Bill Ashcroft is an Emeritus Professor in the School of English, Media and Performing Arts. A founding exponent of post-colonial theory, co-author of The Empire Writes Back, the first text to examine systematically the field of post-colonial studies. He is author and co-author of twenty one books, variously translated into five languages, Including Post-Colonial Transformation (Routledge 2001), Post-Colonial Futures (Continuum 2001); Caliban's...view more
Bill Ashcroft is an Emeritus Professor in the School of English, Media and Performing Arts. A founding exponent of post-colonial theory, co-author of The Empire Writes Back, the first text to examine systematically the field of post-colonial studies. He is author and co-author of twenty one books, variously translated into five languages, Including Post-Colonial Transformation (Routledge 2001), Post-Colonial Futures (Continuum 2001); Caliban's Voice (Routledge 2008) Intimate Horizons (ATF 2009) and Utopianism in Postcolonial Literatures (Routledge 2016). He is the author of over 200 chapters and papers, and he is on the editorial boards of ten international journals.
My Qualifications
My Awards
Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities
Global Award of Academic Excellence
Australian Research Council – Australian Professorial Fellowship
2007: Distinguished researcher award University of Hong Kong
First Year Experience Award UNSW
Ed-Media 2002 International Conference, Outstanding Paper Award
Exemplary Web Course Award
ITET Fellowship UNSW
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Beijing Normal University
Distinguished Visiting Fellowship, University of Adelaide
McRae Russell Prize for work of Australian criticism (Shortlist)
Crawford Prize (PhD Thesis).
Colin Roderick Prize for Australian Literature (MA Thesis)
My Research Supervision
Supervision keywords
Areas of supervision
Australian literature, postcolonial literatures, literary theory.
My Engagement
MembershipsAULLA (Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association); ASAL (Association for the Study of Australia Literature); EASA (European Australian Studies Association); IASA (Indian Australian Studies Association; AASA (Asian Association for the Study of Australasia); AAALS (American Association for Australian Literary Studies); ACLALS (Association for Commonwealth Literary and Language Studies); EACLALS (European Association for Commonwealth Literary and Language Studies); IACLALS (Indian Association for Commonwealth Literary and Language Studies); SPACLALS (South Pacific Association for Commonwealth Literary and Language Studies); USACLALS (United States Association for Commonwealth Literary and Language Studies)
Editorial Boards
Textual Practice; African Identities; New Literatures Review; JASAL; Lemuria; Colloquy; Prosopisia ; Textus; Anglistica. Postcolonial Text, Australian Journal of Popular Culture
Monograph Series: "Horizons in Post-colonial Studies," New York: Nova Press (Series editor)
2018 Professor Emeritus
2016-2018 Professor
2011-2015 Australian Professorial Fellow, School of the Arts and Media
2011 Distinguished Visiting Professor University of Cologne
2009 -> Professor, School of English Media and Performing Arts UNSW
2006-2008 Chair Professor, School of English University of Hong Kong
2004-2006 Professor and Head of School, School of English UNSW
1999-2004: Associate Professor, School of English UNSW
1990-98: Senior Lecturer, School of English. UNSW
1989-92: Convenor, Australian Studies Program. UNSW
1988-90: Lecturer; School of English. UNSW
1986- 87: Senior Lecturer and Head of Literature: Department of Language and Literature; University of Papua New Guinea.
1986: Contracted research and writing. Regular critic: Books and Writing.
1984-5: Research, policy development and publication in Aboriginal issues: social policy international law, Aborigines and human rights Aboriginal employment.
1984: Visiting Fellow: Human Sciences, Australian National University: Research in Interdisciplinarity.
1984: Research Consultant, National Aboriginal Conference
1984: Co-ordinator of the establishment of the Pacific Region of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples
1982: Visiting Fellow, Office for Research in Academic Methods: Aust. Studies.
1979-82: Lecturer, McAuley Teachers' College, Brisbane.
1976-80: Tutor, ANU.
1974: Lecturer, Guild Teachers' College, Sydney:
1971/2: Tutor, University of Sydney:
1970: Teaching Fellow, University of Sydney
My Teaching
Bill Ashcroft has taught in the Faculty since 1988. He was instrumental in developing the Australian Studies program in the Faculty, the teaching of post-colonial literary studies in the School, and has developed various forms of innovative, interdisciplinary and electronic educational initiatives. Most recently he spent three years from 2005-2008 as Chair Professor of English at the University of Hong Kong.
Innovative Teaching
• Selected in 2001 to be supported by the university to prepare and deliver a fully online General Education course, first taught in Session 2 2001.
• Selected in 2001 to be one of the inaugural ITET (Innovative Teaching and Educational Technology) Fellows. The ITET scheme was designed to prepare academics to take a leading role in the university's transformation of teaching.
• Received an Outstanding Paper Award for a paper with Iain McAlpine of EdTec delivered at the World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications in 2002.
• Led a team in 2002 which received a grant in the First Year Experience scheme - developed two web-assisted, modular, collaborative first year courses, with an emphasis upon improving the First Year experience of university.
• Was nominated for a WebCt Exemplary Course Award in 2003.
Postgraduate Supervision:
• Supervised over twenty PhD graduates since 1988.
• Postgraduate coordinator in the School of English.
Undergraduate Teaching:
• Australian literature, Australian Studies, and Critical Theory, Post-colonial literatures and Theory, African, Indian and Caribbean Literatures.
• Convened the Australian Studies Program from 1988 to 1993, introducing an Australian Studies major and Australian Studies MA.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2447-2710
