjoint Lecturer in the School for Humanities and Social Science at the University of Newcastle. Special interests in colonial Australia and first contact histories. Other interests include mythology in history, representation, memory, gender, race and class in Australian and international history over a range of time periods. An anthropological understanding of historical issues steers the perspectives in her inquiry. Her current research is considering the way Aboriginal Australians have been represented on documentary film.
Research ExpertiseMy research expertise is primarily in the discipline of history. My expertise is especially developed in the history of Indigenous Australians, in particular, how they have been represented on documentary film. I also have expertise in Anthropology and Sociology. This interdisciplinary approach informs the way I approach issues of gender, class, race and ethnicity and how they influence the construction of Australian national identity. The mythological constructions of identity through individual and collective memory, particularly in film, play a central role in my research. A transnational approach to history is also a key aspect of my research. A strong consideration of the historiography of colonial encounters and shifting ideas in scientific thinking are also important areas of interest.
As well as working as a Senior Research Assistant on ARC projects - Colonial Massacres in Central and Eastern Australia, 1788 -1930, (2018) - I am a consultant historian and belong to the Professional Historian’s Association of NSW. I this capacity I have co-authored The Australia Day Regatta, (2014), provided text for signage in Pyrmont Park Redevelopment for the Sydney Harbour Authority, conducted surveys for local government authorities and constructed corporate histories. I have developed skills in oral history practice, the construction of bibliographic databases and Excel spreadsheets. My current projects include writing a history of Indigenous documentary filmmaking; working on an ARC Development Project collecting data about colonial violence on the Australian frontiers and examining the ways in which tertiary students respond to Anzac. My work is informed by interdisciplinary perspectives, especially in the use of qualitative evidence.
Teaching Expertise
Since 2005 I have developed my teaching expertise in my role of tutor. I have taught at undergraduate level and in the English Language and Foundations Studies Program (ELFS), teaching Australian History, Sociology and Lectured a course on Comparative histories of Australia and Canada. I have the ability to teach independently and in teams with both large and small groups of students. As a lecturer and tutor I have received positive feedback from students many of who continue to keep in contact after they have completed their studies. In 2006 I was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Learning Support.
Qualifications
- PhD (Humanities), University of Newcastle
- Bachelor of Arts, University of Newcastle
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Newcastle
Keywords
- Aboriginal history
- Australian history
- Film studies
- Food studies
- Indigenous filmmakers
- Sociology
- Transnational histories
Fields of Research
Code | Description | Percentage |
---|---|---|
430302 | Australian history | 100 |
Professional Experience
Academic appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department | |
---|---|---|---|
1/3/2013 - | Senior Research Assistant | University of Newcastle School of Humanities and Social Science Australia |
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1/7/2006 - 1/12/2006 | Lecturer/Tutor | University of Newcastle English Language and Foundation Studies Centre Australia |
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1/3/2005 - | Tutor | University of Newcastle English Language and Foundation Studies Centre Australia |
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1/1/2005 - 1/4/2005 | Research Assistant | University of Newcastle School of Humanities and Social Science Australia |
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1/1/1977 - 1/4/1977 |
Laboratory Technician
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The University of Sydney School of Medicine Australia |
Membership
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
---|---|---|
1/1/2009 - | Membership - Professional Historian's Association (NSW) | Professional Historian's Association (NSW) Australia |
1/1/2004 - | Membership - Australian Historical Association | Australian Historical Association Australia |
Professional appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
---|---|---|
1/1/2000 - | Laboratory Technician | Ramm Botanicals Australia |
1/1/1985 - | Laboratory Technician | NSW Dept. of Agriculture Australia |
1/1/1985 - | Laboratory Technician | Macquarie Pathology Services Australia |
1/10/1982 - | Laboratory Technician | Cenco Citrus Products United States |
1/9/1982 - 1/2/1983 | Laboratory Technician | Kitchens of Sara Lee Australia |
1/4/1977 - 1/9/1982 | Laboratory Technician | CSIRO - Molecular and Cellular Biology Unit Molecular and Cellular Biology Unit Australia |
Awards
Award
Year | Award |
---|---|
2019 |
Dean's Excellence Award Centre for the History of Violence, University of Newcastle |
Distinction
Year | Award |
---|---|
2004 |
Faculty Award, Education and Arts University of Newcastle |
Recipient
Year | Award |
---|---|
2006 |
Research Higher Degree Scholarship University of Newcastle |
Recognition
Year | Award |
---|---|
2006 |
Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence and Learning Support University of Newcastle |
2001 |
Pro-Vice Chancellor's Award (Dean's Award) University of Newcastle |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Book (2 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | Debenham J, Celluloid Subjects to Digital Directors Changing Aboriginalities and Australian Documentary Film, 1901-2017, Peter Lang, Oxford (2020) | ||
2014 | Cheater C, Debenham JA, The Australia Day Regatta, UNSW Press, Sydney, 304 (2014) [A1] | Nova |
Journal article (3 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
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2021 |
Debenham J, 'Henry Reynolds on conceptual dissonances of Australian sovereignty', History Australia, 18 896-897 (2021)
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2017 |
Kilmister M, Bennett JE, Ford M, Debenham J, 'Treading on sacred ground: confronting the Anzac myth in higher education', History Compass, 15 1-12 (2017) [C1]
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2005 | Debenham JA, May JR, 'Making connections: a dialogue about learning and teaching in a tertiary enabling program', Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 45 82-105 (2005) [C1] | Nova |
Conference (11 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 |
Ford M, Bennett JE, Debenham J, Kilmister M, 'Challenging Anzac at the tertiary chalk face: student engagement with critical pedagogy', Book of Abstracts, Wellington, New Zealand (2015) [E3]
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2014 | Debenham JA, 'William Grayden s Explosive Film, Warburton Aborigines, (1957): Conflicting Media Representations Of The Warburton Aborigines', Conflict in History - Australian Historical Association Annual Conference, University of Queensland, St Lucia (2014) [E3] | ||||
2014 | Debenham JA, 'Performing Science: the field work of the South Australian Board of Anthropological Research at Cockatoo Creek, 1931', Friends, Foes and Other Intimacies, University of Tasmania, Hobart. (2014) [E3] | ||||
2007 | Debenham JA, 'Stationary cameras and stilted views: Technology, anthropology and the construction of race at the turn of the Twentieth Century', Historicising Whiteness: Transnational Perspectives on the Construction of an Identity, Melbourne (2007) [E1] | ||||
2004 | Debenham JA, May JR, 'Making connections: a dialogue about learning and teaching in a tertiary enabling program', Building Foundations 2004 Conference of Enabling Educators, Newcastle, Australia (2004) [E2] | ||||
Show 8 more conferences |
Other (1 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 |
Ryan Lyndall, Debenham Jennifer, Pascoe William, Brown Mark, 'Colonial Frontier Massacres in Eastern Australia 1788-1872', (2017)
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Thesis / Dissertation (1 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Debenham JA, Representations of Aborigines in Australian Documentary Film, 1901 - 2009., University of Newcastle (2013) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
Number of grants | 1 |
---|---|
Total funding | $982 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20161 grants / $982
Ourimbah Strategic Research Grant III$982
Funding body: Faculty of Education and Arts
Funding body | Faculty of Education and Arts |
---|---|
Project Team | James Bennett, Margot Ford, Jennifer Debenham and Michael Kilmister |
Scheme | Ourimbah Strategic Research Grant scheme |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2016 |
Funding Finish | 2016 |
GNo | |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | N |
News
News • 29 Nov 2019
University part of winning Walkley Award for coverage of Indigenous Affairs
The Killing Times, a collaboration between The Guardian Australia and the University of Newcastle’s Colonial Frontier Massacres research team has been awarded the 2019 Walkley Award for Coverage of Indigenous Affairs.
News • 18 Nov 2019
True extent of colonial frontier massacres revealed as new sites added to interactive map
The true extent of massacres on the colonial frontier of Australia has been revealed by researchers at the University of Newcastle. Around 97 per cent of people killed in these massacres were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
News • 27 Jul 2018
Massacres on Australia’s colonial frontier climb to 250
The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander massacres verified and recorded on an online digital map has risen to 240, following an influx of valuable information and evidence from regional communities around Australia.
News • 1 Aug 2017
Bringing the Humanities into the digital age
The recent launch of the Colonial Frontier Massacres Map, an online tool which maps the Aboriginal massacres that occurred across colonial Australia, saw a huge influx of visitors to the Centre for 21st Century Humanities (C21CH) website to view the map.
Dr Jennifer Debenham
Position
Honorary Lecturer
Centre for the History of Violence
School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci
College of Human and Social Futures
Focus area
History
Contact Details
jennifer.debenham@newcastle.edu.au |