Space is a frontier where we could do things differently, yet we are replicating the same patterns of commerce and control.
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Foreign ‘invasion plots’ have featured in Australian literature for more than a century. Though critiqued by some authors, fears of white erasure endure.
Speechwriter Don Watson’s insider account of the prime minister he worked for, written ‘in tragic mode’, was an instant bestseller – but Keating famously hated it.
In our age of ‘hyperpolitics’, what does meaningful change look like? Anton Jäger’s buzzy new book has some answers – but could go harder on neoliberalism.
Comic-art makers and avid readers agree: if the great Australian graphic novel exists, what makes it great just might surprise you.
In a time of eco-grief, rewilding projects around the world – from reseeding giant kelp to letting farms return to their natural state – offer hope.
Is Christopher Nolan’s adaptation a definitive film version of Homer’s Odyssey? No, it isn’t. In fact, it can’t be.
The concept of ‘Cultural Marxism’, which can be traced back to the 1930s, has become a staple of contemporary right-wing discourse.
Rachael Mead was born unable to smell. It means she experiences the world differently – from tasting food, to a heightened risk of danger. But it’s not all bad.
Too many Australians affected by cancer are being financially ruined or receiving sub-optimal (or no) care, due to cost or distance – and it’s everyone’s problem.
A massive new data centre in Sydney is the latest push in the AI boom – but a backlash is building.
We are designed to smell each other – but the custom-made soulmates of AI are frictionless, and always available. What if we fall out of love with our own kind?
Almost all major human rights organisations agree the destruction of Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide. Yet liberal news outlets still do not use the word.
Some of our most loved stories centre on sisters, from fairytales like Snow White and Rose Red to Little Women. Edwina Preston reflects on why sisters matter so much.
The soul and body splitting event of childbirth – and the profound experience of becoming a mother – have been sidelined by philosophy for centuries.
The strange alliance between demagogues and despots ought to puzzle and worry every thinking person, and it needs to be understood.
More than 1,000 Aboriginal Australians served in WWI – but unlike white soldiers, they weren’t feted as heroes. They responded with collective activism.
This week, our world feels more uncertain than ever. It’s tempting to turn away – but attentive curiosity and ‘radical open-mindedness’ are better ways to combat chaos.
Vijay Mishra changed forever when a cinema opened in his Fijian town, in 1951. He traces Bollywood’s shift from multicultural fantasy to Hindu nationalism.
When we lose the ability to politely disagree, it narrows the space for thinking out loud. Here are 5 tips for conversations that allow constructive disagreement.
Top contributors
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Professor in Politics and Journalism, University of Notre Dame Australia
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Associate Professor in Literary Studies, Monash University
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Associate Professor in Creative Writing, Griffith University
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Visiting Research Fellow, Department of English and Creative Writing, Adelaide University
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Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland
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Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland
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Joanna Mendelssohn is a Friend of The Conversation.
Honorary Senior Fellow, School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne
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Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney
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PhD Candidate, Creative Writing, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor (adjunct) in Creative Writing, Flinders University
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Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing, The University of Melbourne
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Lecturer, Deakin University
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Professor Emeritus of Media and Culture, Griffith University, Griffith University
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Professor of English, Flinders University
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Research Fellow, Digital Cultures & Societies, The University of Queensland