Marian Quartly reflects upon historian Jill Roe’s book Searching for the Spirit: Theosophy in Australia, 1879-1939, upon its recent republication. Jill Roe, described on her death as ‘one of Australia’s greatest historians’, is best remembered for her internationally acclaimed biography of … Continue reading
#SaveArtsDegrees: Humanities is the H in HEART
An Australian Women’s History Network roundtable responds to the federal government’s proposed cost increase to degrees in the Humanities. There is much joy to be found in Chaucer Doth Tweet, a Twitter account which pays loving homage to the early modern … Continue reading
What can feminist history do in urgent times?
VIDA blog editors Ana Stevenson and Alana Piper reflect on the June 2020 History Australia forum, “Doing History in Urgent Times.” The editors of a new History Australia forum have poignantly summoned their colleagues to “articulate what this moment demands … Continue reading
Femicide: an intractable history
Mark Finnane, Andy Kaladelfos and Susanne Karstedt explore the long history of femicide and ask why violence against women has not declined. The recent murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children at Camp Hill demonstrate once again the persistence … Continue reading
New Zealand’s Official History of World War II: Where were the Cretan Women?
Martyn Brown revisits New Zealand’s official history of World War II to understand how and why Cretan women have been elided from the historical memory. Beginning in the 1940s, New Zealand undertook a massive post-war project of writing an official … Continue reading
Where the domestic meets the global: Writing the history of assisted reproduction
Vera Mackie, Nicola J. Marks and Sarah Ferber reveal some of the stories that make up the global history of IVF and assisted reproduction. Candice Reed was born on 23 June 1980 in Melbourne. She was conceived through in vitro … Continue reading
The 9000 ‘Sister politicians’ who petitioned Queen Victoria in 1850
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
Political action, feminism and writing personal memoir
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
Doing feminist history: A symposium for emerging historians
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
Gender Violence around the World: Reading List
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