Dr Aidan Cornelius-Bell

Dr Aidan Cornelius-Bell; Cornelius-Bell, Aidan

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Dr Aidan Cornelius-Bell

social scientist · decolonial curriculum/policy designer · activist

Werte. I’m Aidan, pleased to meet you. I care about (re)inventing systems, breaking colonial/capitalist institutions, and creating relational accountability. By training I’m a sociologist and educator, striving to build educational networks which do better for First Nations and the 99%. I am of working class European and Arrernte descent with a deep desire for healing connection(s). My involvement in the capitalist economy has led me to develop research, digital, media, and community agency-developing skills. With these tools I have been a leader of radical left political change, an activist organiser, an educator for agency building, a researcher in social and political transformation, a vocal member of governance bodies, a filmmaker and digital communicator, and a developer of health and wellness apps.

my values

humanityhumilityrespectreciprocitycompassionjusticeradicalismpeople over things more

I grew up with lower-middle-class financial security, access to services which supported my wellbeing, and despite never completing high school, I have been supported by government supported higher education which challenged me to think. My upbringing wasn’t all roses and education was never easy for me. As a multiply neurodivergent person, I struggled with ‘motivation’, engagement, hearing, and social network creation. As I grew older, I continued facing challenges including longstanding abuse. As a result of this I have developed Fibromyalgia and PTSD. This has motivated me to create mobile apps which support chronic condition management.

My academic interests rest in decolonial and Indigenous futures, Gramscian and Marxian social science, and revolutionary politics. Moreover, I have significant experience in curriculum design (particularly decolonial curriculum for higher education), academic governance and student politics (particularly student power and student activism), and teaching social science research methods/methodology. I am currently away from (academic) work for health reasons. When I am able, the work that I do is always in collaboration and unfinished. If (by some possibility) my presented self seems put-together it is only a charade – life is messy and hard. In all, I work toward small acts of repair stitched together with others trying to make systems fairer.