Judith Smart (born 20 October 1950) is an Australian social historian and feminist.

Early life and education

Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

, Victoria on 20 October 1950, Smart completed her secondary education at Mac.Robertson Girls' High School. She graduated from

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

with a BA (1971) and DipEd (1972). Returning to Monash she completed a PhD with the title "War and the concept of a new social order: Melbourne 1914–1915" in 1992.

Career

On graduation, Smart spent 1973 teaching at Sandringham Technical School. The following year she joined Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (now

RMIT University RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public university, public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering cla ...

), over the years rising to associate professor in 2003. Smart retired in 2005 but continued her association with RMIT University initially as adjunct professor and later honorary associate professor. From 2005 to 2015 she was a principal fellow in the Australian Centre at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

. Smart served as editor of the '' Victorian Historical Journal'' from 2004 to 2009 and co-editor from 2017. She was a member of the council of the

Royal Historical Society of Victoria The Royal Historical Society of Victoria is a community organisation promoting the history of the state of Victoria, Australia. It functions to promote and research the history of that state after settlement, and as an umbrella organisation fo ...

from 2007 to 2017 and was elected a fellow in 2012. Smart has served on the executive committee of the History Council of Victoria since 2009, including as deputy chair from 2010 to 2019. With

Shurlee Swain Shurlee Lesley Swain, (born 1948) is an Australian social welfare historian, researcher and author. Since August 2017 she has been an Emeritus Professor at the Australian Catholic University (ACU). Early life and education Swain was born in 19 ...

, Smart is co-editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Women & Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia''. She has also been involved on the committee of Her Place Women's Museum. Smart was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian ...

in the

2020 Australia Day Honours The 2020 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2020 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley. The Austral ...

for " significant service to education, to social research, and to women". For the Australian Dictionary of Biography she was a member of the Victorian Working Party from 1979 and advised on women's entries from 1989. She has contributed a number of biographies, including women's activists Sarah Jane Baines, Elizabeth Couchman and Elizabeth Britomarte James.

Works

* ''The Forgotten Fifties: Aspects of Australian society and culture in the 1950s'', co-edited with John Murphy (1997) *''Consumer Australia: Historical Perspectives'', co-edited with Robert Crawford and Kim Humphery (2011) * ''Founders, Firsts and Feminists: Women Leaders in Twentieth-century Australia'', co-edited with Fiona Davis and Nell Musgrove (2011) *''Respectable Radicals: A history of the National Council of Women Australia, 1896–2006'', co-authored with Marian Quartly *''Remembering Melbourne 1850–1960,'' co-authored with Richard Broome, Richard Barnden, Don Garden, Don Gibb and Elisabeth Jackson (2016) *''From the Margins to the Mainstream: The Domestic Violence Services Movement in Victoria, Australia, 1974–2016'', co-authored with Jacqui Theobald and Suellen Murray (2017) * ''Contesting Australian History: Essays in Honour of Marilyn Lake'', co-edited with Joy Damousi (2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, Judith 1950 births Living people Monash University alumni Academic staff of RMIT University Members of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian historians 21st-century Australian historians Australian women academics Academics from Melbourne People educated at Mac.Robertson Girls' High School