Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I was educated in the UK, Canada and Australia and received my Ph.D from Monash University where I have taught since 1995. The principal focus of my research has been on the construction and articulation of national identity in literature, media and film. I have conducted extensive research on military-media relations and the representation of war and published widely in this area.
My first book, Fighting Fictions: War, Narrative and National Identity (Pluto 1999) was a study of the cultural production of the Falklands War and the role of national memory in its framing and promotion. Following up on the South American theme, my second book, Lost Worlds: Latin America and the Imagining of Empire (Pluto 2009) examined how English, American and Australian writers employed Latin America, over a two hundred year period, as the locus for their most optimistic and darkest imaginings and how this shaped cultural relations with the countries of Latin America. In 2008 I edited a collection of essays on the Australian media’s coverage of the war in Afghanistan, or the lack thereof – What are we doing in Afghanistan? The Military and the Media at War (ASP 2009). In an effort to put the coverage of the war in Afghanistan in a broader context I edited another collection, The Information Battlefield: Representing Australians at War (ASP 2011). Drawing together the insights from these edited collections, my most recent monograph, Don’t Mention the War: The Australian Defence Force, the Media and the Afghan Conflict (Monash UP 2013) offered a comprehensive analysis of how the Australian media covered the war in Afghanistan and the forces that prevented them from reporting on the nation’s armed forces at war.
My current research focuses on three main areas – Social Media and the Military, a research project funded by the Australian Army Research Centre, the Photographers of Australia’s Military History Section during the Second World War, and Australian photo-magazines from 1939-45.
I have supervised a number of students, across my research areas, at Honours, MA, MPhil and PhD including the following topics:
Nepali Literary Nationalism and the British Empire (PhD)
Witnessing the Vietnam War: The Transformation of the Journalistic Practice of Neil Sheehan (Honours)
Reforming Military-Media Relations between the First and Second Gulf Wars (Honours)
Representing the Gulf War (MA)
Books for Australian Boys: Manipulating Genre in Contemporary Young Adult Fiction (PhD)
Narratives of The People's War in British Film, 1940-1958 (MA)
Fight like hell for the living: the role of Australia and New Zealand's Vietnam War veterans in representing and commemorating the Vietnam War in museums and other public history projects (MA)
I have also acted as External Examiner on a number of theses at the Universities of Tasmania, Wollongong, Canberra, Victoria and ANU.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Social Media
- Military
- Photography
- Military-Media Relations
- Representation
- National Identity
- Media Relations
- Media History
- Australian Military
- ANZAC
- War Narratives
- War Film
- Journalism and representation
- Literary Nationalism
- Commemoration
- Remembrance
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Social Media as a Force Multiplier: A Study of Military Best Practice
Foster, K. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
1/08/16 → 11/02/20
Project: Research
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Ready. Aim. Shoot. Rehearsing the end of the world
Foster, K., Sept 2024, Australian Book Review, 468, p. 58-59 2 p.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Short Review › Other
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The lives of the saints: David McBride’s ethic of self-interest
Foster, K., 2024, In: Australian Book Review. 461, p. 9-10 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Short Review › Other
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'Just one murder': Nick McKenzie’s bracing reportage
Foster, K., 2023, In: Australian Book Review. 456, p. 11-13 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Short Review › Other
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The gate: The terrible price of victory for the Taliban
Foster, K., 2023, In: Australian Book Review. 460, p. 20-21 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Short Review › Other
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"Playing deputy sheriff”’: Review of Sub-imperial Power: Australia in the international arena, by Clinton Fernandes
Foster, K., 2022, Australian Book Review, 449, p. 11-12 2 p.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Short Review › Other
Prizes
Activities
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Cardiff University
Foster, K. (Visiting researcher)
Sept 2023 → Oct 2023Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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Australian National University (ANU)
Foster, K. (Visiting researcher)
Mar 2023 → Jan 2024Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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Anthem Studies in Australian Politics, Economics and Society (Journal)
Foster, K. (Editorial board member)
2016 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial responsibility
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Australian Army , Department of Defence (External organisation)
Foster, K. (Member)
2014 → 2016Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Continuing Professional Development - development/presentation of external courses
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Membership to Professional Body
Foster, K. (Fellow)
2009 → …Activity: External Academic Engagement › Professional association or peak discipline body