published works

Dr Rachael Gunn’s work has been published across leading books and journals in media and cultural studies, popular music studies, and hip hop studies. Her research also extends beyond academia, with the goal of making an impact in the broader community.

With support from the City of Sydney, Rachael led a project to improve access and conditions for street dancers in public spaces. She was also invited to contribute expert commentary on Breaking’s Olympic debut to The Economist and The Conversation. She continues to research and write, with several new projects currently in development.

Report

Spaces for Street Dance

Gunn, R. & Shaheen, F. 2024. Commissioned by the City of Sydney.

INFormed commentary

journal articles

(LATEST)

Australia

Saunders, G. L. & Gunn, R., 2023, Global Hip Hop Studies. 3, 1-2, p. 23-32.

The Australian breaking scene and the Olympic Games: the possibilities and politics of sportification

Gunn, R. & Marie, L., 2023, Global Hip Hop Studies. 4, 1, p. 39-56.

Where the #bgirls at? Politics of (in)visibility in breaking culture

Gunn, R., 2022, Feminist Media Studies. 22, 6, p. 1447-1462.

Dancing away distinction: queering hip hop culture through all style battles

Gunn, R., 2019, Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture. 4, 1, p. 13-26.

"Don't Worry, it's Just a Girl!": negotiating and challenging gendered assumptions in Sydney's breakdancing scene

Gunn, R., 2016, Journal of World Popular Music. 3, 1, p. 54-74.

The 'systems of relay' in doing cultural studies: Experimenting with the Body without Organs in b-girling practice

Gunn, R., 2016, Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies. 30, 2, p. 183-194.

editorials

Dance and Protest Special Issue Editorial

Gunn, R., Aprahamian, S., Park, M. & Bell, S., 2023, IASPM Journal: journal of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music. 13, 2, p. 1-1111.

Queer contexts in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand

Hoad, C. & Gunn, R., 2019, Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture. 4, 1, p. 3-12.

Book Chapters

"In a good way there's no beef, but the bad thing is there's no beef": Tensions and changing cultural politics in Sydney's breaking scene

Gunn, R., 2025, Representing hip hop histories, politics and practices in Australia. Dowsett, S., Marie, L., Rodger, D. & Saunders, G. L. (eds.). London; New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, p. 191-207.

Nafada: industrial, hip-hop, and the diasporic condition

Gunn, R., Khamis, S. & Collins, S., 2022, Bodies, noise and power in industrial music. Whittaker, J. & Potter, E. (eds.). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 37-54.

Nocturnal paradox: how breakdancing reveals the potentials of the night

Gunn, R., 2019, Nocturnes: popular music and the night. Stahl, G. & Bottà, G. (eds.). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 147-162.

Creative Work