Thought from the global periphery
Two new publications
Connell, Raewyn. 2026. Should we abolish universities? (2025 E. L. Wheelwright Lecture). Journal of Australian Political Economy, no. 96, 149-161. This is the annual Wheelwright Lecture at the University of Sydney, on the state and prospects of universities.
Connell, Raewyn. 2026. Teachers' worth. Pp. 469-474 in Nina Bascia and Rhiannon M. Maton, ed., Handbook on Teachers' Work: International Perspectives on Research and Practice, New York and London, Routledge. A reflection on the research about teachers' work and its social significance, composed for an enquiry into teachers' wage rates and employment conditions.
New Book: Trans Lives
I'm pleased to announce that my new book Trans Lives: Social Realities across the Globe, will be released in early February 2026. Here is a link to the publisher's website:
https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=trans-lives--9781509572038
The title points to three themes. First, it's real lives that are at stake in current debates. Second, social connections and contexts are vital in these lives. Third, we need to think globally, as well as locally, about trans questions.
Here's a very short summary of what the book tries to do:
Trans Lives is not about identities or norms. It's about practical living, poverty, power, creativity, solidarity, and - unfortunately - hatred and fear. The last ten years have seen an astonishing surge of anti-trans aggression from dictatorships, cynical politicians, right-wing media, religious bigots and violent militias. A re-think of gender transitions and their contexts has become urgent.
Trans Lives starts with grass-roots stories of transitioning groups from seven countries (across fifty years and four continents), plus several from the Internet. The book then discusses gender itself, the tensions in the interplay of bodies and societies, and the gritty practical side of gender transitions. It then moves to the wider context: the global story of trans medicine, the social structures that shape trans lives, and the sources and tactics of the anti-trans surge. Finally it shows the creativity of trans organizing around the world, examines relations with allies, and considers paths towards a different future.
The book deals with some tough issues, but I have tried to write it in an accessible style. I hope it will be of value to a variety of readers: first, trans women, trans men and other trans groups themselves; also family, friends, workmates and neighbours; professionals such as teachers, health workers and counsellors; policymakers, students and researchers; and anyone who is concerned about the public debates involving trans lives.
Social science and global politics of knowledge
Some recent books about postcolonial and anti-colonial social science, and my chapters in them:
Connell, Raewyn. 2025. Perspectivas democráticas na educação em Ciências Sociais. Pp. 41-53 in Marcelo Cigales, ed., Ensino de Ciências Sociais em perspectiva internacional. Maceió, Editora Café com Sociologia, 2025.
Connell, Raewyn. 2025. The good university. Pp.107-121 in Sinfree Makoni and Chanel van der Merwe, ed., Decolonial Options in Higher Education: Cracks and Fissures. Bristol and Jackson TN, Multilingual Matters.
Connell, Raewyn. 2025. Curriculum for revolution: Ali Shariati's Practical Plan and the radical politics of knowledge. Pp. 93-109 in Dustin J. Bird and Seyed Javad Miri, ed., Ali Shariati: Critical Social Theory and the Struggle for Decolonization. Kalamazoo MI, Ekpyrosis Press.
