Recent research is interdisciplinary, spanning cultural geography, anthropology, environmental philosophy, and creative practice, interrogating the human-nature nexus in light of critical planetary entanglements. I have been concerned with deep ontological reorienting rendered by Anthropocene ideas, states of unsettlement and emergency, and I’m interested in experimental and imaginative methodological approaches responding to post-natural and post-human conditions.
Publication / print
Westgate, J. 2023. Corals, geo-sociality, and Anthropocene dwelling, Exchanges: The Interdisciplinary Journal (open access)
Westgate, J. 2022. Speculative experiments for an everyday Anthropocene, GeoHumanities. (online) (download)
Westgate, J. 2022. Seeking closure in the Anthropocene, Exchanges: The Transdisciplinary Research Journal, Anthropocene Blog: February 2022. (online).
Westgate, J. 2020. Love and creativity, in Southall, N. and Brown, A (eds.) Love: Art, Ideas, Music, Politics. Kembla Books, Wollongong, NSW..
Westgate, J. 2020. Anthropocene dwelling: lessons from post-disaster Christchurch, New Zealand Geographer, doi: 10.1111/nzg.12242 (download).
Westgate, J. 2019. Book Review: Anthropocene Reading: Literary History in Geologic Times, Menely and Taylor (eds.). Antipode (online) .
Birtchnell, T., Urry, J. and Westgate, J. 2017. Design Mobilities via 3D Printing, in Pinch, P., Reimer, S. and Spinney, J. (eds) Mobilizing Design. Routledge, London.
Westgate, J. 2017. Crossing Rivers, Revisiting Trauma, and Contemplating the Geo: Thinking into the Anthropocenic. GeoHumanities 3(1): 233-245. (online)
Westgate, J. 2016. Art, Air and Ideas in the Anthropocene. Anthropocene Curriculum. HKW, Berlin.
Westgate, J. 2016. Group exercise: Spatial exploration. Anthropocene Curriculum. HKW, Berlin.
Westgate, J. 2009. A Taste of Waiheke: geographical imaginaries in wine and tourism. Summary Report, Building Research Capabilities in Social Science (BRCCS) Studentship Research.
Westgate, J. 2009. Brand Value: The work of ecolabelling and place branding in New Zealand tourism. Summary Report, Ministry of Economic Development, NZ Government.
Conference / event
‘Beyond the geo: otherworldly places, planets, natures, Institute of Australian Geographers Conference, Perth, Australia, July 2023
Invited interview, The Exchanges Discourse podcast, June 2023
Hack the Crisis NZ, online event, April 2020: team coach.
Making Futures Slam Event, Melbourne Museum, September 2018: collaborator
Anthropocene Campus Melbourne, Deakin University, Melbourne, September 2018: invited participant
‘Cultural practices in the Anthropocene’, invited discussant. Anthropocene Transitions Project, UTS, Sydney, September 2016.
Anthropocene Campus II – The Technosphere, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, April 2016: invited participant
‘Imaginative practices and post-natural futures’, presentation. Department of Design, Goldsmiths University of London, London, September 2015.
‘AnthroPolicy: Speculative policy for the Anthropocene’, presentation. Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers Annual International Conference 2015, Exeter, August 2015.
xskool, Grinda Island, Sweden, August 2014: invited participant
(5-day socio-ecological design workshop run by Konstfack and John Thackara)
‘Speculative futures and serious possibility’, presentation. Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers Annual International Conference 2014, London, August 2014.
‘Adapting to what? Experimenting with speculative futures’, presentation. Unnatural Futures Conference, University of Tasmania, Hobart, June 2014.
‘From ‘is’ to ‘if’ – generative possibility of the Anthropocene’, presentation. Institute of Australian Geographers/New Zealand Geographical Society Conference 2014, Melbourne, July 2014.
Organiser: ‘What makes a change lab successful?’ Presentation by John Thackara, University of Wollongong, October 2013.
‘Placebrand entanglements: the work of green labels in NZ tourism’, presentation. Institute of Australian Geographers Conference 2013, Perth, July 2013.