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When most people think of studying geography they might imagine capital cities, national flags, or natural monuments like waterfalls and rock formations. But not ���������¼� Canberra graduate Tara Elisabeth Jeyasingh.

Tara’s study of cultural geography while completing her PhD saw her examine theoretical thinking and how people interpret the world around them, particularly among different cultural groups, and even explored various artistic practices like fashion, film and poetry.

“Geography was always my favourite subject at school, but so too were philosophy and politics, even chemistry for a while, and I had always loved art and design technology,” Tara recalls.

“At first, I found geography at university level to be completely different to what I was used to at school, but over those three years [at undergraduate level] I came to appreciate it’s breadth and ability to accommodate all my different interests and ways of moving through the world.”

When it came to her PhD thesis, which involved moving from the UK to Australia to pursue, Tara found inspiration in the work of Martinican writer and philosopher Édouard Glissant.

Glissant’s work had become more popular in geography following the Black Lives Matter movement, which encouraged academia to embrace diversity and view non-Western thinkers as equal to their Western counterparts.

Tara explored how Western and non-Western ideas encounter each other and determined that these encounters must be respectful, equitable and occur relationally, rather than in a single direction.

“To me, geography is open for innovation and experimentation in light of the need to transform, de-privilege and decolonise the academic knowledge it produces,” Tara says.

“This is no small challenge, but one which is crucial for the century ahead to address changing climates, cultures, economies and ecologies.”

Since completing her PhD earlier this year, Tara has continued to cultivate her burgeoning academic career with several teaching and research roles and will shortly return to ���������¼� Canberra as an associate lecturer. She is hoping to receive grant funding to begin a project that will examine the relationship between identity, diversity and change in a more positive light, in order to respond to the challenges of rising xenophobia, polarisation and extremism evident in many communities.

Tara credits the supportive group of cultural geographers at ���������¼� Canberra, particularly her supervisors Dr Nina Williams and Professor JD Dewsbury, with helping her get through her PhD while also introducing her to all manner of books, films and ideas that complemented her studies.

“Perhaps the most valuable thing I learnt during my PhD was an understanding of how my brain and I worked; what motivated me, how I liked to spend my time and the most effective way to organise it,” she says.

“I developed healthy work habits which allowed me to complete my research while enjoying it and other aspects of my life too.”

Exercise and working at boutique clothing store Blonde Concept, which allowed her to be creative and interact with all manner of people, were invaluable on her PhD journey.

Her advice to others considering postgraduate research?

“Enjoy it and don’t wish it away! I am so grateful for the five years I spent at ���������¼� Canberra,” she says.

“Talking to friends and family members in different walks of life, I appreciate how exceptional and unusual it is to be given the opportunity to spend years of your life working on both research which really excites you, and also having time to understand yourself better, how you work and what you care about.”