James Arvanitakis
Dr James Arvanitakis is a lecturer in the Humanities at the University of Western Sydney and is a member of the University’s Institute for Culture and Society. A former banker, James has worked as a human rights activist throughout the Pacific, Indonesia and Europe. He is currently working with the Whitlam Institute looking at issues confronting Australia’s democracy.
James researches a broad range of areas including hope, trust, globalisation and political theatre. His latest book, Contemporary Society: A sociological analysis of everyday life, is an Australian sociology textbook and was launched in February 2009, which has given rise to a weekly radio spot on FBI Radio in Sydney (94.5 fm).
James has worked extensively with a number of non-government organizations, including Oxfam Australia and Aid/Watch, and is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Development. He blogs at JamesArvanitakis.net.
Articles by James Arvanitakis
I wish, oh, I wish I was a climate skeptic
The combination of a record heatwave and the hundred plus fires that are currently burning across Australia has seen the…... Read more
The Budget speech Wayne Swan could never deliver
If nothing else, the upcoming budget week shows us the priorities of the government. We all know by now that…... Read more
Even in politics it has always been a matter of trust
It is hard to argue against the fact that Australian politics is currently in disarray. What we have are two…... Read more
It’s a bit rich to just dismiss the poor Occupiers
The Occupy movement has certainly been grabbing the headlines over the last week. Apart from the protests that simultaneously occurred…... Read more
Gillard can win the next election in three easy steps
I was sitting with some friends and students in the outer western suburbs of Sydney the other day. We were…... Read more
The moral of this story is politicians are immoral
I have a regular segment on a community radio station in Sydney that often takes its subject matter from listeners’…... Read more
It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel Green
The world as we know it will end on July 1, this year. That is the day the Greens take…... Read more
To manufacture fortunes we need contentious ‘taxes’
It is not often that you wake up on a Saturday in Sydney and have a choice of rallies to…... Read more
Economic correctness - the new political laziness?
A radio host the other day was discussing the iPod-full of Australian artists that our Prime Minister gave to Barack…... Read more
We’re only as racist as our pollies make us out to be
I have just returned from spending five weeks in India. The purpose of the trip was to deliver a number…... Read more
Gillard runs the country the way Ponting captains Tests
There was a moment during the English first innings in the Perth test when, just before the batting collapse, Andrew…... Read more
We need big ideas to kick start the new decade
Reconciliation, multiculturalism, sustainability (including confronting human-induced climate change), feminism and economic redistribution are five ‘big ideas’ that, not only excite…... Read more
Multiculturalism hasn’t failed, it’s been suffocated
Sitting in the Norrkoping campus of the Linkoping University, Sweden, southwest of Stockholm, I am overwhelmed with a sense of…... Read more
Looking to generational divides tell us nothing
Sitting around in a café the other day, one of my former colleagues bemoaned the fact that young people where…... Read more
How we think about water is a classic progress trap
I just returned from almost three weeks in Hong Kong. It is a city that I fell in love with…... Read more
Debate suffers when pollies think we’re too dumb to get it
In a recent article about balanced reporting, the former director of the Australia Institute Clive Hamilton noted that to give…... Read more
Why the Independents should dig the mining tax
I was at a pub a couple of weeks ago and a friend asked my prediction about the election. Not…... Read more
Population: size doesn’t matter
For those of us who feel that Australia is at a crossroad on issues around sustainability the debates related to…... Read more
This campaign is enough to turn off even political junkies
The queasy feeling in my stomach as I flew into Sydney after five weeks in Europe had little to do…... Read more
How to learn from history while letting go of the past
Travelling in northern Europe, ‘the War’ is never far away: from the way that people feel about Germany’s performance in…... Read more
Fear, change, and the rise of the right as the world shrinks
Walking through the streets of Amsterdam, one of Europe’s most vibrant capitals, it is easy to get caught up in…... Read more
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The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
