Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts

Professor Chris Dixon

Biography

Chris's research focuses on American history, including African American history, US military history, and American cultural history.  His most recent book, African Americans and the Pacific War: Race, Nationality, and the Fight for Freedom, was published by Cambridge University Press in late 2018.

After completing his BA (Hons) and MA at the University of Western Australia, Chris completed his PhD at the University of New South Wales. A revised version of his PhD thesis, Perfecting the Family: Antislavery Marriages in Nineteenth-Century America, was published by the University of Massachusetts Press. His next book, African America and Haiti: Emigration and Black Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century was published in 2000 by Greenwood Press. Subsequently, Chris's research has focused on the social and cultural dimensions of war; his publications in that field include coauthored textbooks examining the Vietnam and Pacific wars, and Hollywood's South Seas and the Pacific War (coauthored with Professor Sean Brawley). He has also coauthored The South Seas: A Reception History from Daniel Defoe to Dorothy Lamour.

Prior to arriving at Macquarie in 2016, Chris held appointments at the University of Sydney, Massey University, the University of Newcastle, and the University of Queensland. Chris has served two terms as President of the Australian and New Zealand American Studies Association, as well as President of the International Society for Cultural History. He has been the recipient of grants from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Grant and the Australian Research Council. In 2016 he held the Fulbright Scholarship in Australian-U.S. Alliance Studies.

Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts

The Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts is the senior academic officer of the Faculty providing strategic and operational leadership to the Faculty for all learning and teaching, research and research training activities. As a member of the University Executive, the Executive Dean also contributes to the management of the wider University to support the achievement of its Vision.

Responsibilities:

• Supporting research that achieves the highest standards of scholarly excellence, advances knowledge and engages with real world challenges.
• Planning and delivering high-quality contemporary courses that equip undergraduate and postgraduate students for future employment and further study.
• Attracting capable students and advancing strategies to enhance their learning experience.
• Engaging academic, industry and government partners to deepen the faculty’s research and ensure that its courses are relevant to the needs of industry and society.
• Building international relationships that enhance the faculty’s research and teaching performance and contribute to local and global development.

Portfolio areas:

• Departments:
  – History and Archaeology
  – Indigenous Studies
  – Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature
  – Philosophy
  – Security Studies and Criminology
• Macquarie Law School
• Macquarie School of Education
• Macquarie School of Social Sciences
• Big History Institute