Kiera Lindsey reveals how a petition to Queen Victoria shows that early colonial women were more politically active than is commonly acknowledged. One spring morning in 1850 over eight thousand men and women marched through town — many behind brass … Continue reading
Iola Mathews reflects on the process of writing her memoir of feminist awakening and activism, Winning for Women: A Personal Story. From 1984 to 1994 I was fortunate to work at the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) during the … Continue reading
Michelle Staff reflects on the recent Sydney Feminist History Group symposium for early career researchers and PhD candidates. In 2014, Joy Damousi posed the important question: “Does feminist history have a future?”. In her response, she highlighted the various challenges … Continue reading
To mark the launch of Alana Piper and Ana Stevenson’s edited collection, Gender Violence in Australia: Historical Perspectives (Monash University Publishing, 2019), we compiled a growing list of resources about gender violence around the world. Books Allen, Judith A. Sex and Secrets: Crimes Involving … Continue reading
Sharon Crozier-De Rosa and Vera Mackie explore the complex interconnections between the history of women’s activism and its memorialisation in the twenty-first century. In April 2019, Time Magazine released its annual list of the ‘100 most influential people’. Alongside such leaders … Continue reading
Alecia Simmonds explores how the way women’s bodies smell has been regulated across time. Is there anything more regulated than a woman’s body? Plucked, shaved, waxed, bleached, vajazzled, starved, toned, tanned, botoxed, implanted, pulled up, pushed out and underwired within … Continue reading
‘Who was colonial education for?’ Rebecca Swartz asks, in her new book about education across the British Empire, from South Africa to Western Australia. I have recently come to the end of what feels like a long journey, beginning with the … Continue reading
VIDA blog managing editor Ana Stevenson reflects on the meaning of Women’s History Month, held annually in March, for the UK Women’s History Network blog. In 1972, Ms. Magazine began a “Lost Women” series, dedicated to sharing the histories of women … Continue reading
Shane Greentree finds resonances between Giuseppe Baretti’s didactic text Easy Phraseology for the use of young ladies… (1775) and violent political rhetoric against contemporary women. The republican historian and political philosopher Catharine Macaulay (1731-1791) was among the most discussed women writers of her … Continue reading
The new convenors of the Australian Women’s History Network reflect on the challenges and opportunities for the network in the year ahead. As 2018 drew to a close, responsibility for convening the activities of the Australian Women’s History Network (AWHN) … Continue reading