David Oakeshott

Dr David Oakeshott is a Senior Research Officer with the Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA) and a former PhD student with DPA. His interest in Melanesia results from his undergraduate studies and personal experience in the Solomon Islands. As an undergraduate, he was intrigued by the range of contemporary challenges faced by countries in the region, particularly in the relationship between peace-building and nation-building. Volunteer experience in 2010 in the Solomon Islands education system introduced him to issues surrounding the role of education in peace-building and nation-building. These themes were the basis of his Honours thesis, which investigated how, in the wake of the conflict from 1998 to 2003, the Solomon Islands’ state and society have come to terms with this violent past through the re-writing of the education history curriculum. His PhD (from DPA, ANU) research was based on the findings from his Honours thesis and extended the investigation to other post-conflict regional settings.