Barbara Chambers

Associate Professor Barbara Chambers, (BA, Grad Dip Ed (Secondary), B.ED (Merit), M.Ed (Honours).

Barbara Chambers is Director of the Institute for Regional Community Development and an Associate Professor in Community Development in the School of Professional and Community Education, University of Canberra.

Together with Professor John Spriggs, she received an ARC SPIRT Grant in 2001 for a project called 'Beyond Economic Rationalism in the Rural Australia: Socioeconomic Change in the CIA'. Currently, she is working with Dr John Spriggs and Dr Carole Kayrooz on a set of rural research case studies called 'Revitalisation: Investigating Linkages between Leadership, Entrepreneurial Social Infrastructure and Actor Networks'.

Professor Chambers has researched, written and taught in the area of race-relations, publishing articles such as 'Racism, Anti-racism and Adult Educators' in Teaching for Cultural Diversity, edited by A. Shaddock, CELTS, University of Canberra, 1996. She has also published a widely used book for the then Human Rights Commission called Anti-Racism: A Handbook for Adult Educators, Canberra: AGPS, 1986 and 1991. A revised edition is planned for 2004.

Later this year, she will be teaching a postgraduate subject in China called Training, Development and Knowledge Transfer, part of the Master of Educational Leadership course. Specific teaching and recent research interests include strategies for sustainable community development; capacity building in regional communities; the relationship between leadership and socioeconomic change; and working with local government, community action groups and industry to develop consultative processes and mechanisms for decision making.

Other recent competitive research and consultancy work include:

Chambers, Barbara and Barbara Pamphilon (2002). Cultural Planning with Belconnen Communities: Report to the ACT Department of Urban Services on the Belconnen Lakeshore Refurbishment. University of Canberra:.IRCD.

Chambers, Barbara and Barbara Pamphilon (2001). Neighbourhood futures Pilot Project - Report and Appendices (2 Vol.). Planning and Land Management, Department of Urban Services, November 2001.

Chambers, Barbara, John Spriggs, Tony Dunn, and Michele Fromholtz, (2001). 'Beyond Economic Rationalism in Rural Australia: Socioeconomic Change in the CIA'. Agrifood 1X, Palmerston North, New Zealand, December 2001.

Chambers, Barbara, John Spriggs and Tony Dunn (2001). Scoping Out a Socio-Economic research Agenda for the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Rice production: Final report. CRC for Sustainable Rice Production, March 2001.

Chambers, Barbara (2000). Consultative Process on the Proposed Re-Zoning Plan for the Wisdom Study Area (Bomen Industrial estate): Final report to Wagga Wagga City Council. June 2000.