Stephen Healy

Associate Professor
Human Geography and Urban Studies School of Social Sciences/ Institute for Culture and Society
Western Sydney University
Sydney, Australia

Other Affiliations

Editorial Associate, Rethinking Marxism

Association of American Geographers

Association for Economic and Social Analysis

Gamma Theta Upsilon, Geographic Honors Society

 

Degrees

PhD University of Massachusetts, Amherst
MS University of Massachusetts, Amherst
BA Hampshire College

Research Interests

community economies, marxian theory, subjectivity, psychoanalytic theory

What is at stake is the creation of values, not simply the act of adhering to already existing values. … All great sublimations (art, sciences, religion) create new values, transform things into values. (Zupancic 2003, 73)

Historically my work has explored the relationship between subjectivity and economy through the lens of Marxian and psychoanalytic theory. The areas in which this research interest takes shape has varied over time: health care reform in the United States, the work of informal caregivers, cooperative development for marginalized populations, efforts to integrate environmental concerns into teaching and the process of regional development. I understand our common project to be one of developing and learning to speak a new language of economy. The practice of speaking this language is learning to revalue every day care, ordinary places and labors and to find in them both meaning and potential. Our aim is to give voice to an economy of values capable of holding and expressing our commitments to others.

My past research projects include integrating sustainability concerns into geoscience curricula, a study of the significance, impact and spatial distribution of the Solidarity Economy in the US--both supported by the US National Science foundation (the latter with fellow CEC colleagues Marianna Pavlovskaya, and Maliha Safri).  One current research projects is an engaged research project focused on the development of innovative waste economies in Australia, supported by the Australian Research Council (with CERN colleagues Gay Hawkins, Abby Mellick-Lopes, and Ruth Lane). The aim of the project is to "redraw" the circular economy to be more encompassing and inclusive. a parrallel reseach initiative, Cooling the Commons, is focused on climate readiness in Western Sydney (home to the hottest suburbs on earth) with a particular focus on the social justice dimensions of climate readiness.

I have played various roles in the collective. Currently I am a CEI board member serving as Treasurer and involved with the Research Working Group, coordinator or the CERN-Sydney Branch, and an editorial board member of the Diverse Economies Liveable Worlds book series from University of Minnesota Press.   

 

Curriculum vitae

Contact Information

Associate Professor  Stephen Healy 

Institute for Culture and Society

Building EM Parramatta South Campus

Locked bag 1797 Penrith NSW 2751

Australia