99 IDENTITY TOURISM AND COMMERCIAL NATIONALISM – Contributions by Leanne White
99 IDENTITY TOURISM AND COMMERCIAL NATIONALISM – Contributions by Leanne White
Introduction
Having retired from academia recently, I now go by the title of ‘independent researcher’. I worked at Victoria University from 2004 until 2020. Prior to that, I worked at Monash University. I taught at universities in Australia for approximately 35 years. I have taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at local and overseas campuses, coordinated undergraduate and postgraduate programs, supervised doctoral and other postgraduate research students, published extensively in books and journals, delivered expert commentary, presented at national and international conferences, and developed extensive research and teaching networks locally, nationally and internationally. I would like to thank the editors of this important book for inviting me to be a part of it.
Background
I was born and bred in the inner Western suburbs of Melbourne. Almost all of my education has taken place in Melbourne’s West. I attended Ascot Vale West Primary School, Flemington High School, Footscray Institute of Technology then later Victoria University of Technology (both of which eventually became Victoria University). I was awarded the best final year Arts student along with the inaugural student of the year award at Footscray Institute in 1985. My first experience of teaching at university level occurred when I was just 24 years of age. I am certainly a product of Victoria University through and through. My late father (Ron White) and I were heavily involved in the Centenary Celebrations in 2016 as Dad had taught at Footscray Technical College in the 1940s. The university were keen to launch the Centenary with an intergenerational father/daughter type of success story (refer Figure 1).
Growing up in Melbourne’s western suburbs has enabled me to fully understand and appreciate the significant hurdles and difficulties faced by disadvantaged students. It hightened my understanding of the imbalance that exists for many, in terms of cultural capital and opportunities in life. Over the years, I have had significant experience in working with staff and students whose first language was not English. While it is difficult to quantify the exact level of this experience, I would hazard a guess that almost half of the students I have taught over the years might fall into this category. I believe that attending primary and secondary schools with significant multicultural diversity helped me to empathise with people from all walks of life and make a genuine connection. I have also taught university students in Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore when undertaking offshore teaching for Monash University and Victoria University.
When the time came to undertake higher education, I chose to the nearby Footscray Institute of Technology. I completed a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction majoring in Australian Cultural Studies, Politics and Literature. My first significant res