Prof Don DeBats

Position/s:	Head, Department of American Studies School of International Studies
	Director (US), Centre for United States and Asia Policy Studies (CUSAPS) (http://www.flinders.edu.au/sabs/cusaps/) School of International Studies
Phone:	work+61 8 82012358
Email:	don.debats@flinders.edu.au
Location:	Social Sciences South (240)
Postal address:	GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Biography

Don DeBats is Professor and Head of American Studies. His research interests cover contemporary and past US politics; he is a frequent commentator on current US politics and has written extensively on US political history. His research appointments include the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the National Humanities Center of the United States, and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities at the University of Virginia. He has been a Visiting Professor at the College of William and Mary in the United States. His degrees are from Michigan State University (Mathematics) and the University of Wisconsin, Madison (MA, History) and PhD (major field: American History; minor field; Political Science). His current research, supported by the Australian Research Council, combine the contemporary interest in "the social logic of politics" with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) methodologies to the study of past political engagement, using unique individual level political records from 19thcentury America.

Teaching

Topic Coordinator:

AMST1002 America and the World: The United States in a Global Context
AMST2002 American Politics
AMST3013 The Alliance and the Rise of China
AMST3016 Internship Program: Washington DC
AMST7001 American Studies Honours Thesis
AMST7016 Honours Internship Program: Washington DC
POLI3011 People and Politics: Australia, Canada and the United States

Research and supervision

Publications

Books

DeBats, D.A. (1998). Degrees of Difference: Reshaping the University in Australia and the United States. Sydney: University of Sydney.

DeBats, D.A. (1995). Washington County: Politics and Community in Antebellum America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

DeBats, D.A. (1990). Elites and Masses: Political Structure, Communication and Behavior in Ante-Bellum Georgia. New York: Garland Publishing.

Refereed journal articles

DeBats, D. (2012). A Republic of Maps: Presenting a View of the Citizenry. Australasian Journal of American Studies, 31(2), pp.1-26.

DeBats, D.A. (2011). Political Consequences of Spatial Organization: Contrasting Patterns in Two Nineteenth-Century Small Cities. Social Science History, 35(4), pp.505-541. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/01455532-1381832.

DeBats, D.A. (2009). Using GIS and individual-level data for whole communities: a path toward the reconciliation of political and social history. Social Science Computer Review, 27(3), pp.313-330. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0894439308329759.

DeBats, D.A. (2008). A tale of two cities: Using tax records to develop GIS files for mapping and understanding nineteenth-century U.S. cities. Historical Methods, 41(1), pp.17-38.

DeBats, D.A. (2008). Who votes? Who voted? The 2008 American elections: contexts for judging participation and partisanship. Australasian Journal of American Studies, 27(1), pp.16-36.

DeBats, D.A., McDonald, T. and Williams, M.-A. (2007). Mr Howard goes to Washington: September 11, the Australian-American relationship and attributes of leadership. Australian Journal of Political Science, 42(2), pp.231-251. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10361140701320000.

Other public research outputs

DeBats, D.A. (2005). A Tale of Two Cities (Web Site). [online]. Available from: http://www.socsci.flinders.edu.au/amst/TaleofTwoCities/.

Show all publications

Books

DeBats, D.A. (1998). Degrees of Difference: Reshaping the University in Australia and the United States. Sydney: University of Sydney.

DeBats, D.A. (1995). Washington County: Politics and Community in Antebellum America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

DeBats, D.A. (1990). Elites and Masses: Political Structure, Communication and Behavior in Ante-Bellum Georgia. New York: Garland Publishing.

Book chapters

DeBats, D.A. (2012). Voting Systems. In Donald T Critchlow & Philip R VanderMeer, ed. Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History. New York, USA: Oxford University Press, pp. 291-294.

DeBats, D.A. (2009). Newport Home Ownership. In Paul A. Tenkotte and James C. Claypool, ed. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, pp. 657-658. [online]. Available from: http://www.kentuckypress.com/viewbook.cfm?Category_ID=&Group=1&ID=1567.

DeBats, D.A. (1986). Writing An Essay: Integrating Information into Understandings. In Vic Beasley, ed. Participation and Equity: The Flinders Experiment. Adelaide: Flinders University, pp. 132-157.

Refereed journal articles

DeBats, D. (2012). A Republic of Maps: Presenting a View of the Citizenry. Australasian Journal of American Studies, 31(2), pp.1-26.

DeBats, D.A. and Gregory, I. (2011). Introduction to Historical GIS and the Study of Urban History. Social Science History, 35(4), pp.455-463. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/01455532-1381814.

DeBats, D.A. (2008). A tale of two cities: Using tax records to develop GIS files for mapping and understanding nineteenth-century U.S. cities. Historical Methods, 41(1), pp.17-38.

DeBats, D.A. (2008). A "change election": The US presidential campaign. Australian Book Review, 306, pp.7-8.

DeBats, D.A. (2008). Who votes? Who voted? The 2008 American elections: contexts for judging participation and partisanship. Australasian Journal of American Studies, 27(1), pp.16-36.

DeBats, D.A. (2003). Reflecting on newly available insights into Senator Joseph McCarthy's times and methods: remembering institutions as well as individuals. Australasian Journal of American Studies, 22(2), pp.92-101.

DeBats, D.A. (2001). Into the Political Shrubbery: Finding Meaning in America's "Decision 2000". Australasian Journal of American Studies, 55, pp.21-28. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10357710120055049.

DeBats, D.A. (2001). Road Blocks on the Fast Track: The Struggle for Trade Promotion Authority. Policy, Organisation and Society, 20(1), pp.63-68.

DeBats, D.A. (1991). Hide and Seek: The Historian and Nineteenth Century Social Accounting. Social Science History, (15), pp.545-563. [online]. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/pss/1171468.

DeBats, D.A. (1990). An Uncertain Arena: The Georgia House of Assembly, 1808-1861. Journal of Southern History, (56), pp.423-456.

DeBats, D.A. (1990). The Study of Region: A Canadian Example from the Prairies. Australasian Canadian Studies, (8), pp.95-102.

DeBats, D.A. (1987). The Structures of political Involvement in the Nineteenth Century: A frontier Case. Perspectives in American History, (3), pp.207-238.

DeBats, D.A. (1986). The politics of Participation. Australasian Journal of American Studies, (5), pp.53-57.

DeBats, D.A. (1985). On Restoring Politics to Political History. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, (15), pp.459-466.

DeBats, D.A. (1984). Charles Sumner, The London Ballot Society and the Senate Debate of March, 1867. Perspectives in American History, (1), pp.343-357.

DeBats, D.A. (1982). Political Reform and the Decline of Party: Finding Meaning in a Shadow Debate. Politics, (17), pp.77-88.

DeBats, D.A. (1981). The Effects of Reform on Party: Some Notes from the American Experience. Political Science, (33), pp.91-97.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). Individuals and Aggregates: A Note on Historical Data and Assumptions. Social Science History, (3), pp.229-250.

DeBats, D.A. (1978). Identifiable Voting in Nineteenth Century America: Toward a Comparison of Britain and the United States Before the Secret Ballot. Perspectives in American History, (11), pp.259-288.

DeBats, D.A. (1974). The United States Manuscript Census as a Teaching Aid. Historical Methods Newsletter, (7), pp.90-92.

DeBats, D.A. (1974). Watergate: A Non-Episodic Perspective. Meanjin Quarterly, (33), pp.56-67.

Journal articles

DeBats, D.A. (2004). Beyond the spin - the 2004 US elections. On Line Opinion. [online]. Available from: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2702.

DeBats, D.A. (2004). Blame the elites for the threat to American identity. The Canberra Times.

DeBats, D.A. (2004). Dawn of a new dominance in decisive Bush victory. The Independent, NOV 7-13, pp.7-7.

DeBats, D.A. (2004). Hail to the Chief Exemplar of Conviction Politics. On Line Opinion, p.15.

DeBats, D.A. (2004). Samuel Huntington claims that American national identity is under attack. On Line Opinion. [online]. Available from: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/print.asp?article=2489.

DeBats, D.A. (2003). The Mississippi: State Sovereignty Commission; Civil Rights and States' Rights by Yasuhiro Katagiri (Book Review). Australasian Journal of American Studies.

DeBats, D.A. (2002). Pax Americana: The Rise of Anti-Americanism. The Diplomat, 1, pp.20-21. [online]. Available from: http://www.the-diplomat.com/edition.aspx?eid=278.

DeBats, D.A. (2000). Susan E Grey: The Yankee West: Community Life on the Michigan Frontier (Book Review). Indiania Magazine of History, 96(2), pp.195-196.

DeBats, D.A. (1975). The Creation of an Australian Social Science Data Archive: A Preliminary Discussion. Development of resource sharing networks. Networks study.

Conference publications

DeBats, D.A. (2011). Space, Race, and Politics: Using GIS to Explore the Social Logic of Politics in Urban and Rural Setings in Nineteenth Century America. In European Social Science History Conference.

DeBats, D.A. (2011). Race and Space: A Study of African-American Residential Patterns in Two Nineteenth Century Settings. In Social Science History Association Conference.

DeBats, D.A. (2010). Political Power and Political Engagement: The Social Logic of Past Politics. In 35th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. 35th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association.

DeBats, D.A. (2010). Social and Political Heterogeneity: Discovering and Understanding Spatial Patterns in Two Nineteenth Century American Cities. In 8th European Social Science History Conference. 8th European Social Science History Conference. [online]. Available from: http://www2.iisg.nl/esshc/programme.asp?selyear=10&pap=8789.

DeBats, D.A. (2009). Retail Patterns in Two City Types: Commercial Alexandria and Industral Newport in the Mid-Nineteenth Century. In 34th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. 34th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association.

DeBats, D.A. (2008). "Ho Boy! No Boys Since the 15th" The Kentucky Poll Books as a Unique Record in the Exploration of Race Politics in the Era of Reconstruction. In 33rd Annual Meeting of the Social Sciences History Association. 33rd Annual Meeting of the Social Sciences History Association.

DeBats, D.A. (2007). Using GIS to Explore the Socio-Economic, Political and Spatial Base of Two Divergent Nineteenth Century Cities: Commercial Alexandria (Virginia) and Industrial Newport (Kentucky). In 32nd Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. 32nd Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association.

DeBats, D.A. (2006). Mr Howard Goes to Washington: September 11, the Invigorating of the Australian/American Relationship, and the Leadership Attributes of an Australian Prime Minister. In John Howard's Decade Conference, Australian National University. John Howard's Decade Conference, Australian National University.

DeBats, D.A. (2006). Race, Economics, and Culture in a Mercantile City and in a Industrial City: Using GIS to Explore Spatial Patterning in Alexandra, Virginia, in Newport, Kentucky, in the 19th Century. In 31st Annual Meeting of the Social Sciences History Association. 31st Annual Meeting of the Social Sciences History Association.

DeBats, D.A. (2005). American Community vs. British Deference? Mid-Nineteenth Century Political Engagement in an American and a Canadian Rural Setting. In 30th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. 30th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association.

DeBats, D.A. (2004). Using GIS to Explore Spatial Patterns in Nineteenth Century American Cities. In 29th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. 29th Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association.

DeBats, D.A. (2000). Cultural Politics and Hard Evidence - Appraising Dykstra's Bright Radical Star and Bourkes and DeBats' Washington County. In 2000 Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians. 2000 Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians.

DeBats, D.A. (1999). Restoring the International Perspective. In The 4th Annual Australian Higher Education Conference. The 4th Annual Australian Higher Education Conference.

DeBats, D.A. (1998). Comparing Individual-Level Voting Returns with Aggregates: An Historical Appraisal of the King Solution. In Social Science History Association Conference. Social Science History Association Conference. [online]. Available from: http://www.dukeupress.edu/ssh/.

DeBats, D.A. (1998). The Politicization of Culture in Nineteenth Century America: Alexandria, Virginia and Newport, Kentucky. In Australian & New Zealand American Studies Association Conference. Australian & New Zealand American Studies Association Conference. [online]. Available from: http://www.anzasa.arts.usyd.edu.au/index.htm.

DeBats, D.A. (1997). The Politics of Nineteenth Century Cultural Diversity: Three German American Case Studies from an Industrial Age. In New Approaches to Migration Research: German Americans in Comparative Perspective. New Approaches to Migration Research: German Americans in Comparative Perspective. [online]. Available from: http://www.ghi-dc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=726:new-approaches-to-migration-research&catid=145:conferences-1997&Itemid=673.

DeBats, D.A. (1995). Washington County. In Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. [online]. Available from: http://www.ssha.org/.

DeBats, D.A. (1994). The Ties that also Bind Politically: Family and Community on the Oregon Frontier. In Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. [online]. Available from: http://www.ssha.org/.

DeBats, D.A. (1993). American Studies at Home and Abroad: Two Paradigms in Search of a Country. In Seoul National University Conference on Teaching American Studies as an Inter-disciplinary Program. Seoul National University Conference on Teaching American Studies as an Inter-disciplinary Program.

DeBats, D.A. (1991). Reconstructing the Traditional Electorate in the United States: The Poll Book Cases. In Organization of American Historians Annual Meeting. Organization of American Historians Annual Meeting. [online]. Available from: http://www.oah.org/.

DeBats, D.A. (1989). Hide and Seek: The Historian and Nineteenth Century Social Accounting. In Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. [online]. Available from: http://www.ssha.org/.

DeBats, D.A. (1989). Spatial Analysis and Social Attitudes: Alexandria, Virginia in 1859. In First Joint Archaeology Congress. First Joint Archaeology Congress.

DeBats, D.A. (1988). Structures of Political Involvement in Nineteenth Century Oregon. In Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. [online]. Available from: http://www.ssha.org/.

DeBats, D.A. (1986). The Contextual Effect in Nineteenth Century American Elections: The Oregon Poll Books. In Roundtable on Political Geography. Roundtable on Political Geography. [online]. Available from: http://www.ipsa.org/site/.

DeBats, D.A. (1984). Before the Decline: The Reach and Meaning of Politics in Nineteenth Century America. In The Wilson Center Colloquium Paper. The Wilson Center Colloquium Paper.

DeBats, D.A. (1982). The Leaders and the Led: A Social Profile of Partisan Organizations in Washington County Oregon in the 1850s. In Australian and New Zealand Studies Association Conference. Australian and New Zealand Studies Association Conference. [online]. Available from: http://www.anzasa.arts.usyd.edu.au/.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). Society and Politics in a New Community: Washington County Oregon in the 1850s. In Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association. [online]. Available from: http://www.ssha.org/.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). The "New" Political History and the "New" Social History: Some Proposals for Closing the Gap. In Australian and New Zealand American Studies Assocation Conference. Australian and New Zealand American Studies Assocation Conference. [online]. Available from: http://www.anzasa.arts.usyd.edu.au/.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). Political Behaviour in the Traditional American Electorate. In Australian and New Zealand American Studies Assocation Conference. Australian and New Zealand American Studies Assocation Conference. [online]. Available from: http://www.anzasa.arts.usyd.edu.au/.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). Political Elites and the Structures of Ante-Bellum Georgia Politics. In Annual Meeting of the Southern Historical Association. Annual Meeting of the Southern Historical Association. [online]. Available from: http://www.uga.edu/sha/index.html.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). Towards a More Civil Police. In Conference Proceedings, National Convention for Australian Councils for Civil Liberties. 4th National Convention of Australian Councils for Civil Liberties.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). The Social Base of Ante-Bellum Politics: Georgia as a Case Study. In Australian and New Zealand American Studies Association Conference. Australian and New Zealand American Studies Association Conference. [online]. Available from: http://www.anzasa.arts.usyd.edu.au/.

Other public research outputs

DeBats, D.A. (2008). Campaigning in America, circa 2008: A "change" Election. Australian Book Review, November 1 2008. [online]. Available from: http://www.australianbookreview.com.au/past-issues/index/115.

DeBats, D.A. (2008). Race within the race (newspaper article). Independent Weekly, (201), pp.14-15.

DeBats, D.A. (2008). The First 100 Days?

DeBats, D.A. (2005). A Tale of Two Cities (Web Site). [online]. Available from: http://www.socsci.flinders.edu.au/amst/TaleofTwoCities/.

DeBats, D.A. (2005). America's failing exposed by Katrina (Newspaper Article). Independent Weekly, (50), pp.9-9.

DeBats, D.A. (2004). Samuel P Huntington, "Who Are We? The Challenges to America"s National Identity' (book review) (Newspaper article). The Canberra Times, 24/08/04.

DeBats, D.A. (2003). A connection that's growing in importance. (Newspaper article). The Canberra Times, pp.17-17. [online]. Available from: http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/printerFriendlyPage.asp?story_id=262698.

DeBats, D.A. (2003). The Five Ws of George W Bush. Royal United Services Institute Newsletter, pp.4-9.

DeBats, D.A. (2002). The Rise of Anti-Americanism. , pp.20-21.

DeBats, D.A. (2001). Road Blocks on the Fast Track: The Struggle for Trade. Flinders Conference on American-Australian Free Trade.

DeBats, D.A. (2000). Discovering Urban Communities. [online]. Available from: http://www.fwmuseum.org/.

DeBats, D.A. (2000). Using Individual-Level Data to Understand Past Politics. [online]. Available from: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/.

DeBats, D.A. (1998). Ballard C Campbell: The Growth of American Government: Governance from the Cleveland Era to the Present (Book Review) (on-line book review). H-Pol@h-net.msu.edu H-Net Discussion List for American Political History. [online]. Available from: http://www.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?SL1=H-POL&H=H-NET.MSU.EDU.

DeBats, D.A. (1996). Electing a President: The Office and the Process (Internet publication).

DeBats, D.A. (1995). Quebec Separatists May Yet Get Their Way. The Australian.

DeBats, D.A. (1995). Quebec Voters Still in the Dark. The Australian.

DeBats, D.A. (1992). Creating ACSPRI: The Narrative but not the Novel. Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated Newsletter, 25(March), pp.7-11. [online]. Available from: http://acspri.anu.edu.au/newsletter/.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). The Right to Know: A Case for the Preservation of the Australian Census (Submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission). Australian Law Reform Commission.

DeBats, D.A. (1980). Beyond Genovese: Some Thoughts on the Linkage between Social and Political Cleavages in the Ante-Bellum South (Seminar).

Show selected publications

Professional and community engagement

Board of Directors, Australian-American Fulbright Commission 2011-12
International Committee, Organisation of American Historians 2011-15

Expertise for media contact

US Politics; US Political History; Politics and Society of the United States; US Foreign Policy; US Public Policy; US Elections
Canadian Politics; Canadian Politics and Society
Comparative Australian-Canadian-US Politics and Political History

Subject/s

Canada
History - American
Politics
United States of America

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