Professor Simon Tormey
Professor Simon Tormey is an expert in politics with a core interest in the decline of political trust globally, the politics of protest against capitalism and for urgent climate change, the rise of populism, and how choices of political leaders and electoral outcomes have gone "against the grain", and the state of democracies. Professor Tormey has authored numerous books including The End of Representative Politics, The Refiguring of Democracy, and Populism. His current research concerns the nature of the increasing crisis confronting democratic societies, the rise of populist and outsider movements and parties, and the impact of ICT and new social media on participation and mobilisation.
Professor Claire Corbould
Professor Clare Corbould is Associate Head of School (Research) in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University. She is the author of Becoming African Americans (Harvard, 2009) and co-editor of Remembering the Revolution (Massachusetts, 2013). Professor Corbould is an award-winning scholar of African American history with additional knowledge in the Pacific and Australia. Her work primarily explores the way people use history and memory for political ends. Professor Corbould’s current research concerns the memory and legacy of the American Revolution among African Americans.
Professor Ihsan Yilmaz
Professor Ihsan Yilmaz is a Research Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Chair of Islamic Studies at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Australia. His research focuses on the intersections of religion, politics, and society, with a particular emphasis on nation-building, citizenship, authoritarianism, and populism in the Global South. He has contributed extensively to the study of civilisational populism and the rise of civilization states, examining the role of religion and identity in shaping political strategies, governance models and international relations. Professor Yilmaz has authored several books, including Weaponizing Civilisationalism for Authoritarianism; Reception of Soft and Sharp Powers, and Religions and the Global Rise of Civilisational Populism. His work provides critical insights into the dynamics of religion-state-society relations emotions and populism, digital technologies, and the global implications of authoritarian populism.