Research Interests

I have spent a lot of time studying what motivates human beings to work hard for their future selves and what pulls people backwards. When faced with a threat to social freedom, people will fight with all they have to protect their bodies, their minds, and who they are. BUT, people need HOPE. Without hope there is no reason to fight for our futures. Therefore we have to set up our lives so that there is something worth fighting for.

My research has helped me understand what the meaning of social and therapeutic relationships are, and how people need other people to empower us to move forward unitedly as opposed to an unnatural and solitary existence.

Goals

I have spent a great deal of time researching goal-setting, a meaningful practice of establishing important short- and long-term goals that are vital for people to clearly establish in order to move forward. Without goals to evoke hopefulness, one becomes aimless, and this breeds hopelessness and helplessness and we become stuck in liminal spaces which risks our identity.

Rituals and Social Pollutants

Other elements of my research highlight the significance of important life rituals that we all share as people across the world, despite race, culture, place, or time. We must move through places and spaces in time marked by community, solidarity, and a neutralisation of power, or we become stuck in liminal spaces that are tainted with chaos and risk. We can become dangerous, polluted people, and that is not a good person to be or be around.

Social Constructions

While societal factors play a crucial role in shaping our thoughts, decisions, and how we have developed as people, we must also acknowledge the influence of biology and psychology, that is, individual personality traits. As a social constructionist scholar, my approach is still interdisciplinary and I do not think my science is The Science. I have been fortunate to have not only worked for almost a decade amongst a strong interdisciplinary team of practitioners, but my research has also innovated by studying and writing about the intersections between the positivist biomedical sciences as well as the social sciences. Rigid scientific divisions not only hinder intellectual progress but also undermine the very essence of science.

My Personal Background

I don't merely write about these topics out of academic curiosity; I am a living testament to the transformative power of breaking free from the constraints of a socially disadvantaged past. My parents took me and my brother, and left a region ripped apart by social and political upheaval in quest of ‘a better life’ in the West. My family's history, and consequently mine, is intertwined with the scars of colonialism, slavery, racism and displacement. This background has fuelled my determination to understand and challenge the issues that plague our minds and stall our progress.

I met and married a Croatian-Australian man in the same Western country we both sought refuge in. His childhood, also marked by forced displacement because of War, forced him and his family to become de facto asylum seekers and refugees. They faced the harsh realities of losing their home, their security and were instead forced to be newcomers, marginalised, unable to speak the language, with no friends and no social status. They suddenly became invisible. They persevered, fought to be seen, echoing the stories of countless others who have journeyed westward, grounded by hope for a better future.

Intersectionality

Marginalisation, bullying, racism, sexism, war, patriarchy, poverty, chronic illness, disability, violence, alcoholism, and suicide—our lives have been touched by all these intersectional challenges. We are intersectionally stacked so to speak. I would never dare think that my negative experiences are more valid than any other persons.

Despite the weight of these intersecting “disadvantages’”, I chose to understand my past, study it and apply a philosophical and rational meaning to it despite the emotion it evoked over the years.

Just as I've taught my students and just as the social sciences also represent, I've adopted a strengths-based approach, and empowered myself to re-write my own story which I believe all people can with the right tools.

Liberation

Today, my husband and I are parents to three children, living a life that is both modest and privileged. While our past experiences undoubtedly shape us, we can rebuild our futures by recognising opportunities that the Western society we have called home for so long provides. We've broken free from the cycles of disadvantage that marked our past by seizing opportunities rather than surrendering to victimhood. It's a choice that can be daunting but ultimately liberating. We are educated and financially safe because of the Western society that took us in. While there is plenty to change, there is much to be grateful for.

My training as an academic researcher and scientific scholar and previously marginalised individual equips me to guide you on your journey to self-liberation.

Join me in the pursuit of knowledge, empowerment, and change. As I believe, "in order to to liberate others, first, you must liberate yourself."

I unpack all of these ideas as well as others in my weekly articles and blog posts. Sign up for a more personalised experience.

Esha.