Rate My Professor Kathleen McPhillips

Dr. Kathleen McPhillips is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences, within the College of Human and Social Futures, at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Newcastle and a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University. Her professional trajectory includes serving as Lecturer at the Australian National University from 1994 to 1995, Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Sydney from 1995 to 2009, Lecturer at the University of Newcastle from 2010 to 2017, and her current position as Senior Lecturer. As Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of Violence, she leads the Interdisciplinary Trauma Research Network and is affiliated with the Centre for Society, Health and Care Research. Additionally, she has been a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion since 2000.

A sociologist of religion, gender, and mental health, Dr. McPhillips investigates gendered violence in religious organizations worldwide, focusing on child and adult sexual abuse, institutional responses, trauma effects, and the interplay between religion and state authority. She is an expert on public inquiries, having contributed to the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry (2013-2014) and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2014-2017). Major projects include co-leading the International Survey of Catholic Women (2021-2024), the largest global survey of Catholic women; directing the Hunter Outreach Project for survivors of church-based abuse; and participating in the Australia-Germany grant (2024-2026) on sexual abuse of Catholic women religious. Her key publications encompass co-editing 'The End of Religion: Feminist Reappraisals of the State' (Routledge, 2022), 'Post-Christian Feminisms: A Critical Approach' (Routledge, 2016), 'Post-Christian Feminisms: A Critical Appraisal' (2008), and 'Popular Spiritualities: the Politics of Contemporary Enchantment' (2006); as well as articles like 'Mapping Organized Clerical Child Sexual Abuse Networks' (2024) and 'Does Gender Matter? An Analysis of the Role and Contribution of Religious Socialisation Practices in the Sexual Abuse of Boys and Girls in the Catholic Church' (2022). Awards include the 2023 University of Newcastle Excellence Awards for Global Engagement and Community Engagement, 2020 Faculty Excellence Award for Work Integrated Learning, 2019 Dean's Excellence Award for Teaching and Learning, and 2018 John Barrett Award for Australian Studies. Her research influences understandings of institutional accountability and survivor recovery in religious contexts.