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y separately published work icon Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science multi chapter work   biography   criticism  
Issue Details: First known date: 2023... 2023 Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'If asked to name an Australian woman scientist from the past, very few could. Let’s change that.

'Histories of Australian science largely overlook women. Their absence gives the impression that, until recently, there were no Australian women scientists. But this is far from true: women formed a much larger proportion of the scientific community from the 1900s to the 1940s in Australia than in Britain or the United States, and numbers have only grown since. Why don’t women scientists make it into history books? Because women’s work is less cited than men’s and more likely to be forgotten.

'Taking to the Field is the first comprehensive history of Australian women in science from the colonial period to contemporary times. This untold story shows that women have played a greater role than is commonly recognised. From the first years of colonisation, women engaged in myriad scientific endeavours, ranging from botany to genetics to organic chemistry. There was a vibrant culture of women in science in the years up to 1945 – as academics, researchers, lab workers, teachers, writers and activists for science-based social reform. They outnumbered men in some fields.

'This is not a straightforward tale of progress or a simple celebration of unsung heroines. Some women were involved in darker episodes of colonial science and eugenics. Few women of colour were given opportunities for scientific exploration. But within these limitations, many remarkable individuals illuminated our understanding of the world. From the first female science graduate, Edith Dornwell, to Nobel laureate molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn, Australian women have had an outsized influence. The botanical collection of Western Australian Georgina Molloy, the discoveries of Tasmanian-born molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn and the research of Melbourne zoologist Georgina Sweet all tell a story: how Australian women in science have transformed the world.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Clayton, Murrumbeena - Oakleigh - Springvale area, Melbourne South East, Melbourne, Victoria,: Monash University Publishing , 2023 .
      image of person or book cover 1913520603977049096.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 336p.
      Note/s:
      •  Published February 2023

      ISBN: 9781925835410

Other Formats

  • Large print.
  • Braille.

Works about this Work

Prevailing Passions Jessica White , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , February 2024;

— Review of Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Jane Carey , 2023 multi chapter work biography criticism

'Georgiana Molloy, one of the first wadjelas (white people) to encroach on Wardandi Noongar country in the nineteenth century, collected seeds and specimens for Captain James Mangles, a botanical connoisseur living in London. In 1840 she wrote to him, ‘I discovered a plant I have been almost panting for, a very small neat white blossom, on a furze looking Bush’. Molloy’s use of the verb ‘panting’ indicates the depths of her obsessive acquisitiveness, which was informed by a nexus of loneliness, boredom, and her ‘prevailing passion for Flowers’ (as she described it in another letter of 1840), as well as the wider colonial project of collecting.'  (Introduction)  

[Review] Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Claire Hooker , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Historical Studies , vol. 55 no. 1 2024; (p. 219-220)

— Review of Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Jane Carey , 2023 multi chapter work biography criticism

'What a delight it was to read Jane Carey’s newly published history of women scientists in Australia. There is great satisfaction in seeing renewed attention directed towards this topic and the important, and delightful, women at its centre.' (Introduction)

The Book Corner : A History of Australian Women in Science Andrew Hamilton , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 17 April vol. 33 no. 7 2023;

— Review of Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Jane Carey , 2023 multi chapter work biography criticism

'Taking to the Field highlights overlooked women who made noteworthy contributions to science in Australia, despite gender-based limitations. This thought-provoking book delves into the complexities of gender and science, revealing a more nuanced and diverse history than previously assumed.'(Introduction)

Prejudice, Poor Pay and the ‘Urinary Leash’ : Naming and Claiming Australia’s Forgotten Women Scientists Alice Gorman , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 9 February 2023;

— Review of Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Jane Carey , 2023 multi chapter work biography criticism

'Jane Carey’s new book Taking to the Field explores a paradox: women have been excluded from Australian science for many social and political reasons, but were also present and active within it from its earliest days. It’s a story of extraordinary achievements as well as struggles to gain recognition and fair treatment.'

Prejudice, Poor Pay and the ‘Urinary Leash’ : Naming and Claiming Australia’s Forgotten Women Scientists Alice Gorman , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 9 February 2023;

— Review of Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Jane Carey , 2023 multi chapter work biography criticism

'Jane Carey’s new book Taking to the Field explores a paradox: women have been excluded from Australian science for many social and political reasons, but were also present and active within it from its earliest days. It’s a story of extraordinary achievements as well as struggles to gain recognition and fair treatment.'

The Book Corner : A History of Australian Women in Science Andrew Hamilton , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 17 April vol. 33 no. 7 2023;

— Review of Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Jane Carey , 2023 multi chapter work biography criticism

'Taking to the Field highlights overlooked women who made noteworthy contributions to science in Australia, despite gender-based limitations. This thought-provoking book delves into the complexities of gender and science, revealing a more nuanced and diverse history than previously assumed.'(Introduction)

[Review] Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Claire Hooker , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Historical Studies , vol. 55 no. 1 2024; (p. 219-220)

— Review of Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Jane Carey , 2023 multi chapter work biography criticism

'What a delight it was to read Jane Carey’s newly published history of women scientists in Australia. There is great satisfaction in seeing renewed attention directed towards this topic and the important, and delightful, women at its centre.' (Introduction)

Prevailing Passions Jessica White , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , February 2024;

— Review of Taking to the Field : A History of Australian Women in Science Jane Carey , 2023 multi chapter work biography criticism

'Georgiana Molloy, one of the first wadjelas (white people) to encroach on Wardandi Noongar country in the nineteenth century, collected seeds and specimens for Captain James Mangles, a botanical connoisseur living in London. In 1840 she wrote to him, ‘I discovered a plant I have been almost panting for, a very small neat white blossom, on a furze looking Bush’. Molloy’s use of the verb ‘panting’ indicates the depths of her obsessive acquisitiveness, which was informed by a nexus of loneliness, boredom, and her ‘prevailing passion for Flowers’ (as she described it in another letter of 1840), as well as the wider colonial project of collecting.'  (Introduction)  

Last amended 6 Apr 2023 12:53:47
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