June 8, 2021

Vale Anthony Ashbolt

Renowned politics and culture academic recognised with Honorary Fellowship from Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities in 2020

Long-serving University of Wollongong academic Dr Anthony Ashbolt passed away over the weekend (Saturday 5 June) at the age of 67.

After arriving at the University in 1991, Dr Ashbolt influenced the lives of many not only through his teaching and research but also through his impact on the wider community.

Dr Ashbolt was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities in 2020 upon his retirement in July last year.

Prior to his retirement, Dr Ashbolt was a Senior Lecturer in Politics in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, where he taught in the discipline of Politics, with a focus on American politics, media politics, political theory, culture and politics, and America in the 1960s.

Dr Ashbolt’s main areas of research and publication were in American history, politics and culture, with a fervent interest in the radicalism in the 1960s.

He published a number of academic works over his time at the University, including his book A Cultural History of the Radical Sixties in the San Francisco Bay Area which gained interest internationally.

In the book Dr Ashbolt explored the development of a regional culture of radicalism in the San Francisco Bay Area, one that underpinned both political protest and the counterculture. He argued that geography played a key role in the development of radicalism in the region.

His study made an important contribution to the history of radical politics and offered a new way of looking at America in this period.

Dr Ashbolt also embraced the role of public intellectual, frequently sharing his expertise on current and historical political issues with the media and the wider community.

He was responsible for the development and management of the Politics Internship program, which allowed students to gain valuable, relevant experience working in a political environment during the course of their studies.

In 2016 Dr Ashbolt received a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for 25 years’ service, highlighting his long standing commitment and passion towards the University.