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Nick Pendergrast

Senior Tutor (Teaching Associate) in Sociology, The University of Melbourne

I currently teach Sociology at the University of Melbourne.

Previously, I taught Criminology at Deakin University and Sociology and Anthropology at Curtin University, lecturing on a wide range of topics including human/non-human relations and the animal advocacy movement, human rights, the environment, intersectionality and social movements, online activism, gender and sex work, international trade and globalisation, the anti-neoliberal globalisation movement and anarchism, refugees and migration, nationalism and ethnicity, terrorism and counter-terrorism, victims of crime, media and politics, and music and social change.

I completed my PhD in Sociology at Curtin University in 2015. My thesis applied sociological theories on social movements and organisations to the animal advocacy movement in Australia and the United States.

Experience

  • 2022–present
    Lecturer in Sociology, University of Melbourne
  • 2023–present
    Senior Tutor in Sociology (Teaching Associate), University of Melbourne
  • 2016–2022
    Sociology and Anthropology Tutor, University of Melbourne
  • 2016–2016
    Criminology Lecturer and Tutor, Deakin University
  • 2008–2015
    Lecturer and Tutor in Sociology and Anthropology, Curtin University

Education

  • 2015 
    Curtin University, Doctor of Philosophy, PhD in Sociology
  • 2008 
    Curtin University, Bachelor of Social Science with Distinction and First Class Honours, Major: Sociology, Minor: Politics

Publications

  • 2023
    Personal reflections on intersectionality in practice, Paper presented at the Vegan Intersectionality conference by the International Association of Vegan Sociologists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCKP4snnP5o
  • 2022
    Challenging anthroparchy in research - on the socio-spatial "doing" of vegan sociology, Panel discussion with Zoei Sutton and Alexander Hill at the Vegan Sociologies of Space and Time conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGwwNBlWoVk&list=PLHEijYgem7IXtC3b8JtyJkN1y1qukJlxM
  • 2022
    Introducing Vegan Sociology to Other Disciplines, Paper presented with Adam Cardilini at the Vegan Sociologies of Space and Time conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXtiRxiIWLk&list=PLHEijYgem7IXtC3b8JtyJkN1y1qukJlxM
  • 2021
    Incorporating a Structural Approach into Animal Advocacy, Paper presented at The Promise of Vegan Sociology: Vegan Sociology as a Conduit for Human and Nonhuman Emancipation conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV0HZSkfPyI
  • 2021
    The vegan shift in the Australian animal movement, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 41 No. 3/4, pp. 407-423. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-08-2019-0161
  • 2020
    Who is to blame for harm to animals?, Paper presented at the Worldly Togetherness? Showcasing sociological contributions to understanding multispecies entanglements conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A7aI6eSH3U&list=PLHEijYgem7IVCZIQOKsk6Ksv8nNh48NR1&index=7&t=0s
  • 2019
    Don’t shoot the messenger: Environmentalism and hypocrisy, Independent Australia: https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/dont-shoot-the-messenger-environmentalism-and-hypocrisy,13292
  • 2019
    Animal Rights: Time to Start Unpacking What Rights and for Whom, (with Dr Jane Kotzmann) Mitchell Hamline Law Review: https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/mhlr/vol46/iss1/6/
  • 2019
    Insiders, Outsiders: Media And Climate Change And Repeating, Without Question, New Matilda: https://newmatilda.com/2019/12/13/insiders-outsiders-media-and-climate-change-and-repeating-without-question/
  • 2019
    How to Choose your Change Strategy, Interviewed for How to Start a Riot podcast: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/how-to-start-a-riot/riot-15-how-to-choose-your-zMy3-lDEbtK/
  • 2019
    Revolution and Reform in Social Movements, Paper presented at the Social Education Victoria (SEV) conference: https://www.slideshare.net/NickPendergrast/revolution-and-reform-in-social-movements-by-nick-pendergrast/NickPendergrast/revolution-and-reform-in-social-movements-by-nick-pendergrast
  • 2018
    “Happy Meat” as Resistance? The Promotion and Marketing of Humane Animal Products in Australia, Paper presented at the ‘Precarity, Rights and Resistance’ TASA sociology conference: https://www.slideshare.net/NickPendergrast/happy-meat-as-resistance-the-promotion-and-marketing-of-humane-animal-products-in-australia-by-nick-pendergrast
  • 2018
    PETA, Patriarchy and Intersectionality, Animal Studies Journal: http://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol7/iss1/4/
  • 2018
    Challenging power and creating alternatives: integrationist, antisystemic and non-hegemonic approaches in Australian social movements, Journal of Sociology (with Dr Theresa Petray): https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/51981/
  • 2018
    The Little Effort Paradigm: Asking People To Do Less, Sustainably, Faunalytics: https://faunalytics.org/little-effort-paradigm-asking-people-less-sustainably/
  • 2018
    The Role of the Ideology of Animal Welfare in the Consumption and Marketing of Animal-Origin Products, (with Sarah McGrath) in the book 'Social Marketing and Its Influence on Animal Origin Food Product Consumption', edited by Diana Bogueva, Dora Marinova and Talia Raphaely, IGI Global: https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/the-role-of-the-ideology-of-animal-welfare-in-the-consumption-and-marketing-of-animal-origin-products/199399
  • 2018
    The perils of pet ownership: your dog isn't a 'fur baby', it's your property, ABC News: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-18/pet-ownership-your-dog-is-property-not-a-fur-baby/9414096
  • 2018
    From Nationalism to Intersectionality in Animal Advocacy, Paper presented at the ‘Animal Nationalisms’ conference by the Deakin Critical Animal Studies Network: https://www.slideshare.net/NickPendergrast/from-nationalism-to-intersectionality-in-animal-advocacy/NickPendergrast/from-nationalism-to-intersectionality-in-animal-advocacy
  • 2018
    Dogs - "Fur Babies" or Property?, Interviewed by Melanie Tait on ‘Evenings’ – ABC Radio Tasmania: https://soundcloud.com/user-823571513/dogs
  • 2018
    Are Conditions Ripe For Animal Rights Vegan Activism?, Faunalytics: https://faunalytics.org/the-conditions-are-ripe-for-animal-rights-vegan-activism/
  • 2018
    The Limits Of Promoting Veganism By Larger And Smaller Organizations, Faunalytics: https://faunalytics.org/limits-promoting-veganism-larger-smaller-organizations/
  • 2018
    Intersectional Advocacy Tends To Bring In Less Money, Faunalytics: https://faunalytics.org/intersectional-advocacy-tends-to-bring-in-less-money/
  • 2018
    Are Grassroots Organizations Essential To Promoting Veganism?, Faunalytics: https://faunalytics.org/are-grassroots-organizations-essential-promoting-veganism/
  • 2017
    Intersectionality, Integrationist Social Change and PETA’s Animal Advocacy, Paper presented at the ‘Development for Species: Animals in society, animals as society’ conference: https://www.slideshare.net/NickPendergrast/intersectionality-integrationist-social-change-and-petas-animal-advocacy-by-nick-pendergrast
  • 2016
    Experimental Utopias and Social Change: Examples from Australian Non-Hegemonic Activism, Paper presented with Dr Theresa Petray at the ‘Cities & Successful Societies’ Conference: https://www.slideshare.net/NickPendergrast/experimental-utopias-and-social-change-examples-from-australian-nonhegemonic-activism-by-dr-theresa-petray-and-dr-nick-pendergrast
  • 2016
    The Continuum Of Violence: Homophobia Didn’t Start With A Mass Shooting In Orlando, New Matilda: https://newmatilda.com/2016/06/13/homophobia-doesnt-start-with-a-mass-shooting-in-orlando/
  • 2016
    Rescuing Dogs in a Mercedes-Benz: Animal Advocacy in China, Paper presented at the ‘Cities & Successful Societies' conference: https://www.slideshare.net/NickPendergrast/nick-pendergrast-rescuing-dogs-in-a-mercedesbenz-animal-advocacy-in-china
  • 2015
    Malcolm Turnbull Benches Team Australia, But Will The Narrative On Terrorism Change?, New Matilda: https://newmatilda.com/2015/10/12/malcolm-turnbull-benches-team-australia-but-will-the-narrative-on-terrorism-change/
  • 2015
    Don’t judge me: Chris Brown and the real task of tackling violence against women, The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/dont-judge-me-chris-brown-and-the-real-task-of-tackling-violence-against-women-48231
  • 2015
    Live Animal Export, Humane Slaughter and Media Hegemony, Animal Studies Journal (vol. 4, no. 1): http://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol4/iss1/7/
  • 2015
    A Sociological Examination of the Contemporary Animal Advocacy Movement: Organisations, Rationality and Veganism, PhD thesis, Curtin University: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2472
  • 2015
    'Environmental Concerns and the Mainstreaming of Veganism', in the book 'Impacts of Meat Consumption on Health and Environmental Sustainability', edited by Talia Raphaely and Dora Marinova, IGI Global: http://www.igi-global.com/book/impact-meat-consumption-health-environmental/134810
  • 2014
    Live Animal Export, Humane Slaughter and Media Hegemony, Paper presented at the ‘Critical Animal Studies in the Asia-Pacific' conference: https://www.slideshare.net/NickPendergrast/live-animal-export-humane-slaughter-and-media-hegemony
  • 2013
    Veganism Enters the Mainstream, Paper presented at the ‘Critical Animal Studies in the Asia-Pacific’ conference: https://www.slideshare.net/NickPendergrast/veganism-enters-the-mainstream
  • 2013
    Jay-Z and Beyoncé: Veganism is much more than a Cleanse, Online Opinion: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=15844
  • 2012
    Puppy Slaughter in Australia, What's all the Fuss?, Online Opinion: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=14142&page=0
  • 2011
    Floods and Asylum Seekers: Extending the Compassion, ABC's The Drum Opinion: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/43294.html
  • 2011
    Veganism, Organisational Considerations and Animal Advocacy Campaigns, Voicing the Unseen: http://hgs.curtin.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2017/05/Nick-Pendegrast.pdf
  • 2011
    Animal slaughter: Not Just Horrific in Indonesia, The Scavenger: http://www.thescavenger.net/animals/animal-slaughter-not-just-horrific-in-indonesia-757.html
  • 2011
    2011: What a Year for Veganism!, One Green Planet: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/2011-what-a-year-for-veganism/
  • 2011
    Melbourne Cup: The Race that gets us to Stop and Think about Animals?, Online Opinion: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=12797&page=0
  • 2010
    Animal Rights Enters the Mainstream, New Matilda: http://newmatilda.com/2010/02/23/animal-rights-enters-mainstream
  • 2009
    Australian Media Hegemony and the Internet, Sense of Community: https://hgs.curtin.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2017/05/Nick-Pendergrast.pdf
  • 2008
    Channel Seven, the Olympics and Censorship, Green Left Weekly: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/40109
  • 2008
    The Silence of the Lambs: Interview with an Australian Slaughterhouse Worker, Vegan Voice: http://xeny.net/the_silence_of_the_lambs

Professional Memberships

  • Representative for the Institute for Critical Animal Studies Oceania (ICAS Oceania): http://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/icas-oceania/
  • Member of the Australian Sociological Association (TASA): tasa.org.au

Research Areas

  • Sociology (1608)