Biography
I am a cultural and medical anthropologist. My previous work as a medical doctor and public health researcher in Indigenous health settings in Australia has led me to pursue two intersecting lines of theory and empirical research:
• Australian racial politics: Indigeneity and Whiteness, settler colonialism and postcolonialism, racism and anti-racism. Part of this research is presented in my book, Trapped in the Gap: Doing Good in Indigenous Australia (Berghahn, 2015). Read a review in the Monthly here.
• Science and technology studies: the anthropology of biomedical research, genomics, bioethics, and public health. Read an example of my scholarly work in this area here and a piece in the Conversation here.
You can listen to a podcast that gives an overview of my research here.
I am interested in supervising postgraduate projects related to these areas. My publications are available on my academia site.
I tweet at @profemmakowal.
Read more on Emma's profileCareer highlights
• I have received 25 grants and consultancies worth over $6 million AU, including a National Health & Medical Research Council postdoctoral fellowship, an Australian Research Council (ARC) postdoctoral fellowship, and an ARC Future Fellowship.
• I have authored over 100 publications including 70 peer-reviewed books, articles and book chapters. Approximately two-thirds of my journal articles appear in high-ranked (A/A* ERA 2010/Q1 Scimago) journals. My work is highly cited for my stage of career and discipline, with 1532 Google Scholar citations and an h-index of 20 (as of July 2019).
• I joined the Alfred Deakin Institute at Deakin University in 2014. I established the Deakin Science and Society Network in 2017 and was co-convenor of the newly-formed Culture, Environment and Science Research Stream, Alfred Deakin Institute, in 2018. I was previously co-convenor of the Diversity and Identity Research Stream (2015-2018).
- I am on the editorial board of Science, Technology and Human Values; American Ethnologist; and Somatosphere.
- I am an Associate Investigator of the Centre for Excellence in Austrlaian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH)
- I am on the Expert Advisory Committee of the Genomics Health Future Mission, Department of Health
• I was co-Chair of the international Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) 2018 conference.
• I was shortlisted for Australian Financial Review Emerging Leader Award in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
• I received the Mid-Career Research Award from the Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, in 2016.
• I received a Thomson Reuters Women in Research Citation Award in 2015.
•I received the 2015 Paul Bourke Award for Early Career Research, awarded by The Academy of Social Sciences Australia (ASSA).
•Key past positions include the Convenor of the Asia-Pacific Science, Technology and Society Network (2012-2014), Editor of Postcolonial Studies journal (international journal ranked A in 2010 ERA, from 2013-2018), founding Deputy Director of the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University (2014-2017).
•I review for over 50 journals and publishers across anthropology, science and technology studies, Indigenous studies, public health, and bioethics.
•I have taught anthropology, Indigenous studies, postcolonial studies and science and technology studies in undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development settings. I have completed 7 PhDs and 15 minor theses/honours students. My achievements in teaching were recognised in 2013 by a National Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, awarded by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching.
•I have been a visiting scholar/fellow at Yale University, the University of California, Berkeley, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Nanjing University, China, and the Universidade Federal de Santa Caterina, Florianopolis, Brazil.
Knowledge areas
My current areas of interest include:
- Australian racial politics, especially Indigeneity and Whiteness
- Settler colonialism and postcolonialism, racism and anti-racism
- Science and technology studies, particularly genomics
- All aspects of Indigenous health
- Bioethics, biopolitics and public health
Projects
Currently I have three main research projects:
• Haunting Biology: Race, Science and Indigeneity in Australia (ARC Future Fellowship)
This research aims to develop an innovative account of how the history of race science matters in the present through investigating: 1) the varied 20th century scientific efforts to understand Indigenous Australians biologically; and 2) contemporary knowledge-making about Indigenous biological difference in the genomic era. Drawing on the tools of anthropology, history, and science and technology studies, this research aims to re-evaluate the role of biology in Aboriginal studies. A monograph entitled Haunting Biology: Science and Indigeneity in Australia is in preparation.
• Reconciling Biological and Social Indigeneity in the Genomic Era (ARC Discovery Project)
Advances in genomics will have profound impacts on contemporary identities, including Indigeneity. A focus on social processes since the 1970s has left scholarship on Indigenous identity ill-equipped to grapple with the consequences of the genomic era. Drawing on multidisciplinary expertise, we will examine biological and social influences on Indigeneity in narratives of self- presentation and in two fields currently being transformed by genomics: ancestry testing and repatriation. You can read The Conversation articles related to this project here and here.
• Epigenetics and Indigenous Australia (ARC Discovery Project)
This project aims to investigate how epigenetics is being received by Indigenous Australians, and to identify the potential risks and opportunities that narratives of biosocial damage entail. Epigenetics is a rapidly evolving science concerned with how life experiences, such as trauma or stress, can modify DNA and be passed on to descendants. This project will offer an understanding of the relationships between Indigenous health and epigenetics that will help Indigenous researchers and policymakers make well-informed decisions about the application of this new science. The research will make a significant contribution to understanding how the interplay of biology, race, and society unfold at the intersection of different knowledge systems and at the forefront of technological progress. You can read a Discover Society blog piece on this issue here.
Publications
M Warin, E Kowal, M Meloni
(2020), Vol. 45, pp. 87-111, Science Technology and Human Values, London, Eng., C1
Elizabeth Watt, Emma Kowal, Carmen Cummings
(2020), Vol. 79, pp. 140-149, Human organization, Oklahoma City, Okla., C1
Ricardo Santos, Carlos Coimbra, Joanna Radin, Luc Berlivet, Beth Conklin, Daniele Cozzoli, Alan Goodman, David Jones, Emma Kowal, Esther Langdon, Veronika Lipphardt, Alcida Ramos, Ricardo Santos, Carlos Coimbra, Joanna Radin
(2020), Vol. 61, pp. 441-470, Current Anthropology, Chicago, Ill., C1
5. "Related" Histories: on epistemic and reparative decolonization
T Neale, E Kowal
(2020), Vol. 59, pp. 403-412, History and Theory, Chichester, Eng., C1
A community-based co-designed genetic health service model for Aboriginal Australians
I Elsum, L Massey, C McEwan, D LaGrappe, E Kowal, R Savarirayan, G Baynam, M Jenkins, G Garvey, M Kelaher
(2020), Vol. 15, pp. 1-19, PLoS ONE, San Francisco, Calif., C1
Researchers using environmental DNA must engage ethically with Indigenous communities
M Handsley-Davis, E Kowal, L Russell, L Weyrich
(2020), Nature Ecology and Evolution, C1
E Watt, E Kowal
(2019), Vol. 42, pp. 63-82, Ethnic and Racial Studies, London, Eng., C1
What's at stake? Determining indigeneity in the era of DIY DNA
E Watt, E Kowal
(2019), Vol. 38, pp. 142-164, New Genetics and Society, Abingdon, Eng., C1
E Kowal, B Llamas
(2019), Vol. 97, pp. 91-106, Journal of Anthropological Sciences, Rome, Italy, C1
Spencer's double: the decolonial afterlife of a postcolonial museum prop
E Kowal
(2019), Vol. 4, pp. 55-77, BJHS Themes, Cambridge, Eng., C1
How collections end: objects, meaning and loss in laboratories and museums
B Jardine, Emma Kowal, J Bangham
(2019), Vol. 4, pp. 1-27, BJHS Themes, Cambridge, Eng., C1
Whiteness and national identity: teacher discourses in Australian primary schools
J Walton, N Priest, E Kowal, F White, Y Paradies, B Fox
(2018), Vol. 21, pp. 132-147, Race ethnicity and education, Abingdon, Eng., C1
Anthropology, indigeneity, and the epigenome: special section on medical anthropology
E Kowal, M Warin
(2018), Vol. 120, pp. 822-825, American anthropologist, [Arlington, Va.], C1
E Kowal, E Watt
(2018), Vol. 96, pp. 229-237, Journal of Anthropological Sciences, Rome, Italy, C1
Descent, classification and indigeneity in Australia
E Kowal
(2017), pp. 19-35, Mixed race identities in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, Abingdon, Eng., B1
Introduction: the politics of low temperature
J Radin, E Kowal
(2017), pp. 3-25, Cryopolitics: frozen life in a melting world, Cambridge, Mass., B1
Aboriginal mitogenomes reveal 50,000 years of regionalism in Australia
R Tobler, A Rohrlach, J Soubrier, P Bover, B Llamas, J Tuke, N Bean, A Abdullah-Highfold, S Agius, A O'Donoghue, I O'Loughlin, P Sutton, F Zilio, K Walshe, A Williams, C Turney, M Williams, S Richards, R Mitchell, E Kowal, J Stephen, L Williams, W Haak, A Cooper
(2017), Vol. 544, pp. 180-184, Nature, London, Eng., C1
Indigeneity and the refusal of whiteness
E Kowal, Y Paradies
(2017), Vol. 20, pp. 101-117, Postcolonial studies, Abingdon, Eng., C1
Indigenous genetics and rare diseases: harmony, diversity and equity
G Baynam, C Molster, A Bauskis, E Kowal, R Savarirayan, M Kelaher, S Easteal, L Massey, G Garvey, J Goldblatt, N Pachter, T Weeramanthri, H Dawkins
(2017), Vol. 1031, pp. 511-520, Rare diseases epidemiology: update and overview, Cham, Switzerland, C1
'You are not born being racist, are you?' Discussing racism with primary aged-children
N Priest, J Walton, F White, E Kowal, B Fox, Y Paradies
(2016), Vol. 19, pp. 808-834, Race ethnicity and education, Abingdon, Eng., C1
E Kowal, S Easteal, M Gooda
(2016), Vol. 37, pp. 18-20, Australasian science, Hawksburn, Vic., C1
Digital futures in Indigenous communities: from health kiosks to community hubs
K Smith, R Chenhall, S McQuire, E Kowal
(2016), Parkville, Vic., A6
Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours Exhibition Evaluation Report
J Walton, Yin Paradies, Emma Kowal, Fethi Mansouri, Naomi Priest, Margaret Kelaher, Moya McFadzean, Carolyn Meehan, Jan Molloy, Linda Sproul
(2016), Melbourne, Vic., A6
Collections d'échantillons biologiques autochtones et cryopolitique de la vie congelée
E Kowal, J Radin
(2016), pp. 1-14, 2014 : Proceedings of the 2014 Living Beings and Artifacts International Symposium, Paris, France, E1
Genetics and Indigenous communities: ethical issues
E Kowal
(2015), Vol. 9, pp. 962-968, International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (second edition), Amsterdam, The Netherlands, B1-1
E Kowal, L Gallacher, I Macciocca, M Sahhar
(2015), Vol. 24, pp. 597-607, Journal of genetic counseling, Berlin, Germany, C1
Indigenous biospecimen collections and the cryopolitics of frozen life
E Kowal, J Radin
(2015), Vol. 51, pp. 63-80, Journal of Sociology, C1-1
Sociology of bio-knowledge at the limits of life
E Kowal, A Petersen
(2015), Vol. 51, pp. 3-8, Journal of Sociology, C1-1
Time, indigeneity and white anti-racism in Australia
E Kowal, E Kowal
(2015), Vol. 26, pp. 94-111, Australian Journal of Anthropology, C1-1
E Kowal, A Greenwood, R McWhirter
(2015), Vol. 10, pp. 347-359, Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, C1
Indigenous blood and ethical regimes in the United States and Australia since the 1960s
J Radin, E Kowal
(2015), Vol. 42, pp. 749-765, American ethnologist, Washington, D.C., C1
Welcome to country: acknowledgement, belonging and white anti-racism
E Kowal
(2015), Vol. 21, pp. 173-204, Cultural studies review, Sydney, N.S.W., C1
Talking culture? Egalitarianism, color-blindness and racism in Australian elementary schools
J Walton, N Priest, E Kowal, F White, K Brickwood, B Fox, Y Paradies
(2014), Vol. 39, pp. 112-122, Teaching and Teacher Education, C1
N Priest, J Walton, F White, E Kowal, A Baker, Y Paradies
(2014), Vol. 43, pp. 139-155, International journal of intercultural relations, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Critical evaluation of a program to foster reflexive antiracism
H Franklin, Y Paradies, E Kowal
(2014), Vol. 2, pp. 20-46, International journal of social science research, Las Vegas, Nevada, C1-1
Development of the Reflexive Antiracism Scale - Indigenous
Y Paradies, H Franklin, E Kowal
(2013), Vol. 32, pp. 348-373, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, C1
Reflexive antiracism: A novel approach to diversity training
E Kowal, H Franklin, Y Paradies
(2013), Vol. 13, pp. 316-337, Ethnicities, C1
Indigenous body parts, mutating temporalities, and the half-lives of postcolonial technoscience
E Kowal, J Radin, J Reardon
(2013), Vol. 43, pp. 465-483, Social studies of science, London, England, C1-1
Orphan DNA: Indigenous samples, ethical biovalue and postcolonial science in Australia
E Kowal
(2013), Vol. 43, pp. 578-598, Social studies of science, London, England, C1-1
Disturbing pasts and promising futures: the politics of Indigenous genetic research in Australia
E Kowal
(2012), pp. 329-347, Biomapping indigenous peoples : towards an understanding of the issues, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, B1-1
Difficult conversations: talking about Indigenous genetic health research in Australia
E Kowal, I Anderson
(2012), pp. 349-367, Biomapping indigenous peoples : towards an understanding of the issues, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, B1-1
Responsibility, Noel Pearson and Indigenous disadvantage in Australia
E Kowal
(2012), pp. 43-56, Responsibility, Melbourne, Vic, B1-1
Genetic research and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
E Kowal, G Pearson, C Peacock, S Jamieson, J Blackwell
(2012), Vol. 9, pp. 419-432, Journal of bioethical inquiry, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, C1-1
E Kowal, G Frederic
(2012), Vol. 8, pp. 1-14, Genomics, society and policy (Life sciences, society and policy, since 2012), Heidelberg, Germany, C1-1
Stigma and suffering: white anti-racist identities in Northern Australia.
E Kowal
(2012), Vol. 15, pp. 5-21, Postcolonial studies, Melbourne, Vic, C1-1
Culture, history, and health in an Australian Aboriginal community: the case of Utopia
H Anderson, E Kowal
(2012), Vol. 31, pp. 438-457, Medical anthropology, Abingdon, England, C1-1
Genetic research in indigenous health: Significant progress, substantial challenges
E Kowal
(2012), Vol. 197, pp. 19-20, Medical Journal of Australia, C1
Genetic research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities : continuing the conversation
E Kowal, I Anderson
(2012), Melbourne, Vic., A6-1
E Kowal, H Franklin, Y Paradies
(2011), pp. 133-152, Directions and intersections : proceedings of the 2011 Australian Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Association and Indigenous Studies Research Network joint conference, Adelaide, S. A., B1-1
Postcolonial friction: the Indigenous governance machine
E Kowal
(2011), pp. 136-150, Force, movement, intensity: the Newtonian imagination in the humanities and social sciences, Melbourne, Vic., B1
The Newtonian fantasy and its 'social' other
G Hage, E Kowal
(2011), pp. 1-9, Force, movement, intensity: the Newtonian imagination in the humanities and social sciences, Melbourne, Vic., B1
The stigma of white privilege: Australian anti-racists and indigenous improvement
E Kowal
(2011), Vol. 25, pp. 313-333, Cultural Studies, C1-1
E Pechenkina, E Kowal, Y Paradies
(2011), Vol. 40, pp. 59-68, Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, C1-1
Indigenous cultural training for health workers in Australia
R Downing, E Kowal, Y Paradies
(2011), Vol. 23, pp. 247-257, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, C1-1
A postcolonial analysis of indigenous cultural awareness training for health workers
R Downing, E Kowal
(2011), Vol. 20, pp. 5-15, Health sociology review, Abingdon, Eng., C1
Putting Indigenous cultural training into nursing practice
R Downing, E Kowal
(2011), Vol. 37, pp. 10-20, Contemporary nurse, Abingdon, Eng., C1
Putting Indigenous cultural training into nursing practice
Rosie Downing, Emma Kowal
(2011), Vol. 37, pp. 10-20, Contemporary Nurse, C1
Genetic research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: beginning the conversation
E Kowal, L Rouhani, I Anderson
(2011), Carlton, Vic., A6-1
Historical influences on contemporary social indicators at Utopia
K Rowley, H Anderson, S Doherty, A Brown, E Kowal
(2011), Alice Springs, N.T., A6-1
Is culture the problem or the solution? Outstation health and the politics of remoteness
E Kowal
(2010), pp. 179-193, Culture crisis: anthropology and politics in Aboriginal Australia, Sydney, N.S.W., B1
Enduring dilemmas of Indigenous health
E Kowal, Y Paradies
(2010), Vol. 192, pp. 599-600, Medical journal of Australia, Strawberry Hills, N.S.W., C1
E Kowal
(2008), Vol. 110, pp. 338-348, American Anthropologist, London, Eng., C1
E Kowal, Y Paradies
(2005), Vol. 60, pp. 1347-1357, Social science & medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Australian Competitive Grants
Using museums to counter racism and increase acceptance of diversity among young people
Prof Yin Paradies, Prof Emma Kowal, Dr Naomi Priest, A/Prof Margaret Kelaher, Prof Fethi Mansouri, Dr Moya McFadzean, Ms Carolyn Meehan, Ms Linda Sproul
ARC Linkage - Projects Rnd 1
- 2014: $63,901
- 2013: $125,271
From scientific specimen to Indigenous cultural property: The collection and use of Indigenous DNA samples since the 1960s
Prof Emma Kowal
ARC DECRA - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
- 2014: $219,610
Reconciling biological and social Indigeneity in the genomic era - Transfer from the University of Melbourne
Prof Emma Kowal, Prof Yin Paradies, A/Prof Cressida Fforde
ARC - Discovery Projects
- 2017: $43,296
- 2016: $82,299
- 2015: $48,101
Haunting Biology: Race, Science and Indigeneity in Australia
Prof Emma Kowal
ARC Fellowships - Future Fellowships
- 2020: $124,989
- 2019: $245,558
- 2018: $240,979
- 2017: $354,373
The politics of epigenetic hope and hype in Indigenous Australia
Prof Emma Kowal, A/Prof Maurizio Meloni, Asst/Prof Megan Warin
ARC - Discovery Projects
- 2020: $98,157
- 2019: $91,682
Development and Evaluation of the Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING).
Prof Emma Kowal
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH)
- 2019: $60,000
Other Public Sector Funding
Using museums to counter racism and increase acceptance of diversity among young people
Prof Yin Paradies, Prof Emma Kowal, Dr Naomi Priest, A/Prof Margaret Kelaher, Prof Fethi Mansouri, Dr Moya McFadzean, Ms Carolyn Meehan, Ms Linda Sproul
- 2014: $40,000
- 2013: $80,000
National Centre for Indigenous Genomics (NCIG)
Prof Emma Kowal
- 2017: $16,706
- 2016: $33,412
- 2015: $50,115
Supervisions
Jehonathan Ben
Thesis entitled: Ambivalent Motions: Eritreans Working Pursuits and Intercultural Connections in Melbourne
Doctor of Philosophy, School of Humanities and Social Sciences