Melissa Butcher

Growing up in rural Australia, Melissa watched families and communities around her trying to manage change: from economic transformation brought about by global markets, to oscillating between droughts and floods brought about by a shifting climate. Sometimes people coped well; sometimes things fell apart. As a journalist, then a researcher in higher education over several decades, Melissa has tried to understand what makes the difference. Working with people from all walks of life, in countries around the world, she is now a leading voice in understanding the link between social conflict and how we manage change.

Melissa’s latest book, The Trouble With Freedom, on political and social polarization in the USA, published with Manchester University Press, continues this focus, drawing on extensive interviews, media analysis and field work, bridging anthropology and journalism. Her writing captures complex social issues in everyday stories, creating findings that have been used in policy and practice, as well as featured in national and international media.

When not at her desk or in a conversation with someone, Melissa can be found hiking and thinking about her next project.