The University of Western Australia

Professor Loretta Baldassar

Professor
Anthropology and Sociology

Contact details

Address

Anthropology and Sociology
The University of Western Australia (M255)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 2853

Fax

6488 1062

Email

loretta.baldassar@uwa.edu.au

Qualifications

BSc PhD W.Aust.

Key research

Teaching of migration, culture and identity, sociological perspectives on Australian society, social inequality, Australian studies, introduction to sociology and introduction to Australian society. Research interests include migration studies, ethnicity, second generation migrant identities, diaspora studies, Australian settler societies, multiculturalism, citizenship, Italy/the anthropology of Mediterranean societies, cross-cultural health care.

Publications

Books:

1. Baldassar, L & Merla, L. (eds) (in progress) Transnational Families, migration and kin-work: from care chains to care circulation. (Routledge Transnationalism Series).

2. Baldassar, L & Gabaccia, D. (eds) (2011) Intimacy and Italian Migration Gender and Domestic Lives in a Mobile World, New York: Fordham University Press.

3. Baldassar, L., Baldock, C., & Wilding, R. (2007) Families Caring Across Borders: Migration, Aging and Transnational Caregiving. London: Palgrave MacMillan.

4. Baldassar, L. & Pesman, R. (2005) From Paesani to Global Italians: Veneto Migrants in Australia. Crawley, University of Western Australia Press. [Italian translation published (2004) I Veneti in Australia: sfide di storia contemporanea. Padua: ANEA].

5. Baldassar, L. (2001) Visits Home: migration experiences between Italy and Australia. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.


Journal Special Issue, guest editor:

1. Merla, L. & Baldassar, L. (2010) Special issue of the Journal Recherches sociologiques et anthropologiques: ‘Transnational care dynamics: between emotions and rationality’/‘Les dynamiques de soin transnationales : entre émotions et considérations économiques’. Vol XLI, No. 1. Available online at http://rsa.revues.org/130

2. Skrbis, Z., Baldassar, L., & Poynting, S. (2007) ‘Social sciences and the question of generations’ in Negotiating Belonging: Migration and Generations, Special Issue of Journal of Intercultural Studies. 28(3): 261-269.

3. Harney, N & Baldassar, L. (2007) ‘Tracking Transnationalism: migrancy and its futures’, Special Issue of Journal of Migration Studies, 33(2): 189-198.

4. Harney, N & Baldassar, L. (2006) ‘Italian Diasporas Share the Neighbourhood’, Special Issue of Journal of Modern Italy, 11(1).

5. Baldassar, L. (1999) National and Cultural Identities, Special Issue of The Australian Journal of Social Issues, 34(4):291-299.


Journal Articles:

1. Baldassar, L. (under review) ‘That guilty feeling: emotions and motivation in migration and transnational caregiving’ submitted for consideration, Emotion, Space and Society.

2. Baldassar, L. (2011) ‘Second-generation ‘migrants’ and their relationship to Italy: return visits, transnational care-giving and identities’ submitted by invitation to Russell King and Anastasia Christou (eds) ‘Of home, belonging and return: transnational links of the Mediterranean-origin second generation’, Special Issue of Journal of Mediterranean Studies.

3. Baldassar, L. (2010) ‘Ce «sentiment de culbabilitè » : Réflexion sur la relation entre émotions et motivation dans les migrations et le soin transnational’ in Merla, L. & Baldassar, L. Special issue of the Journal Recherches sociologiques et anthropologiques: ‘Transnational care dynamics: between emotions and rationality’/‘Les dynamiques de soin transnationales : entre émotions et considérations économiques’. Vol XLI, No. 1., pp15-37.

4. Baldassar, L. (2009) ‘ethics and history’ in Clement, C. (Ed.) Ethics and the Practice of History, Studies in Western Australian History, no. 26.

5. Wilding, R. & Baldassar, L. (2009) 'Transnational family-work balance", Journal of Family Studies Special Issue 30-08.

6. Iuliano, S & Baldassar, L. (2008) ‘Deprovincialising Italian Migration Studies: An overview of Australian and Canadian research’, FULGOR 3(3): 1-16pp November.

7. Baldassar, L. (2008) ‘Missing Kin and Longing to be Together: Emotions and the Construction of Co-presence in Transnational Relationships’, in Svašek , M. (eds) Transnational Families and Emotions, Special Issue, Journal of Intercultural Studies, 29(3):247-266

8. Baldassar, L. (2007) ‘L’aide transnationale au sein des familles d’immigrés qualifiés établisen Australie: une comparaison entre les immigrés italiens et les réfugiés afghans’ in J. Le Gall and J.F. Saucier (eds) Special Issue, Familles immigrantes récentes et relations intergénérationnelles, Revue Enfances, Familles, Generations, 6:1-13.

9. Lange, C., Kamalkhani, Z. & Baldassar, L. (2007) ‘Afghan Hazara Refugees in Australia: Constructing Australian Citizens’, Social Identities, 13(1):31-50.

10. Baldassar, L. (2007a) 'Transnational Families and aged care: the mobility of care and the migrancy of ageing', Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 33 (2):275-297.

11. Baldassar, L. (2007b) ‘Transnational Families and the Provision of Moral and Emotional Support: The Relationship between Truth and Distance’ Identities 14(4): 385-409.

12. Baldassar, L. (2006) ‘Migration monuments in Italy and Australia: contesting histories and transforming identities’ Journal of Modern Italy. 11(1):43-62 [also published in French in Les Petites Italies dans le Monde, (eds.) (2007) Blanc-Chaleard, M., Vial, E., & Deschamps, B. Ouvrage codirigé par Antonio Bechelloni et Michel Dreyfus - collection: Histoire]

13. McKelvery, R.S., David L Sang, Loretta B Baldassar, Lisa Davies, Neil Cutler (2002) “The prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders among Vietnamese children and adolescents” The Medical Journal of Australia, 177(8):413-417.

14. Baldassar, L (2001) ‘Tornare al Paese: territorio e identità nel processo migratorio’Altre Italie 23:1-11.

15. Baldassar, L. (1999) ‘The Road Home’ Meanjin Wide Open Road 3:42-59.

16. Baldassar, L. (1999) "Marias and Marriage - Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality among Italo-Australian Youth in Perth" The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 35 (1): 359-380.

17. McKelvey, R., Webb, J., Baldassar, L., & Robinson, S. (1999) Sex Knowledge and Sexual Attitudes among Medical and Nursing Students in Western Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 33: 260-266.

18. McKelvey, R., Baldassar, L., & Sang, D., & Roberts, L. (1999). "Vietnamese parental perceptions of child and adolescent mental illness. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(10): 1302-1309.

19. Baldassar, L (1999) “The Future of Italian Studies in Australia – The Cassamarca Challenge” Convivio: Journal of Italian Studies. 5(1): 34-39.

20. Baldassar, L. & Tan, J. (1998) "Italian health care needs". Culture and Health Care File. 3rd edition. Multicultural Access: Health Department of Western Australia.

21. Baldassar, L. (1997) "Home and Away: migration, the return visit and 'transnational' identity" In Ang, I. and Symonds, M. (eds) Special Edition: Home, Displacement, Belonging. Communal Plural: Journal of Transnational & Crosscultural Studies. 5:69-94.

22. Baldassar, L. (1996) "Cambodian Migrants in Western Australia". Culture and Health Care File. 2nd edition. Multicultural Access: Health Department of Western Australia.

23. Baldassar, L. (1995) 'Migration as transnational interaction: Italy revisited', Convivio: journal of ideas in Italian Studies, 1(2)114-126.

24. Baldassar, L. (1995) "The relevance of UTRIM". Trevisani Nel Mondo Giornale. Treviso: Italy.


Book Chapters:

1. Baldassar, L. (in press, 2011) ‘Second Generation Incorporation and Inclusion in Australia’ in John Higley and John Nieuwenhuysen (eds) Immigration in Harder Times: the United States and Australia, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

2. Baldassar, L. (2010) ‘Obligation to People and Place: The National in Cultures of Caregiving’ in Baldassar, L & Gabaccia, D. (eds) (2011) Intimacy and Italian Migration Gender and Domestic Lives in a Mobile World, New York: Fordham University Press.

3. Baldassar, L. (2009) ‘Ritorni e Visits Home: La Circolarità dello Spazio Migratorio’ in Corti P. & Sanfilippo M. (eds) Storia d’Itali. Migrazione. Annali 24. Torino: Giulio Einuardi, pp467-484.

4. Baldassar, L. (2008) ‘Debating Culture Across Distance: Transnational Families and the Obligation to Care’ in Grillo, R. (eds) The Family in Question: Immigrant and Ethnic Minorities in Multicultural Europe. Amsterdam University Press, pp269-291.

5. Baldassar, L. (2008) ‘Italian Australians in Italy’, in Kent, B., Pesman, R., & Troup, C. (eds.) Australians in Italy: Contemporary Lives and Impressions. Monash Uni ePress, pp25.1-25.10. [Reprinted 2011]

6. Baldassar, L., Wilding, R. & Baldock, C., (2007) 'Long-distance care-giving, transnational families and the provision of aged care', in I. Paoletti (Ed.) Family Caregiving for Older Disabled People: Relational and Institutional Issues, Nova Science, New York, Chapter 10, pp201-228.

7. Cabassi, J., & Baldassr, L. (2005) “Dal’amata montagna to the Garden of Eden” in J. Blagg (Ed.) The Child is Wise: An anthology of childhood writing. Fremantle Arts Press, pp15-68.

8. Baldassar, L. (2004) ‘Italians in Western Australia: from dirty ding to multicultural mate’ In Wilding, R. & Tilbury, F., (eds) A Changing People: Diverse Contributions to the State of Western Australia. OMI, Perth, pp 266-283.

9. Appleyard, R., & Baldassar, L. (2004) ‘Introduction’ in In Wilding, R. & Tilbury, F., (eds) A Changing People: Diverse Contributions to the State of Western Australia. OMI, Perth, pp 8-32

10. Baldassar, L. (2000) ‘Gender, ethnicity and transnational citizenship: Italian-Australian experiences’ In Lange, C. (ed.) Being Australian Women: Belonging, Citizenship and Identity. Studies in West Australian History. University of Western Australia, 21:13-31.

11. Baldassar, L. & Baldock, C. (2000) "Linking Migration and Family Studies: Transnational Migrants and the Care of Ageing Parents", In Agozino, B. (eds.) Theoretical and Methodological Issues in Migration Research. Ashgate, Aldershot, UK, pp 61-89.

12. Baldassar, L. (1998) "The Return Visit as Pilgrimage: Secular Redemption and Cultural Renewal in the Migration Process" in Richards, E. & Templeton, J. (eds) The Australian Immigrant In The Twentieth Century: Searching Neglected Sources. Division of Historical Studies and Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, pp 127-56.

13. Baldassar ,L. (1998) ‘I Veneti nel Western Australia’. In Segarfredo, L. (ed) 1998 Veneti in Australia: Attualità, associazionismo, personalità. Regione del Veneto: Archivio di Documentazione e Ricerca sull’ Emigrazione Veneta, pp100-105.

14. Baldassar, L. (1997) 'Migration as Transnational Interaction - Italy Re-Visited' in Peter Mewett (ed.) Diasporas, Reading in Section 6, A. Bruenjes, 'New Faces, New Places: Italian Migrants in Australia', Geelong: Deakin University Press.

15. Baldassar, L. (1992) "Italo-Australian Youth in Perth - Space speaks and Clothes communicate" in Bosworth, R. & Ugolini, R. (eds.) War, Internment and Mass Migration - The Italo-Australian Experience 1940-1990. Rome: Gruppo Editoriale Internazionale, pp207-224.


Encyclopedia entry:

1. Baldassar, L. (2008) ‘Italians in Western Australia’ Historical Encyclopedia of Western Australia, UWA Press.

2. Baldassar, L. (2005) “Italians in Australia”. In Melvin Ember, Carol R. Ember, & Ian Skoggard (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World, New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, pp 850-864.

3. Baldassar, L. & Trigger, D. (2001) ‘Australia’ In Melvin Ember & Carol R. Ember (Eds) Countries and Their Cultures. Macmillan Library Reference, 1:112-126.


Conference papers published in refereed proceedings:

1. Baldassar, L. (2006) ‘Recent Australian immigrant Families and Transnational Caregiving: Italian professional migrants and Afghan refugees compared’, Sociology for Mobile World, TASA Conference Proceedings, Perth, 4-6 Dec, 2006.

2. Baldassar, L, Baldock, C, Lange, C, (1999) 'Immigration and Transnational Care-giving: Public Policies and their Impact on Migrants' Ability to Care from a Distance' Sociology for a new Millennium: Challenges and Prospects. TASA Conference Proceedings: Melbourne, pp. 465-474.

3. Cora Baldock, Loretta Baldassar and Cheryl Lange (2000), "Immigrants as long-distance carers", pp. 213-222 in Margaret Pember and Jan Partridge, eds. Post Haste the Mellennium: Opportunities and Challenges in Local Studies. Proceedings of the 2nd National Local Studies Section, Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Conference, Guilford November 1999. Perth: Local Studies Section, ALIA.

4. Baldassar, L. & Pesman, R. (1999) “Contributo dei Veneti allo sviluppo culturale, socio-politico ed economico dell’Australia con particolare riguardo agli ultimit cinquant’anni” in I Veneti d’Australia e Sud Aftica. Atti della Conferenza di Melbourne 6-8 Novembre, 1998 ANEA, pp 21-34.

5. Baldassar, L. & Skrbis, Z. (1998) "Second Generation and the Transmission of Culture." In Alexander et.al. (eds) Refashioning Sociology: Responses to a New World Order. Brisbane: Queensland Universtiy of Technology, pp 454-459.

6. Baldassar, L. & Lange, C. (1997) ‘Mental health and stigma’ Australian Transcultural Mental Health Network http://ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU:80/%7Eatmhn/www/research/stigma1.html

7. Acacio, F. Baldassar, L. et.al. (1995) 'Great Performers: Women who research' in Women in Leadership Association, Women in Leadership Project 1995: International Conference. Perth: Edith Cowan University.

8. Baldassar, L. (1994) "Transnational Migration" Bivona, N. (ed.) Proceedings of Italian Towards 2000. International conference 22 to 24 September 1994. Melbourne: Victoria University of Technology.

Future research

My main area of research is in migration studies, particularly Italian migration to Australia. I have conducted extensive fieldwork in the Northern Italian region of the Veneto, in Sicily and in Perth and far north Queensland. Key themes in my research are the phenomenon of the return visit in the migration process and the relationship between place and identity. I also conduct research on so-called 'second generation' migrants in Australia and consider issues of intergenerational conflict and the transmission of culture. My most recent research is an ARC funded project together with Professor Cora Baldock (Sociology, Murdoch University) and Dr Raelene Wilding (La Trobe) that examines the impact of transnational migration on care-giving relations between adult children and their parents. The specific question addressed in the study is the extent to which transnational migrants are able to give care and support to their geographically distant parents as they age. The study examines humanitarian, family reunion and business migrants and draws case study examples from migrants and their families in Singapore, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand and refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families in Iran. My current research is an ARC Linkage Project on 'Italian Lives' which explores Italian migration to Western Australia (see the Staff Research Page for more details on both these projects). Plans for future research include a project on Ageing and Mobility that examines the ways in which the geographic dispersal of kin and friends, access to travel and communication technologies and diverse living arrangements impact on their ability to maintain informal networks of support.

Funding received

1. 2008–11, Australia Research Council Linkage Grant, Australian diasporas and brain gain: exploring current and potential transnational linkages. A/Prof DL Ben-Moshe; Prof GJ Hugo; A/Prof LV Baldassar; Dr TA Joiner; Dr S Francis; Mr O Andreevski.

2. 2004–09, Australia Research Council Linkage Grant, Baldassar, L., Harney, N., Bosworth, R., Iuliano, S,. and Delroy, A. Italians in Western Australia: A cultural history and archive of migrants and migration.

3. 2000–05, Australia Research Council Discovery, UWA Grant, Baldassar, L. & Baldock, C. Transnational Care-giving: Cross cultural aged care practices between Australian immigrants and their parents living abroad.

4. 1996, Commonwealth Dept of Human Services and Health, Prof R McKelvey, Dr D. Sang, & Dr L Baldassar, The Mental health service needs of Vietnamese children and adolescents.

5. 2003–4, Office of Multicultural Interests, Migration Research Network (WA), Becoming Australians: Contributions and challenges of Western Australia's migrant heritage.

6. 2000–02, Veneto Regional Government, Italy, Baldassar, L. & Pesman, R. The contribution of Veneto migrants to post-war Australia.

Small Research Grants:
1. 2011 DVC Global Engagement Project Grant, Monash Prato Study Abroad Research Project.

2. 2010 Leverhulme Trust International Network, Destination Italy, Bonsaver (Italian Studies at Oxford University), Lombardi (CUNY, NY), Baldassar (ACIS and Monash University Prato Centre), Lombardo (COSPE, Florence), Gnisci (La Sapienza University, Roma), Hamouda (University of Elwan, Cairo).

3. 2009 Monash-Warwick Strategic Funding Initiative for Joint Research and Education Programmes, Refugees, Protection, Identity, and the Refugee Convention – 60 Years On, Kneebone, Stevens, Baldassar, Farmer, O’Sullivan, Stewart.

4. 2009 Monash-Warwick Strategic Funding Initiative for Joint Research and Education Programmes, Mobility, social inclusion and transnational identities: social realities and representations in Italy and beyond, Wilson, Polezzi, Baldassar and Burns.

5. 2009, DVC Global Engagement Project Grant, Social Inclusion Audit, Prato.

6. 2005, Academy of Social Sciences in Australia Workshop Grant Second-Generation Migrants: Contesting Definitions and Realities, UQ, Skrbis & Baldassar, 1-2 December.

7. • 2000–01, Office of Citizenship and Multicultural Interests (2000-1) Baldassar, L. & Peters, N. The Citizens' Guide to the History of Cultural Diversity and Settlement in Western Australia: A Sense of Belonging. Including in-kind support from the Northam Army Camp Heritage Association (Inc.) and the Centre for Anthropological Research at the University of Western Australia.

Cassamarca Project Funding:

1. 1998, Cassamarca Australia Project Committee Start-up Grant.

2. 2000–06, Funding to establish the Australasian Centre For Italian Studies, including 3 annual student scholarships and 3 biennial conferences in Italian Studies.

3. 2000–06, Funding for 11 lectureships (level B) for six years.

4. 2006–, In perpetuity funding for 50% of 12 lectureships (level B) and 1 Chair (Level D), student scholarships and ACIS conferences.

Languages

Italian

Current external positions

Chair, Cassamarca Lectureships Committee

Useful links

Loretta Baldassar is also ocassional Chair and Co-founder of the W.A. Migration Research Network: http://www.multicultural.online.wa.gov.au/mrnwa/ of which the website provides user-friendly access to the migration research database.

Research profile

Research profile and publications