Ann Curthoys grew up in Newcastle. She is Manning Clark Professor of History at the Australian National University and an ARC Professional Fellow. She has written about many aspects of Australian history, including Aboriginal-European relations, racially restrictive immigration policies, Chinese in colonial Australia, journalism, television, and 'second wave' feminism.
In 2019, her Taking Liberty: Indigenous Rights and Settler Self-government in Colonial Australia, 1830-1890 (with Jessie Mitchell) was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's History Award.
Sources include Making Australian History : Perspectives on the Past since 1788.