![Professor Matt McDonald](/sites/default/files/profiles/634.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Professor of International Relations
Matt McDonald joined the School of Political Science and International Studies in January 2010. After completing his PhD at UQ in 2003, Matt held lectureship posts in international relations at the University of New South Wales and the University of Birmingham (UK), and was Associate Professor in International Security at the University of Warwick (UK). His research focuses on critical theoretical approaches to security and their application to issues such as environmental change, Australian foreign and security policy, climate politics and Asia-Pacific security dynamics. He has published on these themes in a wide range of journsls, and is the author of Ecological Security: Climate Change and the Construction of Security (Cambridge UP, 2021), Security, the Environment and Emancipation (Routledge 2012) and (with Anthony Burke and Katrina Lee-Koo) Ethics and Global Security (Routledge 2014). He was formerly co-editor of Australian Journal of Politics and History. He is currently completing an ARC-funded project on comparative national approaches to the climate change- security relationship, and is currently leading the cross-disciplinary University research network, Climate Politics and Policy.
Selected Publications
Books (Authored)
- Ecological Security: Climate Change and the Construction of Security (Cambridge UP, 2021)
- (with Anthony Burke and Katrina Lee-Koo), Ethics and Global Security: A Cosmopolitan Approach (Routledge, 2014)
- Security, the Environment and Emancipation: Contestation over Environmental Change (Routledge, 2012).
Edited Volumes
- (with Paul Williams), Security Studies: An Introduction, 4th ed (Routledge, 2023)
- (with Paul Williams), Security Studies: An Introduction, 3rd ed (Routledge, 2018)
- Critical Security in the Asia-Pacific. Special Issue of Critical Studies on Security, 5:3 (2017).
- (with Mark Beeson), The Politics of Climate Change in Australia. Special Issue of Australian Journal of Politics and History, 59:3 (2013).
- (with Tim Dunne), The Politics of Liberal Internationalism, Special Issue of International Politics, 50:1 (2013).
- (with Anthony Burke), Critical Security in the Asia-Pacific (Manchester UP, 2007).
Refereed Journal Articles
- 'Fit for Purpose? Climate Change, Security and IR', International Relations (2024), online first.
- 'Accepting Responsibility? Institutions and the Security Implications of Climate Change', Security Dialogue, 55:3 (2024), pp.293-310.
- 'Immovable Objects? Impediments to a UN Security Council Resolution on Climate Change', International Affairs, 99:4 (2023), pp.1635-51.
- 'Geoengineering, Climate Change and Ecological Security', Environmental Politics, 32:4 (2023), 565-85.
- (with Jessica Kirk), ‘The Politics of Exceptionalism: Securitization and COVID-19’, Global Studies Quarterly, 1:3 (2021).
- 'After the Fires? Climate Change and Security in Australia', Australian Journal of Political Science, 56:1 (2021), 1-18.
- ‘Climate Change and Security: Towards an Ecological Security Discourse?’, International Theory, 10:2 (2018), 153-80.
- ‘Critical Security in the Asia-Pacific: An Introduction’, Critical Studies on Security, 5:3 (2017), 237-52.
- ‘Remembering Gallipoli: Anzac, the Great War and Australian Memory Politics’, Australian Journal of Politics and History, 63:3 (2017), pp.405-17.
- (with Lee Wilson) ‘Trouble in Paradise? Citizen Militia Groups in Bali, Indonesia’, Security Dialogue, 48:3 (2017), pp.241-58.
- ‘Bourdieu, Environmental NGOs and Australian Climate Politics’, Environmental Politics, 25:6 (2016), pp.1058-78.
- (with Anthony Burke and Katrina Lee-Koo) 'Ethics and Global Security', Journal of Global Security Studies,1:1 (2016), pp. 64-79
- 'Australian Foreign Policy under the Abbott Government: Foreign Policy as Domestic Politics?' Australian Journal of International Affairs 69:6 (2015), pp 651-669.
- ‘Discourses of Climate Security’, Political Geography, 33 (2013), pp.43-51.
- (with Christopher S. Browning),‘The Future of Critical Security Studies: Ethics and the Politics of Security’, European Journal of International Relations 19:2 (2013), pp.235-55.
- 'The Failed Securitization of Climate Change in Australia’, Australian Journal of Political Science, 47:4 (2012), pp.579-92.
- ‘Lest we Forget: The Politics of Memory and Australian Military Intervention’, International Political Sociology, 4:3 (2010), pp.287-302.
- 'Securitization and the Construction of Security', European Journal of International Relations, 14:4 (2008), pp.563-87.
- (with Katharine Gelber) ‘Ethics and Exclusion: Representations of Sovereignty in Australia’s Approach to Asylum-Seekers’, Review of International Studies, 32:2 (2006), pp.269-89.
- ‘Fair Weather Friend? Australia’s Approach to Global Climate Change’, Australian Journal of Politics and History, 51:2 (2005), pp. 216-34.
- ‘Human Security and the Construction of Security’, Global Society, 16:3 (2002), pp. 277-95.
Media
Matt has been interviewed on television and radio, and has contributed opinion editorials to ABC News, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Literary Review, Australian Outlook, ABC's The Drum, Insight, the Lowy Interpreter and is a regular contributor to The Conversation. For his recent articles in The Conversation, see here: https://www.theconversation.com/profiles/matt-mcdonald-12655/articles
Availability
- Professor Matt McDonald is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland
- Masters (Coursework) of International Studies, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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The relationship between security and climate change
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Australian foreign and security policy
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The politics of climate change in Australia
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Critical approaches to security
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The politics of Geoengineering
Research impacts
On climate change, and in particular its relationship to security, Matt has consulted the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Defence, the New Zealand Ministry of Defence, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the UN's Climate and Security Mechanism. He is a member of Australia's stakeholder briefing group for the UNFCCC climate change talks. He has also worked with policy-makers, industry groups and NGO representatives in communicating research work on the politics of climate change in Australia. He has hosted a dedicated interdisciplinary workshop on this theme at UQ, and is leading University-wide interdisciplinary network on Climate Poltics and Policy.
Matt has contributed to broader public debate on issues relating to climate change and Australian foreign policy through media work, in particular opinion editorial publications in ABC News, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Literary Review, ABC's The Drum, The Conversation and the Lowy Interpreter. And he has been invited to present his research in Australia and beyond: a combination of seminars and public lectures at leading institutions in Australia (ANU, Sydney, UNSW, Griffith, Adelaide, Deakin), the UK (Warwick, St Andrews, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Queen Mary, Leeds, Nottingham, Aberystwyth, Leicester), the US (George Washington, Denver), Europe (Copenhagen, Sciences Po Paris, Geneva, Hamburg, NUPI Norway, SIPRI Stockholm), India (Manipal), Turkey (Bilkent), Thailand (Chiang Mai), Israel (Hebrew University) and New Zealand (VUW).
Works
Search Professor Matt McDonald’s works on UQ eSpace
2011
Journal Article
Deliberation and resecuritization: Australia, asylum-seekers and the normative limits of the Copenhagen School
McDonald, Matt (2011). Deliberation and resecuritization: Australia, asylum-seekers and the normative limits of the Copenhagen School. Australian Journal of Political Science, 46 (2), 281-295. doi: 10.1080/10361146.2011.568471
2010
Journal Article
"Lest We Forget": The politics of memory and Australian military intervention
McDonald, Matt (2010). "Lest We Forget": The politics of memory and Australian military intervention. International Political Sociology, 4 (3), 287-302. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-5687.2010.00106.x
2010
Journal Article
How was Howard's war possible? Winning the war of position over Iraq
McDonald, Matt and Merefield, Matt (2010). How was Howard's war possible? Winning the war of position over Iraq. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 64 (2), 186-204. doi: 10.1080/10357710903544346
2010
Book Chapter
Australian identity, interventionism and the War on Terror
Holland, Jack and McDonald, Matt (2010). Australian identity, interventionism and the War on Terror. International Terrorism Post-9/11. (pp. 184-206) edited by Asaf Siniver. London & New York: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203852002
2010
Book Chapter
The environment and global security
McDonald, Matt (2010). The environment and global security. Global security and international political economy. (pp. 283-305) edited by Pinar Bilgin and Paul D. Williams. Oxford, U.K.: UNESCO; EOLSS Publishers.
2009
Journal Article
Security and environmental change
McDonald, Matt (2009). Security and environmental change. International Affairs, 85 (6), 1262-1263.
2009
Journal Article
Constructivism, US foreign policy and the 'war on terror'
Jackson, Richard and McDonald, Matt (2009). Constructivism, US foreign policy and the 'war on terror'. New Directions in Us Foreign Policy, 18-31.
2009
Journal Article
Emancipation and critical terrorism studies
McDonald, Matt (2009). Emancipation and critical terrorism studies. Critical Terrorism Studies, 109-123.
2009
Book Chapter
Emancipation and critical terrorism studies
McDonald, Matt (2009). Emancipation and critical terrorism studies. Critical Terrorism Studies: A New Research Agenda. (pp. 109-123) edited by Richard Jackson, Marie Breen Smyth and Jeroen Gunning. London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203880227
2009
Book Chapter
Constructivism, US foreign policy and the 'war on terror'
Jackson, Richard and McDonald, Matt (2009). Constructivism, US foreign policy and the 'war on terror'. New directions in US foreign policy. (pp. 18-31) edited by Inderjeet Parmar, Linda B. Miller and Mark Ledwidge. London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203878811
2008
Book Chapter
Global security after September 11 2001
McDonald, Matt (2008). Global security after September 11 2001. Security: Sociology and Social Worlds. (pp. 47-80) edited by Simon Carter, Tim Jordan and Sophie Watson. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
2008
Book Chapter
Constructivism
McDonald, Matt (2008). Constructivism. Security studies: An introduction. (pp. 59-72) edited by Paul D. Williams. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, U.K.: Routledge.
2007
Journal Article
Emancipation and critical terrorism studies
McDonald, Matt (2007). Emancipation and critical terrorism studies. European Political Science, 6 (3), 252-259. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.eps.2210142
2007
Book Chapter
Introduction: Asia-Pacific security legacies and futures
Burke, Anthony and McDonald, Matt (2007). Introduction: Asia-Pacific security legacies and futures. Critical Security in the Asia-Pacific. (pp. 1-9) edited by Anthony Burke and Matt McDonald. Manchester, U.K.: Manchester University Press.
2007
Book Chapter
US Hegemony, the War on Terror and the Asia-Pacific
McDonald, Matt (2007). US Hegemony, the War on Terror and the Asia-Pacific. Critical security in the Asia Pacific. (pp. 198-211) edited by Anthony Burke and Matt McDonald. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
2006
Journal Article
Ethics and exclusion: Representations of sovereignty in Australia's approach to asylum-seekers
Gelber, Katharine and McDonald, Matt (2006). Ethics and exclusion: Representations of sovereignty in Australia's approach to asylum-seekers. Review of International Studies, 32 (2), 269-289. doi: 10.1017/S0260210506007029
2005
Journal Article
Constructing insecurity: Australian security discourse and policy post-2001
McDonald, Matt (2005). Constructing insecurity: Australian security discourse and policy post-2001. International Relations Journal, 19 (3), 297-320. doi: 10.1177/0047117805055408
2005
Journal Article
Be alarmed? Australia's anti-terrorism kit and the politics of security
McDonald, Matt (2005). Be alarmed? Australia's anti-terrorism kit and the politics of security. Global Change, Peace and Security, 17 (2), 171-189. doi: 10.1080/14781150500091755
2005
Journal Article
Perspectives on Australian foreign policy, 2004
McDonald, Matt (2005). Perspectives on Australian foreign policy, 2004. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 59 (2), 153-168. doi: 10.1080/10357710500134467
2005
Journal Article
Fair weather friend? Ethics and Australia's approach to global climate change
McDonald, Matt (2005). Fair weather friend? Ethics and Australia's approach to global climate change. Australian Journal of Politics and History, 51 (2), 216-234. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8497.2005.00371.x
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Matt McDonald is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Identity, Institutions and Policy: Ontological security and the Australian Defence Force
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sarah Percy
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Doctor Philosophy
Climate change and security in France
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Roland Bleiker
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Doctor Philosophy
Human security and climate migration: making sense of vulnerability to climate change in the Pacific
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Nicole George
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Doctor Philosophy
Middle Power as a Strategy of Resistance: Indonesia's Middle Power Diplomacy Under the Yudhoyono and Jokowi Administrations
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Andrew Phillips
Completed supervision
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Security as Politics: the US Securitisation of the 2013-2016 Ebola Outbreak
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Shahar Hameiri
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
The United States and the Macrosecuritisation of the "China Threat"
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Andrew Phillips
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
The Rudd/Gillard Government, Asylum Seekers, and the Politics of Norm Contestation
Principal Advisor
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
The Politics of International Legitimacy: Indonesia's and Sri Lanka's Justifications for the Use of Force
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sarah Percy
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Global Environmental Governance and its Discontents: A Critique of Reductionism in the Dominant Discourse of Climate Change
Joint Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Martin Weber
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Containing the climate change debate: Hegemony and domination in Australian climate justice discourse
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Martin Weber
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Ontological Security and Migration: Beyond Securitisation and Identity Politics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Roland Bleiker
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Middle powers and the re-negotiation of regional order in East Asia: The case of Indonesia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Andrew Phillips
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Transnational Energy Projects as Mechanisms of Regional Cooperation in South Asia: Addressing Political, Security and Environmental Challenges
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Saleem Ali
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Who We Are and What We Stand For: Australian Foreign Policy and National Identity Construction Under Keating and Howard
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Richard Devetak
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Matt McDonald directly for media enquiries about:
- Australian foreign policy
- climate politics
- International security
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