Personal profile
Research Interests
My research has focused on two main fields of study:
- Critical development studies (development volunteering, culture and social change, gender and development, poverty reduction policy making)
- Social and cultural geographies of migration, ethnicity and race (refugee and migrant settlement, constructions of racial and ethnic identities, labour migration)
In critical development studies my work has focused on theoretically informed analysis of development policies and practices. Empirically this work has centred on gender and poverty reduction strategies. My recent research projects examined the impacts of international developent volunteering, and the 20th century history of Red Cross humanitarianism.
In social and cultural geography my research has examined how migrants and refugees reconstruct their identities in Australia within terrains and settlement contexts that are structured by race, class, gender, and underpinned by often implicit notions of modernity and development. I currently work on temporary international labour migration, how it is experienced, and how it impacts in different places.
External grants:
Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. (ARCLP 200100149, 2021-2024, CI)
Resilient humanitarianism: the League of the Red Cross Societies, 1919-1991 (ARC DP190101171; 2019-2023, CI)
Cosmopolitan development: the impacts of international volunteering (ARC LP120200085; 2012-2015, Lead CI)
From stranger to citizen: migration, modernisation and racialisation in the making of the new Australian (ARC DP0665782; 2006-07, Lead CI)
Completed Supervisions
- international development (4)
- migration, race & ethnicity (3)
- history of computer-based education (1)
- volunteering (1)
- international development (11)
- migration, race & ethnicity (1)
- volunteering (1)
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Geography, Durham University
Award Date: 20 Jun 1990
Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Durham University
Award Date: 20 Jun 1985
Supervision
- Registered
Research Areas
- Geography
- Sociology
Supervisory Interests
- Refugees/migrants
- International development
- Gender and development, human rights
- History of the Australian Red Cross
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 1 No Poverty -
SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Impacts of temporary labour migration schemes on wellbeing of workers & their households in Timor-Leste: a comparative evaluation of the Australian Seasonal Workers Programme & South Korean Employment Permit System
Saikia, U., Schech, S., McWilliam, A., Dodd, M., Ximenes, I. F. D. J., Dasvarma, G. & Chalmers, J., 2026, Flinders University. 50 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report › peer-review
Open AccessFile16 Downloads (Pure) -
Resilient Humanitarianism: The League of Red Cross Societies, 1919–1991
Oppenheimer, M., Wylie, N., Schech, S., Fathi, R. & Evans, J., 19 Mar 2026, 1 ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 368 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
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Navigating the North–South Migration in Ghana: Perspectives of Young Northern Migrants in Sunyani
Darko, F. D., Schech, S. & Saikia, U., 4 Jun 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Migration and Development. 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile58 Downloads (Pure) -
Affective politics of Australian development volunteering
Schech, S., 2024, Affect, Emotions and Power in Development Studies Theory and Practice. Jakimow, T. (ed.). Oxon, UK: Routledge, Taylor & Francis, p. 599-616 17 p. (Thirdworlds).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Culture and Development
Schech, S., 2024, The Companion to Development Studies. Dauncey, E., Desai, V. & Potter, R. B. (eds.). 4 ed. Oxon, UK: Routledge, Taylor & Francis, p. 62-65 4 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Projects
- 1 Finished
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DECHASS: Digital Education in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Bouvet, E. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Cornelius-Bell, A. (Partner Investigator), Tikhonova, D. (Partner Investigator), Parisot, E. (Partner Investigator), Carter, H. (Partner Investigator), Kane, J. (Partner Investigator), Ngo, M. (Partner Investigator), Diaz-Martinez, J. (Partner Investigator) & Schech, S. (Partner Investigator)
11/04/21 → 10/04/22
Project: Research