Christine Helliwell doesn’t just teach the value of difference – she’s lived it.

The New Zealand-born anthropologist wrote her Masters thesis on ‘the middle class ‘Pakeha’ (white) family’ in the land of the long white cloud. Having been raised in similar type of family, this research wasn’t too far removed from her own experience.

Yet when she took up a PhD project at ANU in the early 1980s, Dr Helliwell decided to study societies in Borneo, Indonesia. This included a stint living in a longhouse among the Dayak peoples. Life in these communal dwellings is a far cry from that of suburban New Zealand. But rather than being overwhelmed by this sense of cultural alienation, Dr Helliwell said she thrived on it.

“When I was growing up I became involved in student politics, movements like feminism, which were all about alternative ways in which society could be arranged.

“In essence, this is what Anthropology is all about: the many different ways in which humans can live.”

It’s the appreciation of human variety that Dr Helliwell said she tries to convey in her teaching, which also includes some entry level subjects for PhB and PhD students.

Dr Helliwell cut her teeth teaching at the University of Auckland, which offered a junior lectureship program for early career academics. One of her first roles behind the lectern was offering a subject in human society to engineering students. “They were great,” she recalled. “People have these preconceptions about engineering students being all about technical things, but these guys were really switched on and interested in people.”

Dr Helliwell returned to a position at ANU in 1995. After a stint as Deputy Dean in the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences last year, she now teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, and has been Assistant Dean in charge of Honours and PhB at the College since 2005.

Aside from her interest in the societies of Borneo, she’s also fascinated by the theoretical side of Anthropology, particularly how ‘society’ and ‘culture’ are conceived.

Five questions for Dr Christine Helliwell

I teach ... a later-year course in the anthropology of gender. I also run an entry level course for all the students undertaking a Bachelor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts. On top of that, I run a PhD theory course for all doctoral candidates in Anthropology.

My approach to educating students ... is two-pronged. I firmly believe that students need a good grounding in the basics of any discipline. It’s not possible for them to think outside the square before they know what the square is. But I also believe that students need to be pushed to be brave in their learning. The ultimate aim is for them to be brave enough to question the fundamentals of their discipline.

The thing I most enjoy about teaching is ... when I see a student being brave. In Anthropology, we ask students to go beyond the comfort zone of their own society and consider different ways in which human life could be organised. It’s wonderful when you see a student attempting to understand something that might be completely foreign to his or her own experience.

The last time I was surprised in a teaching situation ... all the time. We’re constantly being surprised. Even first-year students can come up with the most unexpected questions that really make you think about things in a different way.

My advice to other educators is ... there is no overarching advice. Everyone has to find their own teaching style. Do what works for you.

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