Patricia Ann Grimshaw, (born 16 December 1938) is a retired Australian

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

who specialised in women's and

Indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

' history. One of her most influential works is ''Women's Suffrage in New Zealand'', first published in 1972, which is considered the definitive work on the story of how New Zealand became the first country in the world to give women the vote.

Background, education and early career

Grimshaw was born on 16 December 1938, to a working-class family in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. She studied at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1960 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA) in 1963. Her MA thesis on women's suffrage was later published as ''Women's Suffrage in New Zealand'' in 1972, and republished in 1975 and 1987. The book became a best-seller in New Zealand in 1972, and continues to be regarded as the definitive work on the story of the New Zealand women's suffrage campaign. In 1965, Grimshaw and her husband moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and Grimshaw began her doctoral studies at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

with

Greg Dening Gregory Moore Dening (29 March 1931 – 13 March 2008) was an Australian historian of the Pacific. Dening was born in Newcastle, New South Wales. He was educated at two Jesuit schools: St. Louis School in Perth and Xavier College in Melbourne. ...

and

Inga Clendinnen Inga Vivienne Clendinnen, (; 17 August 1934 – 8 September 2016) was an Australian author, historian, anthropologist, and academic. Her work focused on social history, and the history of cultural encounters. She was an authority on Aztec civili ...

. She completed her PhD in 1987, and two years later published her thesis as ''Paths of Duty: American Missionary Wives in Nineteenth-Century Hawaii.'' This work was the first to consider wives of missionaries as active participants in the colonisation process.

Career

In 1977, Grimshaw joined the Department of History at the

as a lecturer in

women's history Women's history is the study of the role that Woman, women have played in history and Historiography, the methods required to do so. It includes the study of the history of the growth of woman's rights, women's rights throughout recorded history, ...

. Two years later she began teaching a course on women's history, which then developed into a centre for women's history. During her career she supervised approximately one hundred thesis writers in women's history, and then engaged her students in collaborative research after they had graduated, thus substantially expanding the field of women's history. In 1992, Grimshaw became a Fellow of the

Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) is an independent, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It has its origins in the Social Science Research Council of Aus ...

and, in 1997, a Fellow of the

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australi ...

. From 1995 to 2000, Grimshaw was president of the International Federation for Research in Women's History, an organisation that she had co-founded. In 1993, Grimshaw was named

Max Crawford Raymond Maxwell Crawford (6 August 1906–24 November 1991), was a leading Australian historian. He was Professor of History at the University of Melbourne from 1937 to 1970. Life and career Crawford was born in Grenfell, New South Wales, ...

Professor of History and held this position until her retirement in 2006. In 2003, she was president of the editorial board of the leading historical journal ''

Australian Historical Studies ''Australian Historical Studies'', formerly known as ''Historical Studies: Australia and New Zealand'' (1940–1967) and ''Historical Studies'' (1967–1987), is one of the oldest historical journals in Australia. It is regarded as the countr ...

'', with

Joy Damousi Joy Damousi, is an Australian historian and Dean of Arts, Professor and Director of the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences at Australian Catholic University. She was Professor of History in the School of Historical and Philosophical St ...

as editor. Since her retirement, she holds the title Emeritus Professor of History, and continues to work on historical projects such as ''The Australian Women's Register'', and to deliver lectures at community events such as

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

. From 2006 to 2010, she was a member of the Committee of the National Foundation for Australian Women.

Awards

University of Melbourne Award Bronze Plaque Patricia Grimshaw

In March 2008, Grimshaw was inducted onto the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria. It was launched by The Hon. Joan Kirner AC as a joint initiative of the Centenary of Federation Victoria Comm ...

, for pioneering women’s history. In 2017 Grimshaw was awarded the University of Melbourne Award, which "recognises those individuals who have made an outstanding and enduring contribution to the University and its scholarly community". A bronze plaque honouring her is on the wall along the Professors' Walk at the Parkville campus of the university. In 2017 Grimshaw was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

for distinguished service to the social sciences and to the humanities through researching, documenting and preserving Australian history, and the roles of women in society.

Legacy

The Patricia Grimshaw Awards for Mentor Excellence are awarded annually to staff at the University of Melbourne to recognise mentoring skills and behaviours. It was launched by the university in March 2008 "to honour her contribution as a mentor of postgraduate students and younger colleagues".

References

External links