Social Relationships and Communities Research

Leading research into changing contemporary societies and socially inclusive communities

The Social Relationships and Communities Research Group (SRC) is a multidisciplinary research concentration focused on better understanding and responding to the opportunities and challenges facing rapidly changing contemporary societies.

We partner with community groups, government and non-government organisations, research and industry partners to develop innovative solutions that enhance social participation, inclusive citizenship and wellbeing in diverse communities.

Bolstering creative new collaborations across the social sciences, humanities, law, education and health, our research has generated new understandings and approaches to domestic, family and sexual violence, trauma, race-based discrimination and abuse, child abuse and children’s rights, parenting, stigma and social marginalisation experienced by people with mental health problems, discrimination and abuse experienced by people with disability, elder abuse and institutional abuse.

As a community-engaged and industry-oriented research group, we provide high level expertise and resources that offer new insights and real-world solutions.

Explore our research

We work across boundaries of social science and human-centred disciplines to understand, interrogate and apply intersectionalities for the benefit of all.

Engage with us

Connect with us to discuss potential research partnerships or to engage with the latest thinking about ways of promoting healthy relationships and inclusive communities.

Explore the Social Relationships and Communities Research

Research capabilities Research capabilities
Research impact Research impact
Our people Our people
Our partners Our partners

Research themes

Working across the boundaries of the social science and human-centred disciplines, SRC’s research activities sit within four thematic hubs that reflect the interests, strengths and expertise of our team. We partner with a large range of relevant organisations and groups to further our understanding and reach.

Personal and societal health

Gender & diversity

Our gender and diversity research hub explores how intersecting social identities and disadvantage such as gender, class, cultural background, sexualities and disabilities frame many social problems in contemporary societies. Our research is feminist-informed and investigates gendered violence, gender and sexual diversity, mothering, women prisoners, gender and mental health, and gender and migration.

Personal and societal health

Cultural diversity & intercultural communication

This research hub engages in policy relevant and methodologically innovative scholarship related to culturally and linguistically diverse groups, migration, diasporas and refugees. We focus on everyday lived experience of interculturality, particularly the role of identity and language, and its importance within a range of vocational and educational contexts.

Defence and national security

Security & citizenship

The Security & Citizenship hub focuses on threats to peace, social inclusion and sustainable development emerging from war, corruption, organised crime, and environmental disaster. We examine how real and perceived risks intersect and impact upon people’s rights, culture and safety, and focus on prevention and building resilience in social systems as well as the multidimensional causes and consequences of challenges to human security.

Personal and societal health

Wellbeing & social inclusion

This research hub focuses on the social dimensions of wellbeing and ways of enhancing social inclusion for individuals and groups facing social stigma and marginalisation related to mental health. This research draws on insights from critical psychology, strengths-based social work, mad studies and critical feminist perspectives on madness to help forge new approaches to increasing wellbeing among individuals and communities, and challenge pathologising discourses and disempowering treatment practices.

With our broad-reaching and intersectional focus, our research contributes to policy influence and reform, research papers and more, touching a large cohort of different demographics and targeted outcomes.

Across our four research themes, we have delivered outcomes including the following:

Gender & diversity

The use of intervention orders to address family and domestic violence in South Australia.
Investigating how young people can create healthy relationships after living with domestic violence.
Understanding the long-term impact of childhood emotional abuse.
Improving access and removing barriers into reporting sexual violence in South Australia.

Cultural diversity & intercultural communication

Understanding and creating recommendations to improve young people participating with community languages.
Interrogating international and intercultural cities across the EU and the Erasmus+ programme.

Security & citizenship

Learning from Operation Tonga Assist: Great Power competition and ADF humanitarian disaster response Pacific strategy.
Exploring consequences for the Profession of Arms and new models for the civil-military-industry relations.
Developing Influence Theories and Models within defence science.
Enhancing capability through civilian employer-military relations.
Supporting dependents of human trafficking and forced marriage victims.
Investigating language choices used in policing.

Wellbeing & social inclusion

Post-parental care planning for rural people with intellectual disabilities.
Empowering young women through mental health peer support.
Identifying and meeting the housing aspirations for precariously housed older Australians.

Our research impact touches upon broad intersections and builds upon greater frameworks to remain intertextual and intercultural.

Professor Nicole Moulding

Director Social Relationships and Communities Research
Email: Nicole.Moulding@unisa.edu.au

Associate Professor Brad West

Co-director Social Relationships and Communities Research
Email: Brad.West@unisa.edu.au

By bringing together research and industry partners, we develop innovative solutions to enhance social participation, inclusive citizenship and wellbeing in diverse communities.

We welcome all members of the community to connect with us to discuss potential research partnerships or to engage with the latest thinking about ways of promoting healthy and safe relationships and communities.

Industry

We have ties to community groups, government and non-government organisations, university and research partners, international committees, and other key collaborators to support our work.

Academia

With our intersectional approach, we welcome productive partnerships with other research organisations and academics, including those working in different disciplines and internationally.

Students

Your research ambitions as a student may fit into SRC through structured opportunities, mentoring and more. We look forward to supporting your project.

Contact us

Social Relationships and Communities Research

Location
Social Relationships and Communities Research
Adelaide University
Magill Campus, Magill SA 5072

Email: JUS-SRC@unisa.edu.au