As Professor of History at Griffith University, Fiona Paisley specializes in transnational approaches to settler colonial histories. Her work consistently examines:
Successful pitches should:
"Historical analysis must account for both the radical possibilities and constrained realities of cross-cultural collaboration." - From Glamour in the Pacific
Fiona Paisley's intellectual journey began at Monash University, where she earned her BA in History (1980) before transitioning into education. Her early career as a high school teacher (1982-1987) laid the foundation for her later academic focus on pedagogy and social justice. The shift to academia gained momentum through her PhD at La Trobe University (1995), supervised by renowned historian Marilyn Lake, which examined white women's activism in Aboriginal policy reform.
Key career phases include:
This 2012 biography reconstructs the life of Aboriginal activist Anthony Martin Fernando, one of the first Indigenous Australians to protest in Europe. Paisley's forensic archival work traces Fernando's 40-year campaign across London, Rome, and Geneva, revealing how he weaponized imperial networks against colonialism itself. The book's significance lies in its methodology - combining material culture analysis (Fernando's protest placards) with diplomatic correspondence to map Indigenous resistance routes excluded from traditional archives. Shortlisted for the Ernest Scott Prize, it established Paisley as a pioneer in biographical approaches to colonial counter-narratives.
In this 2009 work, Paisley deconstructs the Pan-Pacific Women's Association (1928-1937) as a site of competing modernities. Through conference proceedings and personal diaries, she reveals how white Australian delegates used "glamour" as both aesthetic strategy and political shield during debates on racial equality. The monograph's impact stems from its innovative use of fashion photography and travelogues as historical sources, demonstrating how performative femininity mediated colonial power dynamics. This work remains foundational in studies of feminist internationalism.
Paisley's 2016 journal article examines education reformer Janet Mitchell's work with the Australian Institute of International Affairs. Through previously unstudied field reports from Papua New Guinea, the analysis shows how liberal internationalists co-opted Indigenous education to modernize colonial governance. This piece exemplifies Paisley's ability to link microhistories to macro-political trends, particularly the tension between humanitarian rhetoric and settler colonial realities.
Paisley consistently prioritizes methodologies that decentralize colonial archives. Successful pitches should propose projects examining how marginalized communities documented their own histories through alternative mediums - oral traditions, material artifacts, or transnational correspondence networks. Her work on Fernando's protest objects demonstrates particular interest in everyday items as political texts.
As shown in her analysis of the Pan-Pacific Women's Association, Paisley engages critically with well-intentioned historical actors whose progressive ideals masked colonial continuities. Pitches could explore contemporary parallels in international development or cultural exchange programs, provided they maintain rigorous historical framing and primary source foundations.
Her recent ARC project on "everyday internationalism" seeks connections between Australian activists and Asian/African anti-colonial movements. Relevant pitches might examine understudied collaborations between suffragists and Indigenous leaders, or recover lost narratives of women-of-color delegates in international conferences pre-1950.
Awarded by the Australian Historical Association for The Lone Protestor, this prize recognizes Paisley's groundbreaking work in Indigenous biographical historiography. The medal holds particular prestige in Australian academia for bridging scholarly and public history.
Her consistent success in securing Australia's premier research funding demonstrates methodological rigor and thematic relevance. Current projects on anti-slavery discourses continue reshaping understandings of humanitarianism's colonial entanglements.
This lifetime achievement recognition underscores Paisley's contributions to interdisciplinary historical research, particularly her integration of cultural studies and postcolonial theory into mainstream historiography.
The Lone Protestor: AM Fernando in Australia and Europe
Glamour in the Pacific: Cultural Internationalism and Race Politics in the Women’s Pan-Pacific
The Spoils of Opportunity: Janet Mitchell and Australian Internationalism in the Interwar Pacific
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