Learning Through and From Peter Beilharz

by Eric Ferris

Peter, like my mentor and friend Chris and Bauman (from books), offered me versions of a relationship to teaching and learning – a relationship between teachers and learners – that I can, and will, carry and pass on. This is a ‘how’ and ‘why’ I met Peter, and a glimpse at part of the ‘what’ that underpins my respect for Peter.

Pete as Mentor, Colleague, Collaborator, Friend: ‘Thanks, Pal!’

by Trevor Hogan

Upon knocking on their front door, the domestic tableau that greeted us included Pete sitting on the floor and leaning against a couch, pen and paper in hand, folder perched on his knee, surrounded by piles of books including an up-ended paperback of E.P. Thompson’s (1963) The Making of the English Working Class, or so my mind’s eye reconstructs the scene of our first meeting. He was preparing lecture notes for his first semester of teaching – first year sociology at La Trobe University. Our conversations moved quickly from beaches and bands to books, critical theory, and politics. 

Peter Beilharz’s Baby: The Infancy of Thesis Eleven

by Alastair Davidson

Peter Beilharz is the only one of the three founding editors of Thesis Eleven to have remained with the journal over the decades since 1980. Three generations of editors joined him in its progress from the tiny, self-financed Australian journal born in Room 681 of the Menzies Building, at Monash University, but he alone saw it through to its transition into a major international journal of the Left, outlasting many other journals born in the same decade. His early energy and enthusiasm, his tenacity, flair and insights accompanied him through the years.

Reflections on Friendship and Gratitude for Peter Beilharz on the Occasion of His ‘Revolution #70’

by Christopher G Robbins and Eric Ferris with Sian Supski

To describe this project as a festschrift seems fitting. It is, indeed, a collection of writings gathered together to honour, or pay tribute to, Peter as a scholar. The metrics describing Peter’s scholarship – his contributions to sociology, historical sociology, and social and cultural theory – reflect both its volume and quality and make him fitting of such a tribute.

Ted Snell, Born Sandy Devotional, 1949–2023

by Darren Jorgensen

It was devastating to hear of Ted Snell’s death for those of us who were touched by his unflinching support of the visual arts. Snell pursued a selfless career sitting on national arts boards, curating shows and managing galleries while always and endlessly advocating for art and ideas.

Article: The Negative Commonwealth: Australia as ‘Laboratory’, Then and Now

by Lorenzo Veracini and Dan Tout

Federated Australia was seen for a long time as a significant social ‘laboratory’. The Commonwealth itself was seen as an ‘experiment’. This widespread metaphor relied on a particular pattern of perception: the country was ‘new’ (it was not), and the country was allegedly isolated (it was not, at least not completely). Many believed that its social environment could be controlled, like that of a scientific laboratory. A laboratory is designed to shut all disturbances out – the value of the data and experiments depends on it.