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MACQUARIE MATRIX: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL

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Editorial

Matrix is an interdisciplinary journal published with the mission of showcasing the research carried out by undergraduate students at Macquarie University and developing the skills of HDR candidates in publishing. Macquarie graduates are effective communicators, engaged and ethical local and global citizens,   socially and environmentally active and responsible, and have discipline-specific knowledge and skill.  Contributing to Matrix is a clear demonstration of each of these capabilities. Equally importantly it makes the scholarly work done by undergraduate students accessible to the wide community as a contribution to knowledge and as a starting point for future research.

In this issue we are pleased to present four papers. Gullotta’s paper reviews the competing paradigms used to study the development of different forms of lie telling in children, a behaviour with ramifications for the legal and clinical settings as well as being of interest in its own right. Lynch’s paper reviews the submissions made to the Keane Committee in 1978 on Aboriginal land rights and sovereignty. The topic remains an important one given the present urgent need to address the gap between life outcomes of Indigenous and nonIndigenous Australians. The research described in the remaining two papers, that of Tack and Floratos, synthesises concepts from the disciplines of gender studies and cultural studies. Tack’s paper uses a  postmodern novel, in this case Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith  to explore the creation of  identity without  gender binaries. Floratos discusses how queer identity is constructed and "performed" through its expression in discourse.

As this issue is published, the University is preparing to farewell the Professor Judyth Sachs  who has announced she is leaving the University after an outstanding contribution as Deputy Vice-Chachellor (Provost). Her support of undergraduate research and of Matrix has been extraordinary and we thank her and wish her the best for the next chapter of her career.

Associate Professor Judi Homewood, Executive Editor.