Peter Westoby, Ph.D.

Associate Professor in Social Science and
Community Development,
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
AND
Visiting Professor at Uni of Free State, and
Director at Community Praxis Cooperative:
Community Praxis Co-op

Email:
ppeter.westoby@qut.edu.au
Phone: +61 409633558

Dr. Peter Westoby is a Director of the non-profit, Community Praxis Cooperative; a Senior Lecturer in Community Development at the School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia; and also a Research Associate at the Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, South Africa.

Peter has over 25 years of experience in youth, community and organisational development in various settings, such as Australia, South Africa, Uganda, Vanuatu, the Philippines and PNG.

His research interests include community development, dialogue theory and practice, and forced migration studies. He currently lives in Yeronga, Brisbane, where he loves to walk or run along the river, read and drink good coffee in his home, and listen to the sounds of Kookaburras or Leonard Cohen.

Peter’s core skills and capabilities include:

  • 20 years of facilitation collective conversations in community learning, organising and development;
  • 20 years of conducting research (orthodox traditions, participatory action research (PAR), community-based);
  • 30 years of youth, community and organisation development practice;
  • Cross-cultural conflict transformation – particularly using elicitive approach;
  • Supporting the development of cooperative and associational forms of social animation and community leadership, and cooperative structures; 
  • Reflective social practice, supporting people to inquiry into their own ‘practice’ (not espoused practice, but actual practice)
  • 10 years of university teaching, research, supervision and service.

Peter Westoby, Ph.D. Files & Links