Alexandra James
Biographic Data
| ID | 3761723 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alexandra James |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alexandra |
| FAMILY NAME | James |
| SIGNATURE | JAMES A |
| AFFILIATIONS | La Trobe University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9206-6407 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Sexual literacy and parents’ confidence to discuss sex and relationships with children and adolescents in Australia
Parents play a fundamental role in educating their children, including younger children and teenagers, about sex and relationships. These conversations often involve complex and sensitive topics, which many parents find challenging due to limited knowledge, low confidence, or discomfort. This study investigated whether parents with higher sexual literacy – defined as the ability to seek and assess information to support sexual wellbeing and commu…
Sex education on the newsfeed
With the increased use of data-driven algorithmic curation of social media content and online advertising, young people are increasingly likely to come across content related to sex, sexuality and relationships that they have not searched for (i.e. non-intentional or incidental exposure). This study sought to explore incidental exposure to content about sex, sexuality and relationships among young people in Australia and considers both the applic…
‘Synced as a couple’
While most research on digital sex toys to date has focussed on their affordances and marketing, or issues of data governance and privacy, research on user experience is limited. This article centres the accounts of 11 interviewees who used digital sex devices within mostly heterosexual relations, and often for remote partnered sex. We demonstrate how digital sex toys offer creative potential and possibilities for sexual pleasure and connection, …
Social Determinants of Health Screening and Remote Intervention for a Pediatric Emergency Department
SDOH needs are common among families utilizing EDs for their children's health care. EDs serving under-resourced rural communities can be leveraged to address SDOH needs, and further research is needed to evaluate their impacts on rural families
Digital sexual literacy
Introduction Health literacy is defined as the capacity, resources and insight to seek information, ask critical questions and be an advocate for one’s health. Sexual literacy is framed in similar terms, relating to the capacity to navigate emotionally and physically safe sexual encounters and to hold a critical and assertive stance on relationship dynamics, gender and consent. In this paper, we present findings from a qualitative study that expl…
Sex on screens
Frequently referred to as 'sexting' or 'amateur pornography', digital sexual images and videos form an increasingly common part of adult sexual relationships. However, the vocabulary available to speak about these practices is limited, with 'sexting' often associated with young people in negative terms. This study is based on 23 interviews with adults in Australia who are 25 years and older. It explores the language adults employ to discuss and c…
Dude, Come On, Like, Let’s Just Do the Thing
Introduction Notions of effective sexual communication and consent have shifted towards an enthusiastic consent framework. This study explored how young cisgender heterosexual men and women apply these concepts in casual sexual encounters. Methods Six single-gender and mixed gender focus groups of 44 participants were conducted with young cisgender heterosexual men and women living in Australia in 2021. Participants were asked about their dating …
From access and transparency to refusal
This paper critically engages with key responses to algorithmic governance, including access and inclusion, transparency, and refusal. How can these responses effectively address the harms produced by algorithmic governance
Rethinking Risk in Adults’ Engagement with Sexual Digital Imagery
Introduction Camera-equipped smartphones and other devices allow people to capture and share images directly with others in ways that are spontaneous, instant and relatively inexpensive. Such sharing is a common part of modern sexual intimacies, despite media and educational discourses warning of potential risks. Methods This paper reports on a qualitative study in which we interviewed 23 Australian adults about the ways in which they used with d…
I’m not going anywhere near that
This article explores findings from 23 expert stakeholder interviews on working with cisgender heterosexual men and boys in the fields of gendered violence prevention, relationships and sexuality education (RSE), sexual health, sport, and emotional and mental well-being. It focuses on how organisations and individual consultants navigate political and social tensions when working with boys and young men. Findings from these interviews note severa…
Expert Stakeholders’ Perspectives on How Cisgender Heterosexual Boys and Young Men Navigate Sex and Intimacy in Australia
Understanding these gaps is vital for policymakers, content and program creators, and service providers working with cisgender heterosexual boys and men. We advocate for thinking about a strategy that is centred around "heterosexual intimacies", in which addressing boys and young men's sexual health and wellbeing is brought together with gendered violence prevention and sexual violence prevention initiatives
Genital fashioning
Female genital fashioning practices, a term encompassing a range of temporary and permanent options for cosmetic genital alteration, are becoming an increasingly prominent part of contemporary beauty regimes. Drawing on a series of 11 small focus groups and 10 interviews with 34 Australian women aged 18–30, this paper explores the ways that cisgender young women negotiate a combination of social pressures, pleasures and influences in their decisi…
Ethical’ artificial intelligence in the welfare state
In recent years, a discourse of ‘ethical artificial intelligence’ has emerged and gained international traction in response to widely publicised AI failures. In Australia, the discourse around ethical AI does not accord with the reality of AI deployment in the public sector. Drawing on institutional ethnographic approaches, this paper describes the misalignments between how technology is described in government documentation, and how it is deploy…
Conceptualising the continuum of female genital fashioning practices
Genital fashioning practices, such as Brazilian waxing and female genital cosmetic surgery, have become increasingly prevalent within contemporary western societies. This paper explores the role of genital fashioning in the construction of contemporary femininity. It uses in-depth interviews and focus groups with Australian women aged 18-30 to investigate female genitalia as a site of alteration. Drawing on broader understandings of the body as s…
Mothers’ ideals and experiences of raising children in inner and outer suburban Melbourne, Australia
Parents’ perceptions of their neighbourhoods are important for child health outcomes. This study compared views among mothers in inner versus outer suburbs of Melbourne, Australia using a mixed methods approach. Mothers of preschool-aged children were recruited via playgroups, mother’s groups and preschools and interviewed face-to-face regarding their local area as a good place to raise a family, with a second open-ended interview focussing on mo…
Ethical’ artificial intelligence in the welfare state
In recent years, a discourse of ‘ethical artificial intelligence’ has emerged and gained international traction in response to widely publicised AI failures. In Australia, the discourse around ethical AI does not accord with the reality of AI deployment in the public sector. Drawing on institutional ethnographic approaches, this paper describes the misalignments between how technology is described in government documentation, and how it is deploy…
Dude, Come On, Like, Let’s Just Do the Thing
Introduction Notions of effective sexual communication and consent have shifted towards an enthusiastic consent framework. This study explored how young cisgender heterosexual men and women apply these concepts in casual sexual encounters. Methods Six single-gender and mixed gender focus groups of 44 participants were conducted with young cisgender heterosexual men and women living in Australia in 2021. Participants were asked about their dating …
Rethinking Risk in Adults’ Engagement with Sexual Digital Imagery
Introduction Camera-equipped smartphones and other devices allow people to capture and share images directly with others in ways that are spontaneous, instant and relatively inexpensive. Such sharing is a common part of modern sexual intimacies, despite media and educational discourses warning of potential risks. Methods This paper reports on a qualitative study in which we interviewed 23 Australian adults about the ways in which they used with d…
Expert Stakeholders’ Perspectives on How Cisgender Heterosexual Boys and Young Men Navigate Sex and Intimacy in Australia
Understanding these gaps is vital for policymakers, content and program creators, and service providers working with cisgender heterosexual boys and men. We advocate for thinking about a strategy that is centred around "heterosexual intimacies", in which addressing boys and young men's sexual health and wellbeing is brought together with gendered violence prevention and sexual violence prevention initiatives
Genital fashioning
Female genital fashioning practices, a term encompassing a range of temporary and permanent options for cosmetic genital alteration, are becoming an increasingly prominent part of contemporary beauty regimes. Drawing on a series of 11 small focus groups and 10 interviews with 34 Australian women aged 18–30, this paper explores the ways that cisgender young women negotiate a combination of social pressures, pleasures and influences in their decisi…
Conceptualising the continuum of female genital fashioning practices
Genital fashioning practices, such as Brazilian waxing and female genital cosmetic surgery, have become increasingly prevalent within contemporary western societies. This paper explores the role of genital fashioning in the construction of contemporary femininity. It uses in-depth interviews and focus groups with Australian women aged 18-30 to investigate female genitalia as a site of alteration. Drawing on broader understandings of the body as s…
Mothers’ ideals and experiences of raising children in inner and outer suburban Melbourne, Australia
Parents’ perceptions of their neighbourhoods are important for child health outcomes. This study compared views among mothers in inner versus outer suburbs of Melbourne, Australia using a mixed methods approach. Mothers of preschool-aged children were recruited via playgroups, mother’s groups and preschools and interviewed face-to-face regarding their local area as a good place to raise a family, with a second open-ended interview focussing on mo…
Conceptualising the continuum of female genital fashioning practices
Genital fashioning practices, such as Brazilian waxing and female genital cosmetic surgery, have become increasingly prevalent within contemporary western societies. This paper explores the role of genital fashioning in the construction of contemporary femininity. It uses in-depth interviews and focus groups with Australian women aged 18-30 to investigate female genitalia as a site of alteration. Drawing on broader understandings of the body as s…
Expert Stakeholders’ Perspectives on How Cisgender Heterosexual Boys and Young Men Navigate Sex and Intimacy in Australia
Understanding these gaps is vital for policymakers, content and program creators, and service providers working with cisgender heterosexual boys and men. We advocate for thinking about a strategy that is centred around "heterosexual intimacies", in which addressing boys and young men's sexual health and wellbeing is brought together with gendered violence prevention and sexual violence prevention initiatives
Genital fashioning
Female genital fashioning practices, a term encompassing a range of temporary and permanent options for cosmetic genital alteration, are becoming an increasingly prominent part of contemporary beauty regimes. Drawing on a series of 11 small focus groups and 10 interviews with 34 Australian women aged 18–30, this paper explores the ways that cisgender young women negotiate a combination of social pressures, pleasures and influences in their decisi…
Ethical’ artificial intelligence in the welfare state
In recent years, a discourse of ‘ethical artificial intelligence’ has emerged and gained international traction in response to widely publicised AI failures. In Australia, the discourse around ethical AI does not accord with the reality of AI deployment in the public sector. Drawing on institutional ethnographic approaches, this paper describes the misalignments between how technology is described in government documentation, and how it is deploy…
From access and transparency to refusal
This paper critically engages with key responses to algorithmic governance, including access and inclusion, transparency, and refusal. How can these responses effectively address the harms produced by algorithmic governance
Rethinking Risk in Adults’ Engagement with Sexual Digital Imagery
Introduction Camera-equipped smartphones and other devices allow people to capture and share images directly with others in ways that are spontaneous, instant and relatively inexpensive. Such sharing is a common part of modern sexual intimacies, despite media and educational discourses warning of potential risks. Methods This paper reports on a qualitative study in which we interviewed 23 Australian adults about the ways in which they used with d…
I’m not going anywhere near that
This article explores findings from 23 expert stakeholder interviews on working with cisgender heterosexual men and boys in the fields of gendered violence prevention, relationships and sexuality education (RSE), sexual health, sport, and emotional and mental well-being. It focuses on how organisations and individual consultants navigate political and social tensions when working with boys and young men. Findings from these interviews note severa…
Digital sexual literacy
Introduction Health literacy is defined as the capacity, resources and insight to seek information, ask critical questions and be an advocate for one’s health. Sexual literacy is framed in similar terms, relating to the capacity to navigate emotionally and physically safe sexual encounters and to hold a critical and assertive stance on relationship dynamics, gender and consent. In this paper, we present findings from a qualitative study that expl…
Sex on screens
Frequently referred to as 'sexting' or 'amateur pornography', digital sexual images and videos form an increasingly common part of adult sexual relationships. However, the vocabulary available to speak about these practices is limited, with 'sexting' often associated with young people in negative terms. This study is based on 23 interviews with adults in Australia who are 25 years and older. It explores the language adults employ to discuss and c…
Dude, Come On, Like, Let’s Just Do the Thing
Introduction Notions of effective sexual communication and consent have shifted towards an enthusiastic consent framework. This study explored how young cisgender heterosexual men and women apply these concepts in casual sexual encounters. Methods Six single-gender and mixed gender focus groups of 44 participants were conducted with young cisgender heterosexual men and women living in Australia in 2021. Participants were asked about their dating …
Sex education on the newsfeed
With the increased use of data-driven algorithmic curation of social media content and online advertising, young people are increasingly likely to come across content related to sex, sexuality and relationships that they have not searched for (i.e. non-intentional or incidental exposure). This study sought to explore incidental exposure to content about sex, sexuality and relationships among young people in Australia and considers both the applic…
‘Synced as a couple’
While most research on digital sex toys to date has focussed on their affordances and marketing, or issues of data governance and privacy, research on user experience is limited. This article centres the accounts of 11 interviewees who used digital sex devices within mostly heterosexual relations, and often for remote partnered sex. We demonstrate how digital sex toys offer creative potential and possibilities for sexual pleasure and connection, …
Social Determinants of Health Screening and Remote Intervention for a Pediatric Emergency Department
SDOH needs are common among families utilizing EDs for their children's health care. EDs serving under-resourced rural communities can be leveraged to address SDOH needs, and further research is needed to evaluate their impacts on rural families
Sexual literacy and parents’ confidence to discuss sex and relationships with children and adolescents in Australia
Parents play a fundamental role in educating their children, including younger children and teenagers, about sex and relationships. These conversations often involve complex and sensitive topics, which many parents find challenging due to limited knowledge, low confidence, or discomfort. This study investigated whether parents with higher sexual literacy – defined as the ability to seek and assess information to support sexual wellbeing and commu…
Psychology (11 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Gender Studies (8 works) · Human sexuality (8 works) · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology (8 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Gender, Feminism, and Media (6 works) · Computer Science (5 works) · Developmental psychology (5 works) · Gender Studies (5 works)