Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lawrence
Emeritus Professor

Geoffrey Lawrence

Email: 

Background

Geoff is a leading Australian sociologist with interests in rural and regional sociology, globalisation/localisation and agrifood research.

He attended James Ruse Agricultural High School in Sydney and was School Captain in 1968. He then completed a degree in agricultural economics at Sydney University in 1972. This was followed by a diploma in social science (UNE), Master of Science in Sociology (Wisconisn-Madison) and a PhD (Griffith). In 1992 he became Associate Professor of Sociology and Foundation Director, Centre for Rural Social Research, at Charles Sturt University before moving later that year to Central Queensland University as Foundation Professor of Sociology (1992-2002) and Executive Director, Institute for Sustainable Regional Development (1998-2002). He joined The University of Queensland as Professor of Sociology and Head of the School of Social Science in 2002. He is a Life Member of the Fitzroy Basin Association, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Life Member of the Australian Sociological Association, and was President of the International Rural Sociology Association (2012-2016). He became Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Queensland in 2014.

His full profile can be seen at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Lawrence_(sociologist)

Availability

Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lawrence is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Sociology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, University of Sydney
  • Postgraduate Diploma, University of New England Australia
  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, University of Wisconsin
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Griffith University

Research interests

  • Agriculture, the Environment and the Politics of Sustainability

    The questions are: To what extent is 'greening' and green politics influencing the course of agricultural development and resulting in policies aimed at reducing ecological destruction? What is the nature of the debates and theorisations regarding productivism/post-productivism in the rural landscapes of advance economies? In a practical sense, how is it possible to ensure that current and future natural resource management will provide sustainable outcomes for society?

  • Globalisation, Localisation and Restructuring of Regional Australia

    This is a broad area whcih includes an examination of the social affects of economic change upon regions and highlights town decline, poverty, unemployment and ill-health - as well as the 'ingredients' for successful community development and the enhancement of social capital. Issues of empowerment and governance are crucial to the understanding of the future of the regions. The issue of global/local relations is also of significance - particularly as Australian governments seek to promote 'self help' and 'partnership' options.

  • Financialisation of Food and Farming

    Finance capital is playing an increasingly important role in food and farming industries. Entities like merchant banks, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms and hedge funds are purchasing farmlands and agribusinesses in an effort to increase returns to shareholders. However, some of these activities are speculative and lead to food price distortions; others impact upon traditional owners when so-called 'land grabs' force producers from their farms. 'Financialisation' is seen as being as important as globalisation and neoliberalism in altering the face of food and farming.

Search Professor Geoffrey Lawrence’s works on UQ eSpace

532 works between 1980 and 2022
All (532) Journal Article (163) Book Chapter (110) Conference Publication (218) Book (28) Other Outputs (9) Edited Outputs (4)

441 - 460 of 532 works

1993

Conference Publication

Personal and social consequences of the rural crisis

Gray, I. and Lawrence, G. (1993). Personal and social consequences of the rural crisis. Annual Conference of the National Association of Loss and Grief, Yeppoon, QLD, Australia, 7-10 September 1990. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: National Association of Loss and Grief.

Personal and social consequences of the rural crisis

1993

Conference Publication

Rural restructuring and community change: issues, problems and policy directions in Australia

Lawrence, G. (1993). Rural restructuring and community change: issues, problems and policy directions in Australia. National Rural and Remote Youth Affairs Conference, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia, 27-29 April 1993.

Rural restructuring and community change: issues, problems and policy directions in Australia

1993

Conference Publication

Farm coping strategies: some sociological analysis

Gray, I. and Lawrence, G. (1993). Farm coping strategies: some sociological analysis. Conference on Water Resource Management, Griffith, NSW, Australia, 9-10 July 1993. Griffith, NSW, Australia: CSIRO.

Farm coping strategies: some sociological analysis

1993

Conference Publication

Community ownership and change: problems and opportunities

Lawrence, G. (1993). Community ownership and change: problems and opportunities. DPIE Workshop on Socio-economic Issues and Research Needs in the Murray-Darling Basin, Melbourne, Vic, Australia, 17-18 November 1992. Adelaide, SA, Australia: South Australian Department of Primary Industies.

Community ownership and change: problems and opportunities

1992

Journal Article

The global restructuring of agriculture and its implications for Australia and New Zealand

Lawrence, Geoffrey, Share, Perry and Campbell, Hugh (1992). The global restructuring of agriculture and its implications for Australia and New Zealand. Journal of Australian Political Economy, 30, 2-23.

The global restructuring of agriculture and its implications for Australia and New Zealand

1992

Journal Article

Farm structural adjustment: the imperative for the nineties?

Lawrence, Geoffrey (1992). Farm structural adjustment: the imperative for the nineties?. Rural Society: the journal of research into rural and regional social issues in Australia, 2 (4), 5-7. doi: 10.5172/rsj.2.4.5

Farm structural adjustment: the imperative for the nineties?

1992

Journal Article

Rural restructuring, genetic engineering and Australian agriculture: some preliminary observations

Lawrence, Geoffrey, McKenzie, Helen and Vanclay, Frank (1992). Rural restructuring, genetic engineering and Australian agriculture: some preliminary observations. Rural Society: the journal of research into rural and regional social issues in Australia, 2 (2), 2-6. doi: 10.5172/rsj.2.2.2

Rural restructuring, genetic engineering and Australian agriculture: some preliminary observations

1992

Journal Article

Review: Games and Sets: The Changing Face of Sport on Television

Lawrence, Geoffrey (1992). Review: Games and Sets: The Changing Face of Sport on Television. Media Information Australia, 64 (1), 88-89. doi: 10.1177/1329878x9206400113

Review: Games and Sets: The Changing Face of Sport on Television

1992

Book Chapter

Agricultural production and environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin

Lawrence, Geoffrey and Vanclay, Frank (1992). Agricultural production and environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin. Agriculture, environment and society. (pp. 33-59) edited by Geoffrey Lawrence , Frank Vanclay and Brian Furze. London, United Kingdom: Macmillan Education UK.

Agricultural production and environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin

1992

Journal Article

A blue green politics?

Vanclay, F. and Lawrence, G. (1992). A blue green politics?. Arena, 98.

A blue green politics?

1992

Book Chapter

Agricultural production and environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin

Lawrence, Geoffrey and Vanclay, Frank (1992). Agricultural production and environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin. Agriculture, environment and society. (pp. 33-59) London, United Kingdom: Macmillan Education UK.

Agricultural production and environmental degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin

1992

Conference Publication

Biotechnological applications in Australian agriculture: an assessment of the views of rural producer representatives

McKenzie, H., Lawrence, G. and Vanclay, F. (1992). Biotechnological applications in Australian agriculture: an assessment of the views of rural producer representatives. Annual Conference of the Australian Sociological Association, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 10-13 December 1992.

Biotechnological applications in Australian agriculture: an assessment of the views of rural producer representatives

1992

Conference Publication

The environmental problems of Australian agriculture: a sociological assessment

Lawrence, G. and Vanclay, F. (1992). The environmental problems of Australian agriculture: a sociological assessment. Annual Conference of the Australian Sociological Association, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 10-13 December 1992.

The environmental problems of Australian agriculture: a sociological assessment

1992

Journal Article

A sociological understanding of agricultural biotechnologies

Lawrence, G. (1992). A sociological understanding of agricultural biotechnologies. Australasian Biotechnology, 1 (2).

A sociological understanding of agricultural biotechnologies

1992

Conference Publication

Rural social structure: implications for water management in Australia

Lawrence, G. (1992). Rural social structure: implications for water management in Australia. Australian Rural Water Demand Management Workshop, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 26-27 February 1992. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Australian Water Resources Council.

Rural social structure: implications for water management in Australia

1992

Conference Publication

Genetic engineering and rural restructuring

Lawrence, G., McKenzie, H. and Vanclay, F. (1992). Genetic engineering and rural restructuring. Nature Conservation Council of Australia, Genetic Engineering Forum, Sydney, Australia, 1-2 August 1992.

Genetic engineering and rural restructuring

1992

Conference Publication

Farmer rationality and the adoption of environmentally sound practices: a critique of the assumptions of agricultural extension

Vanclay, F and Lawrence, G (1992). Farmer rationality and the adoption of environmentally sound practices: a critique of the assumptions of agricultural extension. 55th Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, State College, PA, United States, 16-19 August 1992.

Farmer rationality and the adoption of environmentally sound practices: a critique of the assumptions of agricultural extension

1992

Conference Publication

Environmental and social consequences of capitalist agriculture: the Australian experience

Lawrence, G. and Vanclay, F. (1992). Environmental and social consequences of capitalist agriculture: the Australian experience. 8th World Congress of Rural Sociology, International Rural Sociology Association, State College, PA, United States, 11-16 August 1992.

Environmental and social consequences of capitalist agriculture: the Australian experience

1992

Book

Agriculture, environment, and society : contemporary issues for Australia

Geoffrey Lawrence, Frank Vanclay and Brian Furze eds. (1992). Agriculture, environment, and society : contemporary issues for Australia. Melbourne: Macmillan.

Agriculture, environment, and society : contemporary issues for Australia

1992

Conference Publication

The impact of restructuring within land-based production systems: sociological perspectives on farm-family stress

Gray, I. and Lawrence, G. (1992). The impact of restructuring within land-based production systems: sociological perspectives on farm-family stress. Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Geographers Association, Auckland, New Zealand, 24-28 January 1992. Auckland, New Zealand: Department of Geography, University of Auckland.

The impact of restructuring within land-based production systems: sociological perspectives on farm-family stress

Past funding

  • 2016 - 2021
    Food, Farming and Financialisation: Agri-food Transformations in Australia
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    Frogs, fuel, finance or food? Cultures, values, ethics, arguments and justifications in the management of agricultural land (FORFOOD)
    Centre for Rural Research
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Governing Food Security in Australia in an Era of Climate Change: A Sociological Analysis
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2015
    The New Farm Owners: Finance Companies and the Restructuring of Australian and Global Agriculture
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Local government, mining companies and resources development in regional Australia: meeting the governance challenge
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Globally Engaged? Responses to Neoliberal Globalisation among Family Farmers in Australia
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Review of the Community Futures Task Force (Stage 1)
    Community Futures Task Force Unit
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2011
    From Seedling to Supermarket: The Social and Environmental Implications for Australia of the Restructuring of Agri-food Supply Chains
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2009
    ARC Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Science
    ARC Research Networks
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2006
    Organics, environment and sustainability
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2006
    Agri-food Applications of Genetically-Modified Organisms: Public Perceptions Risk and Sustainability
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2006
    Building sustainable social capital in new communities.
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2006
    Engaged government: a study of government-community engagement for regional outcomes
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2003
    The social construct of safe foods: Uncertainty, risk and trust in agri-food applications of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
    University of Queensland Research Development Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2003
    An Analysis of the Patterns of Consumption, Community Impacts and Returns on Investment of Rural Popular Cultural Activities
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2006
    Governance, institutional capacity and regional planning: A Central Queensland case study.
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2005
    Farmer adoption of sustainable land management practices in the Fitzroy Basin, Central Queensland.
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2001 - 2002
    The Sustainability of Australian Rural Communities
    Academy of Social Sciences
    Open grant

Availability

Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lawrence is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Students can be involved in work on ARC and other projects exploring:

    Structural change in agriculture; changes power relations along agri-food chains; the financialisation of food and farming.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Climate Change in Rural Fiji: Reproduction, Erosion and Limitations of Social Resilience in Intercultural Domains

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Richard Martin, Dr Kim de Rijke

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lawrence directly for media enquiries about:

  • Agriculture - sociology
  • Financialisation
  • Food security
  • Globalisation
  • Neoliberalism
  • Rural Australia

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au