Motivated by compassion, Catherine Koerner is committed to interdependent nonviolent relations. Since 2003 Catherine Koerner teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate in community and human services, critical race and whiteness studies, identities, pluralism (including religious freedoms), colonialism/anti-colonialism, critical Indigenous and social policy, critical community and international development and counselling. She has collaborated in community work and research in Australia, Indigenous Australia, Indonesia, Nepal and India.
Previous to this Catherine worked for ten years in the community non-for-profit sector in young homelessness, sexual violence crisis response, prevention and advocacy. She was elected representative for rural and remote Qld on the National Youth Coalition for Housing. She also received a number of awards including the Australiasian finalist for the International Stop Rape contest (New York); a National University-Indigenous Community Partnership Award (with Professor Simone Ululka Tur and Dr Christopher Wilson); an Australian University Quality Assurance commendation and an Australian Awards for University Teaching all at Flinders University of South Australia.
Her research interests include critical race and whiteness, colonialism/decolonisation, Indigenous relations, pluralism and identity. Her current projects include The patience to win freedom with Tenzin Choephel on Tibetan experiences of Chinese colonialism and genocide. Catherine has ten publications including her most recent article (2019) Ever expanding circles of compassion, Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Association e-journal and book Koerner & Pillay, Governance and Multiculturalism: the white elephant of social construction and cultural identities, Palgrave and MacMillan.
New York International Stop Rape Contest Australiasion finalist; Australian Teaching & Learning Program for programs that enhance student learning (2009); National University Indigenous Partnership Award (2007, DEST).