About Us

The Practical Justice Initiative is a major new UNSW Arts and Social Sciences research initiative focused on tackling some of the most difficult social issues that face our society and the globe today. 

The Initiative brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars from across the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, to better understand key social problems, and seek to solve them in innovative and creative ways.

UNSW's Practical Justice Initiative couples innovative research on the theoretical dimensions of justice together with a practical and applied focus on significant social and political problems such as climate change; health; and sexuality, gender and justice. 

The Director and Stream Convenors of the Practical Justice Initiative are Scientia Professor Peter Aggleton (Director and Convenor, Sexuality, Gender and Justice Stream), Professor Alex Broom (Convenor, Health Stream) and Professor Jeremy Moss (Convenor, Climate Justice Stream). 

Our Goals

The Practical Justice Initiative focuses on developing cutting-edge translational research, drawing on the skills and experiences of leading scholars in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences nationally and internationally.

We bring leading researchers and writers together and build capacity by providing opportunities for early career researchers and supporting the development of the next generation of researchers.

The UNSW Arts & Social Sciences Initiative engages with community members, not-for-profit organisations, practitioners and policy makers in order to work collaboratively toward meaningful and sustainable social change. 

Tackling big questions with big ideas

From an initial focus on climate justice; the social aspects of health and illness; and sexuality, gender and justice; the Practical Justice Initiative is broadening its scope to embrace other cutting edge issues important to our communities including:

• peace and development
• justice, education and rights
• social welfare and social change
• working with vulnerable and hard to reach communities
• issues affecting the environment

Developing new ways of thinking

Working collectively across Arts & Social Sciences disciplines, we seek to:

• Demonstrate how existing understandings and institutional norms contribute to the recalcitrance of social problems.
• Clarify and reconceptualise the nature of challenges in ways that make them more amenable to successful intervention.
• Consider how best to ensure that theories of justice inform and are factored into effective programs and interventions.