Internationally distinguished historians Professor Susan Broomhall FAHA and Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick FAHA are set to embark on new leadership roles in Australian Catholic University’s (ACU) recently established Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences.
The pair joins Professor Joy Damousi FASSA FAHA, who was appointed Director of the institute last January, to form a triumvirate of award-winning leaders guiding the institute’s three research centres.
Professor Broomhall is Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and was previously Co-Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions.
An early modern scholar of gender and emotions, she will head the institute’s Gender and Women’s History Research Centre.
Professor Fitzpatrick, an expert in modern Russian history, is Bernadotte E. Schmitt Distinguished Service Professor Emerita at University of Chicago.
Her contribution to the field of Soviet history, particularly the Stalinist era, has been recognised by a Mellon Foundation Distinguished Achievement Award and the American Historical Association’s Award for Scholarly Distinction.
She served as President of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (formerly AAASS), and Fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Professor Joy Damousi, the Director of the Research Centre for Refugees, Migration and Humanitarian Studies, said that the University is “deeply honoured” to welcome the renowned educators to the new Institute.
“Professors Broomhall and Fitzpatrick are eminent and distinguished historians of the highest standing who will bring a vast depth of knowledge and expertise to the Institute and to ACU more broadly,” she said.
Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Greg Craven AO GCSG was also thrilled with the acquisitions.
He said the appointments of Professors Broomhall and Fitzpatrick showed “ACU is establishing a formidable team of historians in the Institute” with Professor Damousi, who will also lead the Centre for Refugees, Migration and Humanitarian Studies.