Fethi Mansouri

Service to the community

Throughout his career, Professor Mansouri has worked to support professional and local communities nationally and internationally. He has made significant contributions to tertiary education, research excellence, and multiculturalism in Australia and globally.

At the academic level, Professor Mansouri has made significant contributions to our understandings of cultural diversity, intercultural relations, social justice and human rights. His body of scholarly work has not only contributed to Australian multiculturalism and migration studies but has also impacted local communities in meaningful ways.

Indeed, at the local level, he has worked in various advisory capacities, as well as delivering workshops and presentations, to support local community organisations in their work towards the social inclusion of migrants and human rights for refugees and asylum seekers. He has volunteered his time to build the capacity of community service providers working around the social integration of migrants. Professor Mansouri sits on numerous advisory boards for not-for-profit organisations, state government agencies, and federal bodies, including the Department of Premier and Cabinet Research Institute on Social Cohesion (2016-2021) and the Australian Intercultural Society (2015- ). He was awarded the Victorian State Government Volunteering Award in 2001 and has received various awards and certificates of appreciation from Islamic philanthropic organisations as well as state government bodies, such as Victoria Police.

Professor Mansouri’s academic work has also impacted policy making at the international level. For many years, he has served as an expert advisor to various UN agencies, in particular, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Professor Mansouri was also elected to the Executive Committee for the Tunisian Competencies Abroad Organization and served for three years advising the Tunisian government on reforms to test education systems in relation to both building research capacity and connecting universities to local communities.  

Overall, Professor Mansouri’s work is driven by a deep commitment, not only to academic excellence, but also to making a meaningful impact to the lives of his fellow human beings, locally, nationally and internationally. His 2004 co-authored book Lives in Limbo: Voices of Refugees under Temporary Protection was shortlisted for the for The Australian Human Rights Commission Awards.