Karen O'Brien

Dr. Karen O'Brien is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She holds a BA (Hons), MA, PhD, and Cert. H. Ed. Her research focuses on colonial and socio-legal history, emphasizing Indigenous rights, early modern emotional encounters, and legal practices. She has authored influential books like Petitioning for Land (2019) and Cursing, Crisis and Customary Knowledge (2024). Awards include the 2022 Historical Society of South Australia Award and ARC grants. O'Brien advises on Indigenous rights, teaches courses like Indigenous Social and Legal Justice, and engages in media commentary on issues such as Indigenous activism and colonial power dynamics.

Research: Explores colonial occupation, First Peoples' political participation, and emotional landscapes in early modern encounters. Current projects include Global Encounters with Early Modern Emotions, analyzing cross-cultural emotional exchanges. She investigates extractivism's impact on Indigenous communities and activism's role in resisting colonial structures.

Awards and Grants: Recipient of ARC funding (e.g., 2017-2023) and international fellowships. Her work has been recognized in outlets like Visual Studies and Journal of Family History.

Teaching & Mentorship: Supervised PhD/Master’s theses on Indigenous rights, cultural preservation, and environmental justice. Taught courses on socio-legal research and Indigenous activism. Former roles include Visiting Professorships and editorial work for The Activist History Review.