School of Psychology

Ms Renata Bongiorno

Post Doctoral Research Fellow

RESEARCH:
My research is primarily concerned with understanding how inequitable gender relations are reproduced in society. I am also interested in the psychology of social movements and social change.

ACTIVITIES:
In seeking to understand how gender inequality is reproduced, my PhD research explored the pervasiveness of gender categorization and the need to develop a conceptualization of gender as a constant (i.e., ground) feature of social perception. I also explored how categorization in terms of gender can marginalise women relative to men, as they are afforded a much narrower scope of acceptable behaviour.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Manuscripts submitted for publication and in preparation

• Bongiorno, R., & David, B. (2009). The anti-backlash effect: New barriers to gender equality. Manuscript submitted for publication.
  
  
• Ryan, M. K., Haslam, S. A., Hersby, M. D., & Bongiorno, R. (2009). Think crisis–think female? Glass cliffs and contextual variation in the think manager–think male stereotype. Manuscript submitted for publication.
  
  
• Bongiorno, R., McGarty, C., Kurz, T. (2009) Creating commitment to act on climate change: Group-based interaction and the formation of pro-environmental social identities. Manuscript in preparation.
  
  
• Bongiorno, R., Kurz, T., Bain, P. (2009) If you’re going to be a feminist, at least be a man about it! Manuscript in preparation.
  
  
• Bongiorno, R. (2009) In the absence of the backlash effect: The additional importance of communality for women. Manuscript in preparation.
  
  
• Ryan, M. K., Morton, T. A., Bongiorno, R. (2009) Smoking as a stigmatized identity: Using identification to predict smoking cessation. Manuscript in preparation.

Publications

• McGarty, C., Bliuc, A-M., Thomas, E., & Bongiorno, R. (in press). Collective action as the material expression of opinion-based group membership. Journal of Social Issues.
  
  
• McGarty, C., Bongiorno, R., & Bliuc, A-M., (in press). Categorization. In J. M. Levine, & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations.
  
  
• McGarty, C., Bliuc, A-M., & Bongiorno, R., (in press). Depersonalization. In J. M. Levine, & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations.

Conference presentations

• Bongiorno, R., Bain, P., Kurz, T. (April, 2009). If you’re going to be a feminist, at least be a man about it! Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP), Melbourne.

• Bongiorno, R., McGarty, C. & David, B. (August, 2008). New barriers to equity: The changing face of gender discrimination? Paper presented at the meeting of the International Society for Justice Research (ISJR), Adelaide.

• Bongiorno, R., & McGarty, C. (2008, July). Creating commitment to action: Group-based interaction and the formation of pro-environmental social identities. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP), Paris.
  
  
• Bongiorno, R., & McGarty, C. (2008, June). Creating a carbon-neutral university: Group-based interaction and the inductive formation of pro-environmental social identities. Paper Presented at the general meeting of the European Association of Experimental Social Psychology (EAESP), Opatija, Croatia.
  
  
• Bongiorno, R., & McGarty, C. (June, 2008). Categories and groups as hurdles and ladders to the process of social change. Paper Presented at a preconference to the general meeting of the European Association of Experimental Social Psychology (EAESP), Opatija, Croatia.
  
  
• Bongiorno, R., & McGarty, C., David, B. (April, 2006). Is Gender a basic fixed category or a flexible self category? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP), Canberra.
  
  
• Bongiorno, R., & David, B. (April, 2003). Gender and the categorization of powerful others Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP), Sydney.