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PhD (University of Queensland), MA (University of Durham)
Dr Erin O’Brien is an Associate Professor and ARC DECRA Fellow in the School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology. Her research examines political activism, advocacy, and participation with a focus on political consumerism. Dr O'Brien's current research examines the political mobilisation of consumers, shareholders and investors on a range of social justice issues including modern slavery and environmental degradation.
Her Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship (2021-2024) titled 'Australian civil society combating modern slavery with ethical consumerism' examines the shift in the framing of responsibility between the state, civil society, and corporate actors, and the norm adoption of ethical consumerism as a solution to complex multi-jurisdictional issues.
Dr O'Brien is concerned with studying the interplay between activists and the state in the construction of knowledge and formation of policy, with research interests in the following areas:
- Political activism, advocacy and resistance
- Political consumerism, shareholder activism, ethical consumption
- Tactics and influence of political interest groups
- Political narrative and storytelling
- Modern slavery and human trafficking
Dr O'Brien is the co-leader of the Activism and Politics Research Group at QUT, and Chief Investigator in the QUT Centre for Justice and QUT Centre for Decent Work and Industry. She is currently supervising PhD projects on activism, political consumerism, and narrative politics in relation to modern slavery, youth social movements, and extremism.
Background Erin has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Queensland, a MA in Social Policy from the University of Durham, UK, and a BA (Honours) in International Relations from the University of Queensland, Australia. Prior to entering academia, Erin worked in strategic communications in the government and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Books
- Challenging the Human Trafficking Narrative: Victims, Villains, and Heroes, by Erin O'Brien. Routledge 2019.
- The Politics of Sex Trafficking: A Moral Geography, by Erin O'Brien, Sharon Hayes and Belinda Carpenter. Palgrave Macmillan 2013.
- Crime, Justice and Social Democracy: International Perspectives, edited by Kerry Carrington, Matthew Ball, Erin O'Brien and Juan Tauri. Palgrave Macmillan 2013.
For a full list of publications visit QUT ePrints
Additional information
- Type
- Recipient of an Australia Council Grant or Australia Council Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellowship
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching and Research Excellence
- O'Brien, E., (2022). From Mobsters to Magnates: Shifting Blame for Modern Slavery in Australian Parliamentary Inquiries. Parliamentary Affairs, 75(2). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/209060
- O’Brien, E., Coneybeer, J., Boersma, M. & Payne, A. (2022). Political investorism: Conceptualising the political participation of shareholders and investors. International Political Science Review. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/232778
- O'Brien, E. & Macoun, A. (2022). Responsible citizens, political consumers and the state. Acta Politica, 57(2), 377–395. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/208579
- Payne, A., Coneybeer, J., Bolger, S., Boersma, M., Maguire, R., O'Brien, E., Rissanen, T., Kaine, S. & Josserand, E. (2021). Solution approaches to address downstream labour abuses in the Australian cotton value chain: Milestone Report 2.3.
- O'Brien, E., (2019). Challenging the Human Trafficking Narrative: Victims, Villains, and Heroes (Victims, Culture and Society). Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/122444
- O'Brien, E. & Berents, H. (2019). Virtual Saviours: Digital games and anti-trafficking awareness-raising. The Anti-Trafficking Review, 13, 82–99. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/133506
- O'Brien, E., (2018). Human trafficking and heroic consumerism. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 7(4), 1–6. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/118741
- O'Brien, E., (2016). Human trafficking heroes and villains: Representing the problem in anti-trafficking awareness campaigns. Social and Legal Studies, 25(2), 205–224. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/93611
- Wilson, M. & O'Brien, E. (2016). Constructing the ideal victim in the United States of America's annual trafficking in persons reports. Crime, Law and Social Change, 65(1), 29–45. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/94418
- O'Brien, E., Hayes, S. & Carpenter, B. (2013). The politics of sex trafficking: A moral geography [Critical Criminological Perspectives series]. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/62725
- Title
- Australian Civil Society Combating Modern Slavery with Ethical Consumerism
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DE210100735
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Strategies for Improving Labour Conditions Within the Australian Cotton Value Chain
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT1903 (1819FRP051)
- Start year
- 2019
- Keywords
- Gendered Narratives of Genocide and the Ethics of Storytelling: An Analysis of Civil Society Representations of the Yazidi Genocide (2021)
- The Politics of Privacy Protection: An Analysis of Resistance to Metadata Retention and Encryption Access Laws (2020)
- Animal Cruelty, Discourse, and Power: A Study of Problematisations in the Live Export Policy Debates (2018)
- Life-Saving and Life-Changing: The Decision-Making Processes of People Seeking Asylum (2018)
- Imagined Ruralities and the Spatial Regulation of Sex Work in Queensland (2017)