2013 ~ P R E S E N T |
S T I L L E V O LV I N G
challenged me on my research. Robert, whose
Queering Christ was a catalyst in my incipient passion
for queer theology, travelled with me as my co-
supervisor. Their support and insights, coupled with
my persistence, saw me through this arduous but
delightful task, and I was finally awarded a doctoral
degree in 2015.
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Gender studies at SASS was elevated to a major
in 2016, and I was privileged to join Monash as the
additional lecturer for this new major. The anguish
of losing my life partner of five years to illness in late
2016 remains with me, but being at this university
continues to open up enriching, meaningful and
epiphanic moments in my life journey. Sharon and
I are continuously working towards enhancing the
student learning experience of Gender Studies.
Robert and I are currently editing a new anthology
on queer theologies from around the world. My
students and I continue to reveal greater insights on
gender, sexuality and – in various degrees – theology
to each other in class. Very recently, Sharon, Vizla
Kumaresan (a former sessional lecturer and upcoming
doctoral student) and I designed and delivered a
training session for university staff on understanding
gender inclusivity in Malaysia. Sharon, Thaatchaayini
Kananatu (a law lecturer in the School of Business
and an alumna of SASS) and I are collaborating on
an international conference on gender and sexuality
that is slated to be held in November 2018. These
experiences at Monash, as I continue to discover, are
enriching epiphanies of life that continue to unfurl in
surprisingly delightful ways, and allow me to take my
life journey into unexpected horizons. They make real
to me the university motto which has now become
one of my own personal mottos: ancora imparo.
Joseph N. Goh has graduate degrees in theology from
the Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University,
USA. He obtained his PhD from Monash University
Malaysia in 2015 and is currently Lecturer in Gender
Studies in SASS.