• Biography/ Background

  Associate Professor Paul Corcoran came to the University of Adelaide as a Lecturer in Politics in 1974. He is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B. cum laude, 1966) and Duke University (M.A. 1968, Ph.D. 1970). From the time of his appointment, his courses have been devoted to political theory and the history of ideas, from ancient Greek political philosophy through to the nineteenth century. He has occasionally given seminars and courses on art and politics.

  In recent years his publications and research have focused on early modern thinkers (Hobbes and Locke), symbolic representation, concepts of property in early European colonial exploration and settlement, and the role of the emotions in ethics and political recognition.

• Research Interests

  • Political philosophy
  • Political communication
  • Australian political symbolism
  • Linguistics and political rhetoric
  • Politics & art
  • Early French socialism; French political thought

• Publications

  Monographs & Edited Volumes

  1. Awaiting Apocalypse [London: Macmillan; New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000], pp. ix + 212.
  2. Disclosures , edited with Vicki Spencer [London: Ashgate, 2000], pp. vii + 206.
  3. Before Marx: Socialism and Communism in France, 1830-48 [London: Macmillan; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983], pp. xii + 237.
  4. Political Language and Rhetoric [St. Lucia: Queensland University Press; Austin: University of Texas Press, 1979], pp. xvii + 216.
  5. Karl Marx as Historian , a Special Issue of History of European Ideas , Vol. 12, No. 6, [Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1990], 150 pp.

  Chapters in Jointly Authored Books

  1. 'Therapeutic Self-Disclosure: The Talking Cure' and 'Silence,' in P. Corcoran & V. Spencer eds, Disclosures [London: Ashgate, 2000], pp. 118-48.
  2. 'Silence,' in P. Corcoran & V. Spencer eds, Disclosures [London: Ashgate, 2000], pp. 172-201.
  3. 'Presidential Endings: Conceding Defeat,' in K. E. Kendall ed., Presidential Campaign Discourse [Albany, N.Y.: SUNY Press, 1995], Chapter 12, pp. 255-91.
  4. 'Time and Purpose in the Language of Social Science,' in H. Redner ed., An Heretical Heir of the Enlightenment: Politics, Policy, & Science in the Work of Charles E. Lindblom, [Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1993], pp. 97-128.
  5. 'Language and Politics,' in D.L. Swanson & D. Nimmo eds., New Directions in Political Communication [Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1989], Chap. 2, pp. 51-85.
  6. 'The Limits of Democratic Theory,' in G. Duncan ed., Democratic Theory and Practice [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983], pp. 13-24; 264-65.
  7. 'Rousseau and Hume,' in R. Fitzgerald ed., Comparing Political Thinkers [Sydney: Pergamon Press, 1980], pp. 164-84.

  Articles

  1. 'Political Recognition and Aesthetic Judgement.' Theoria, Vol. 115 (2008), 64-90.
  2. “John Locke on the Possession of Land: Native Title vs. the ‘Principle’ of Vacuum domicilium.” Proceedings, Australasian Political Studies Association Annual Conference 2007, refereed paper, Social and Political Theory Stream. Australasian Political Studies Association and Monash University: 24-26 September 2007. Available: http://arts.monash.edu.au/psi/news-and-events/apsa/refereed-papers/political-theory/corcoran.pdf
  3. ‘Dominion and Generation: Hobbes on Conjugal and Domestic Relations.’ Proceedings, Australasian Political Studies Association Annual Conference 2006, Newcastle University, September 2006. http://www.newcastle.edu.au/school/ept/politics/apsa/PapersFV/PolTheory/Corcoran,%20Paul.pdf
  4. ‘Emotional Framing in Australian Journalism,’ Australian & New Zealand Communication Association International Conference, 5 July 2006, University of Adelaide. http://www.adelaide.edu.au/anzca2006/conf_proceedings
  5. 'The Rhetoric of Shame in the Lachrymose Country,' Australian Review of Public Affairs, Vol. 4 (8 November 2004) http://www.econ.usyd.edu.au/drawingboard/digest/0411/corcoran.html
  6. 'The Emotional Virtues.' Refereed paper presented to the Australasian Political Studies Association Conference, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 30 September 2004.
  7. 'Good, Healthy Hate: Frontier of the Negative Emotions.' Refereed paper presented to the Australasian Political Studies Association Conference, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 30 September 2003, 27 pp. http://www.utas.edu.au/government/APSA/RefereedPapers.html
  8. 'Civilising Political Theory,' The Drawing Board, The Australian Review of Public Affairs , Symposium: The Liberal Conversation (7 March 2003). Available: http://www.econ.usyd.edu.au/drawingboard/
  9. 'From Both Sides Now: Disciplinary Aspirations & Postmodern Research,' with Ann-Marie Priest, Southern Review: Essays in the New Humanities , Vol. 32, No. 2 (1999), pp. 149-64.
  10. "Chilling Out Backstage: A Response to 'Forged in Fire'," Southern Review: Essays in the New Humanities , Vol. 32, No. 2 (1999), pp. 195-203.
  11. "'The Naked Flagpole': The Republic in Search of a Symbol," with Sally-Ann Rowland, Proceedings of the Australasian Political Studies Association [Sydney: University of Sydney, 1999], Vol. I, pp. 123-34
  12. 'The Rhetoric of Triumph & Defeat: Australian Federal Elections, 1940-1993,' Australian Journal of Communications , Vol. 25, No. 1 (1998), pp. 69-86.
  13. 'The People on Probation: Rhetorical Images of the Australian Electorate,' with Sally-Ann Rowland, in Australasian Political Studies , Vol. I, Proceedings of the 1997 Australasian Political Studies Association, [Flinders University, 1997], pp. 229-50.
  14. "'La Fusion européene' in Romantic Socialism, 1820-40," The European Legacy , Vol. 1, No. 8 (1997), pp. 2249-59.
  15. 'Presidential Concession Speeches: The Rhetoric of Defeat,' Political Communication , Vol. 11 (1994), pp. 109-131.
  16. "Communication in the First Primaries: The 'Voice of the People' in 1912," with K. E. Kendall, Presidential Studies Quarterly , Vol. XXII, No. 1 (1992) pp. 15-29.

• Professional Interests

  Expertise for Media Contact

  • Political Communication
    • political language
    • political rhetoric
    • communication strategies
    • media framing
  • Politics and Art
  • Political Theory and Philosophy

Entry last updated: Friday, 23 May 2008