Victoria University

Faculty Member, Social Sciences and Psychology

Other Affiliations: University of the Witwatersrand, School of Human and Community Development

Associate Professor

About

My background is in community psychology. I teach  in areas of community, cultural and liberation psychology and qualitative research methods.

My research is in areas of sense of community, social identity, immigration,  anti-racism, and intergroup relations. These areas reflect themes in his own journey as an immigrant to Australia and as a person who grew up during the Apartheid period in South Africa.

A major focus of my research is on understanding non-dominant group responses to oppression, including racism as well as responses of culturally dominant groups, e.g., privilege protection.

I have investigated the adaptation of different immigrant communities to Australia as well as the responses of Indigenous Australians to dominant group settings and stories.

I am interested in understanding the multiple and often hidden resources and structures groups develop to help protect valued cultural identities and to resist oppression and promote liberation.

I continue to work with the Community Arts Network Western Australia exploring how community arts can be utilised with marginalised communities in community capacity building and liberation. For more information see: www.canwa.com.au.

I am also a co-researcher on the international Apartheid Archive Project based in South Africa. For more information see: www.apartheidarchive.org

I have coedited special issues of the Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology (JCASP) on dynamics of oppression in research (Sonn and Green) and practice and on power in community psychology (Fisher & Sonn), and one the Apartheid Archive Project (Bowman, Duncan & Sonn).

I have coedited a book on Sense of Community (Fisher, Sonn, & Bishop) and one of Psychology and Liberation (Montero & Sonn) and co-authored a book on Social Psychology and Everyday Life (Hodgetts, Drew, Sonn, Stolte, Nikora, & Curtis). 

Christopher is on the editorial board of three journals and was an Associate Editor of the JCASP until 2011.

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