Nita Alexander
Senior Research Officer
BA (Hons), PhD
nita.alexander@thekids.org.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nita-alexander/Dr Nita Alexander is a Senior Research Officer in the Healing Kids, Healing Families team and is Project Lead for the ARC Aboriginal Parenting Program. This project aims to design, implement, and evaluate a co-designed parenting program that is culturally safe, trauma informed, and interrupts the transmission of intergenerational trauma.
Nita completed their PhD (Society & Culture) at James Cook University. They researched young activists' political participation, examining the activists’ use of prefigurative practice and their development of a generational radical ecological habitus. This work has implications for young people’s education, politics, and well-being.
Nita’s research interests relate to issues affecting marginalised groups in society, and they aim to use their qualifications and experience to promote human rights and social justice for all people.
Education and Qualifications
BA Sociology and Human Services – James Cook University
BA (1st Class Honours) Sociology – James Cook University
PhD (Society & Culture)– James Cook University
Awards/Honours
2020 – Research Training Program RTP Scholarship
2019 – University Medal - James Cook University
2018 – Academic Medal – James Cook University
2018 – Douglas Fry Bursary – James Cook University
2017 - Chris Williams Prize – Human Rights & Social Justice – James Cook University
Research Publications
Alexander, N.; Petray, T.; McDowall, A. (2022). Conscientisation and Radical Habitus: Expanding Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice in Youth Activism Studies. Youth, 2, 295–308. https://doi.org/10.3390/ youth2030022
Alexander, N., Petray, T., & McDowall, A. (2021). More learning, less activism: Narratives of childhood in Australian media representations of the School Strike for Climate. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 1-16. doi:10.1017/aee.2021.28
Alexander, N., Ashley, A., Lisciandro, R., Oleszek, R., & Petray, T. (2021). When students protest and when they don't: Challenging the apathy narrative in Australia. In Bessant, J., Mesinas, A. M., & Pickard, S. (Eds.), When Students Protest: Universities in the global north. Rowman & Littlefield.
In review:
Alexander, N., Petray, T., & McDowall, A.
Book Chapter in Edited volume
Chapter title: Prefigurative practice: Acting in the present, foreboding the future
Volume: Routledge Handbook of Young People and Environmental Activism