Dr Joshua Kalemba is a Lecturer in Youth Work in the School of Social Sciences at Western Sydney University (WSU). Joshua obtained his PhD in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Newcastle in 2021. His PhD thesis explored the experiences of migrant Black African youth (18-30) in de-industrialising Newcastle, focusing on their pre-migration and post-migration experiences, particularly their experiences of looking for, finding work, and being in the workplace, and how these experiences impact their sense of belonging to place.

Joshua is passionate about researching how categories of difference are perceived and lived, and the implications for young people assigned such differences in relation to work. His research explores these themes in relation to processes associated with mobility, racialisation, coloniality, migration, education, belonging and future aspirations. Currently, Joshua is researching young racialised migrants’ experiences of engaging in digitally mediated gig work in Australia, as well as the experiences of young African international students in westernised universities in Australia.

Joshua has worked in various roles and industries focusing on young people. He has been a Specialist Homelessness Service Youth Caseworker, a Senior Research and Insights Officer, and held other roles in the youth sector, particularly in the out-of-home care space. In academia, prior to joining WSU, Joshua was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and an Associate Lecturer in Sociology at Flinders University.