About Us
Interactions Social Research is an independent research organisation working with clients committed to growing connected, creative, thriving and inclusive communities. We carry out robust social research for government agencies, non-government and community sectors.
All organisations that perform cultural and social functions require ongoing inquiry and assessment to probe and further their objectives. They must adapt to the changing needs, opportunities and challenges of the social and environmental contexts they operate within. Interactions Social Research supports organisations to generate new perspectives, insights, and innovative practices through rigorous, high quality, evidence-based research and evaluation. To this end we are consultative and flexibly responsive, partnering with our clients to frame specific key research problems and meet research and evaluation objectives and deliverables in a timely manner.
We conduct social research and evaluations in diverse fields required by clients and communities. We have accrued special expertise in:
- Education research
- Young people’s participation and wellbeing
- Organisation futures foresight
- Indigenous-settler relations
- Learning-communities – Interactions Social Research provides professional development training modules and workshops for organisations and their stakeholders.
Interactions Social Research is a registered research and education institution.
ACN: 636 061 973, ABN: 79 636 061 973.
Values
1. Social and Environmental Wellbeing
The underlying core value of Interactions Social Research is:
“Knowledge and learning for human—non-human wellbeing”.
To this end, in addressing a specific question or problem, each research project also works to generate better understanding of the relational interactions of complex living systems.
2. Integrity
Interactions Social Research is committed to its underlying core value (above) and to clear, ongoing communication with clients. We are accountable to all stakeholders throughout the life of each project.
We adhere to the ethical and best practice guidelines of Australian professional associations including:
- The Australian Anthropological Society Code of Ethics
- The Australian Evaluation Society Code of Ethics and Guidelines
- The AIATSIS Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies
- ERIC International Charter for Ethical Research Involving Children
- The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007 (updated 2018)
- The Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics (accessed 10 Mar, 2020)
3. Respect
Our organisation is committed to continuous cultural learning and respect in dealings with diverse clients, stakeholders and cultural contexts.
As an Australia based research, evaluation and learning organisation, we prioritise research that examines Indigenous-settler relations. Efforts to ‘close the gap’ in addressing various forms of disadvantage cannot be decontextualized from these relations.
Personnel
Interactions Social Research has a growing network of interdisciplinary researchers (anthropology, sociology, education, futures-studies, linguistics, gender-studies, film and media) to form the appropriate research team for each research project. Our research network includes experienced Australian and international scholars. The director(s) directly oversee each research project to its timely completion.
Dr Zazie Bowen
Founding Director/Researcher
Dr Zazie Bowen is an anthropologist who specialises in critical research with children and young people, education research, play studies, South Asian studies, gender studies, medical anthropology, visual anthropology, anthropological archives, futures studies and contemporary anthropological theory.
She combines research and teaching. Zazie held a senior administrative role in an international NGO working with women’s community projects and supporting young people’s formal and informal education programmes in Africa, India, Australia and the Pacific.
Click here to download Dr Zazie Bowen’s CV.
Dr Inge Kral
Senior Research Associate
Dr Inge Kral is a researcher with more than two decades experience planning, conducting and publishing from research projects, with a focus on Indigenous education; literacy and informal learning; languages; digital media; anthropology and history. She is an educator with more than two decades experience as a lecturer and supervisor; adult educator; teacher linguist; primary school teacher and curriculum developer.
Inge has extensive experience in community and stakeholder consultation and evaluation, project management, report publication and government submissions. She is an ethnographic film-maker for language and culture documentation and intangible heritage collection curation for archiving at internationally recognised endangered languages archives.
Click here to download Dr Inge Kral’s CV.
Dr Nelia Hyndman-Rizk
Senior Research Associate
Nelia Hyndman-Rizk is an anthropologist by training, she is an experienced senior lecturer and intercultural trainer. Her interdisciplinary research, teaching and consulting experience addresses three broad fields:
(i) Migration studies, multiculturalism, globalisation, transnational mobility, belonging and settlement, intercultural interaction.
(ii) The dynamics of the Lebanese diaspora, comparative ethnic entrepreneurship and contemporary social movements in the Middle East.
(iii) Her consultancy skills include: Organisational development, Intercultural training, global teams, intercultural l management, cultural intelligence in organisations, conflict resolution skills and intercultural communication, cultural competence in organisations (health, law business).
Click here to download Dr Nelia Hyndman-Rizk’s CV.