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Newsletter 34: Fall 2002

News from National Committees: Australia

The Australian Network for Research in Women's History met at the Australian Historical Association conference in Brisbane in July. The Mary Montgomerie Bennett Prize for an early career historian for the best article or chapter in any field of women's history, in any journal publication of edited collection, was presented for the second time. The winner was Dr.Victoria Haskins (Flinders University) for 'On the Doorstep:Aboriginal Domestic Service as a "Contact Zone"' published in Australian Feminist Studies volume 16 (34) 2001.

Associate Professor Jill Matthews (ANU) delivered the key note address at the Lilith collective conference 'New Challenges for Feminist History' at the University of Melbourne in July 2002. Some papers from the conference will appear in the Lilith journal, see http://www.history.unimelb.edu.au/lilith/

A very successful international conference was organised in July 2002 by a group of Melbourne postgraduates, mostly from the Monash School of History, on the theme 'Frontlines: Gender, Identity and War'. Keynote speakers included Joanna Bourke (Birbeck University) and Joy Damousi (University of Melbourne). The conference attracted several hundred participants, many from overseas and it successfully showcased the strength of Australasian research in the area of war and gender.

The Melbourne Women's History Group continues to meet monthly, drawing in women historians from all the Melbourne universities. Recent speakers have included Angela Woollacott from Case Western Reserve University USA) and Barbara Brookes from the University of Otago (NZ). The next session will feature authors contributing to the forthcoming issue of the women's history journal Hecate, on the subject of representing gender.

Dr Fiona Paisley convened a work in progress seminar at the Centre for Cross Cultural Research (ANU) in August in honour of the visit of Professor Angela Woollacott.. Papers were given by Angela Woollacott, Desley Deacon, EllenWarne, Fiona Paisley, Sarah Paddle, Renate Howe and Margaret Allen.

Forthcoming: The next conference for the Australian Network for Research in Women's History will be held at Mildura on Sat 27th September 2003. It will be linked with the AHA regional conference which runs from 28th September 2003,. Our day conference will be convened by Associate Professor Diane Kirkby from La Trobe. Paper proposals can be sent to her at diane.kirkby@latrobe.edu.au

Advance notice of Australian Network for Research in Women's History Conference in July 2004 at the University of Newcastle. This will be convened by Lyndall Ryan from University of Newcastle.

Please note that the 20th International Congress of Historical Sciences will be held 3-9 July 2005 in Sydney. The call for papers (due 30th November) is at http://www.theaha.org.au/CISH_Oct_2002.html

-compiled by Margaret Allen