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Clive Hamilton

Clive Hamilton

"In the marketing society, we seek fulfillment but settle for abundance. Prisoners of plenty, we have the freedom to consume instead of our freedom to find our place in the world."

Clive Hamilton is an Australian author and public intellectual. Since 2008 he has been Professor of Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra. For 14 years, until February 2008, he was the Executive Director of The Australia Institute, a progressive think tank he founded.
He holds an arts degree from the Australian National University and an economics degree from the University of Sydney. He completed a doctorate in the economics of development at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. Clive has held visiting academic positions at Yale University, the University of Oxford, University College London and Sciences Po in Paris. He has published on a wide range of subjects but is best known for his books, a number of which have been best-sellers. In 2018, his controversial book, Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia, was published by Hardie Grant after three other publishers pulled out citing fear of punishment from Beijing. It became an immediate best-seller.
In 2009 Clive was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to public debate and public policy. Later that year he was the Greens candidate in the by-election for the federal seat of Higgins. In 2012 he was appointed by the Federal Government to the Climate Change Authority, from which he resigned in 2016.

What subjects and genres does Clive Hamilton write about?

He is a non-fiction author and public intellectual who writes on public ethics, environmental policy and climate change, political influence and foreign interference, and critiques of consumer culture. Notable titles include Growth Fetish, Affluenza, Requiem for a Species, Earthmasters and Silent Invasion.

Which book should I start with to explore his climate change work?

Requiem for a Species is a strong starting point for his argument about why societies resist the truth on climate change. For treatments of geoengineering and technological responses, read Earthmasters. Defiant Earth is a more recent overview of human fate in the Anthropocene.

Are his books part of a series or is there a recommended reading order?

Most of his books are standalone non-fiction works rather than a series. You can read them by topic: early books on consumerism (Growth Fetish, Affluenza), then his climate and environmental books, and his later political books such as Silent Invasion.

Has Clive Hamilton received any formal recognition for his work?

Yes. In 2009 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to public debate and public policy. Several of his books have also been best-sellers.

Is Silent Invasion controversial and why should I read it?

Silent Invasion attracted controversy because other publishers withdrew over concerns about political repercussions, yet it was published and became a best-seller. It examines questions of Chinese influence in Australia and is relevant if you want his perspective on geopolitics and national sovereignty.

Popular Books By Clive Hamilton

All Clive Hamilton Books