Thomas Barker

I am head of the School of Media Languages and Cultures and Associate Professor of Film and Television. I joined UNM in August 2012 and have supported the school across a variety of administrative roles including Exams Officer and Director of Teaching and Learning.

Prior to joining UNM I was a Research Assistant at the Institute for Social Science Research, University of Queensland, and a Visiting Fellow at the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore where I taught the Sociology of Popular Culture. I graduated with a PhD in Sociology from the National University of Singapore in 2011. Prior to joining NUS I was a Researcher at the Centre for the Study for Social and Southeast Asian Studies (PSSAT) at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta Indonesia. I have held Visiting Scholar positions at Universitas Indonesia (2015), University of California Los Angeles (2016), and National Cheng Chi University (2018).

Expertise Summary

I work on topics related to South East Asia, with an emphasis on Indonesia and Malaysia, in the fields of communication, media, creative industries, cities, and cultural studies. I am primarily concerned with the conditions of cultural production including how the Indonesian film industry has reformed following the end of the New Order in 1998 and the current state of the creative industries in Malaysia and its relationship to China.

I have written for Asian Cinema, Plaridel, The Conversation, Cinema Poetica, The Diplomat, The Malay Mail, and The Jakarta Post.

Areas of expertise

• Communications
• Cultures
• Sociology

Education

• PhD National University of Singapore (2006 — 2011)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) University of Nottingham (2012.09 — 2019.12)
• MPhil University of Birmingham (2004.09 — 2005.07)
• Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) (2002 — 2003)
• Australian Delegate to Lampung province Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) (2001.11 — 2002.02)
• BA QUT (Queensland University of Technology) (1999.03 — 2003.04)
• BAppSc Queensland University of Technology (1999.03 — 2003.04)

Companies

• Research Affiliate University of Nottingham Malaysia (2021)
• Head of School The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (2020 — 2021)
• Associate Professor, Film and Television The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (2018 — 2021)
• Asia Research Scholar National Library of Australia (2019 — 2019)
• Visiting Research Scholar, College of Communication National Chengchi University (2018 — 2018)
• Assistant Professor, Film and Television University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (2012 — 2018)
• Visiting Scholar UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television (2016 — 2016)
• Casual Research Assistant, Institute of Social Science Research Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) (2012 — 2012)
• Visiting Fellow National University of Singapore (2011 — 2012)