Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Whitney Monaghan is a Lecturer in the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University. She works across film, media and cultural studies, bringing expertise on gender and LGBTIQA+ media issues to a range of fields.
Her PhD research on the representation of queer girlhood is published as the monograph Queer Girls, Temporality and Screen Media: Not ‘Just a Phase’ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). She has since expanded her research into a range of digital media and screen related topics alongside broader interests in diversity, equity and inclusion.
She is the co-author of Queer Theory Now: From Foundations to Futures (Red Globe Press, 2019), co-editor of Screening Scarlett Johansson: Gender, Genre, Stardom (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), and has published numerous articles on queer theory, gender, sexuality and media.
Her current projects look to the future and past of LGBTIQA+ inclusion in the media, uncovering Australia's queer screen culture histories and examining discoverability of LGBTIQA+ content in the streaming media environment.
Dr Monaghan reguarly contributes to film festivals and cultural events. She is a festival coordinator at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival, where she uses her expertise in queer and feminist media studies to curate film programs, screenings and public events. She established the MWFF Critics Lab, the first Australian mentoring program to support the careers of women and gender diverse critics.
Supervision interests
Dr Monaghan supervises research projects (PhD and Masters level) in a range of areas, primarily related to identity, gender and sexuality in screen and media cultures.
Current projects
- Young queer women’s history-making online.
- Digital culture and Asian-Australian identity.
- Representing women in Asian-American diasporic cinema.
- Gametogenesis as Reproductive Justice.
- Queer Film Festivals as sites of activism, community and representation: A case study of Mongolia.
- Authenticity and reality television.
- Confidence culture and body positivity on Chinese social media.
Past projects
- Analyzing the discourse of postpartum bodies on Chinese social media Xiaohongshu.
- News media coverage of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in Melbourne.
- The ecology of social short video applications in China: professional-generated-content, user-generated-content and professional-user-generated-content.
- Financing Queer films in Brazil.
- Representing Witches on Teen TV.
- Videogame and film adaptation.
Monash teaching commitment
Dr Monaghan has extensive teaching experience (curriculum development, coordination, lecturing and tutoring) in film and screen studies, media studies and strategic communications management.
Current teaching responsibilities
- ATS3969: Screen Studies in the Digital Era
- ATS3964: Gender, Race and Media Practices
Previous teaching at Monash:
- ATS2992/MON2100: Global Immersion Guarantee
- ATS1119: Communicating in the Digital Era
- ATS1304: Introduction to Television Studies
- ATS1305: Introduction to Film Studies
- ATS2964: Screen Theories
- ATS2962: Contemporary Approaches to Film and Television Studies
- ATS3551: Gender and Sexuality in Film and Television
- APG5050: Doing Media and Communications Research
- APG5367: Campaigns, Advocacy and Change
- APG5742: Industry Project
- APG5458: Digital Technology, Policy and Governance
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
- Queer Theory
- Feminist Media Studies
- Gender and sexuality
- Media representation
- Television
- Television Studies
- Media Studies
- Social Justice
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Queer Television in Australia: Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals on the Small Screen from 1970 to 2000
11/02/19 → 29/03/19
Project: Research
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Streaming Industries & Genres Network (2025): 10 Years of Netflix in Australia: Streaming Players and Local Content
Scarlata, A., Lynch, A., Balanzategui, J., Baker, D., Dwyer, T., Edmond, M., Hunter, M., Kenyon, M., Khoo, O., Lobato, R., Monaghan, W., O'Meara, D., Perkins, C., Ryan, M., Sandars, D. & Stevens, K. E., 2025, Melbourne Vic Australia: SIGN (Streaming Industries and Genres Network). 50 p.Research output: Book/Report › Other Report › Other
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and nonbinary representation on Australian scripted television in the 2000s and 2010s
O'Meara, D. & Monaghan, W., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Media International Australia. 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
Queer media in the age of streaming video
Monaghan, W., Aug 2024, In: Convergence. 30, 4, p. 1388-1401 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus) -
Representing queer girlhoods in 2020s Australian film and television
Monaghan, W., 2024, The Routledge Companion to Girls' Studies. Mazzarella, S. R. (ed.). 1st ed. Abingdon UK: Routledge, p. 225-235 11 p. (Routledge Companions to Gender).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
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Academic response: Sofia Coppola in the curriculum: feminist film pedagogies
McNicol, E., Monaghan, W., Russell, G. & Smaill, B., 2023, The Bloomsbury Handbook to Sofia Coppola. Ferriss, S. (ed.). 1st ed. London UK: Bloomsbury Academic, p. 403-417 15 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
Activities
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Continuum (Journal)
Whitney Monaghan (Peer reviewer)
2022Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
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Journal of Homosexuality (Journal)
Whitney Monaghan (Peer reviewer)
2022Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
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Feminist Media Studies (Journal)
Whitney Monaghan (Peer reviewer)
2022Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
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Popular Communication (Journal)
Whitney Monaghan (Peer reviewer)
2022Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
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Routledge (Publisher)
Whitney Monaghan (Peer reviewer)
2022Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Peer review responsibility
Press/Media
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Flying the flag with Pride at Melbourne’s Midsumma March
5/02/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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We studied two decades of queer representation on Australian TV, and found some interesting trends
Damien O'Meara & Whitney Monaghan
12/03/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Climate and culture lessons from the Pacific Islands
Gabrielle Brand, Paula Gerber, Whitney Monaghan, Sally Andersen, Ali Sheikhbahaei & Sarah Gosper
11/03/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Heartbreak High is a global success. Its authentic representation is what other reboots are lacking
7/10/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Teen sex on TV is more realistic than ever. Is this a good thing?
27/02/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment