Top humanities honour for Griffith historian

Internationally-renowned historian, Professor Fiona Paisley, has been elected to the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the highest honour for humanities achievement in Australia.

Professor Fiona Paisley

Professor Paisley, one of 28 newly-elected Fellows, has been recognised for her distinguished scholarship on thehistory of human rights, race, gender and colonialism.

“It’s an absolute delight to be welcomed by this inspiring community ofhumanities scholars. I’mhonoured to be one of theAcademy of Humanities fellows elected in 2018,” she said.

President of the Academy,Professor Joy Damousi FASSA FAHAcongratulated all newly elected Fellows, recognising their exceptional contribution to the humanities and arts in Australia and internationally:

“The work of the humanities is central to our culture, to our identity and to our future. Understanding the histories, heritages, languages and cultures of our own people, and of those around the world, will enable Australia to thrive in an ever changing and dynamic world.”

Professor Paisley is Professor of History in the School of Humanities, languages and Social Science. She is an internationally-recognised cultural historian of human rights, race, gender and colonialism in and beyond Australia. Her work on a variety of activists for Indigenous rights and on women’s contributions to rights campaigns and cross-cultural dialogue in Australia and the Pacific, has been central to the development of transnational, feminist and postcolonial history in Australia over the past 20 years.