Women’s Studies/Science and Technology
Book Details

Irresistible Forces

Australian Women in Science

Claire Hooker

Women have played a significant role in Australian science since the early days of colonial settlement.

Opinion

“Irresistible Forces tracks the lives and careers of dozens of Australian women scientists and turns up some lively stories of women who were pioneers in their fields.”
(Diane Stubbings, The Canberra Times, 27/11/04)

“A suite of such imaginative researchers are celebrated Claire Hooker’s Irresistible Forces.”
(Ashley Hay, Bulletin with Newsweek, 3/5/05)

About this Title

‘The popular version of the history of Australian science would leave anyone with the impression that there were virtually no women in it. I soon found out that this was wrong.’

Women scientists, from colonial collectors, amateur geologists, and pioneer ecologists, have left their mark on the development of science as well as the advancement of women in Australia.

In this engaging and exhaustively researched book, Claire Hooker describes the courageous cast of characters who have contributed to diverse fields from palaeontology to medicine. Providing fascinating insights into the ways in which women have been able to create careers in a predominantly male domain, Hooker brings to life the stories of women scientists’ experiences, from colonial times to today, when many are leaders in their fields. Inspiring, insightful, and full of ‘ripping yarns’, Irresistible Forces is a map of women’s contributions to science in the past and a chart of where it might go in the future.

Claire Hooker is an historian of public health, medicine and science. In addition to Australian science, Dr Hooker has researched the history of infectious disease control, pasteurisation and immunisation, and health advertising in Australia. Her current work is a political history of tobacco control.

About the Author

‘The popular version of the history of Australian science would leave anyone with the impression that there were virtually no women in it. I soon found out that this was wrong.’

Women scientists, from colonial collectors, amateur geologists, and pioneer ecologists, have left their mark on the development of science as well as the advancement of women in Australia.

In this engaging and exhaustively researched book, Claire Hooker describes the courageous cast of characters who have contributed to diverse fields from palaeontology to medicine. Providing fascinating insights into the ways in which women have been able to create careers in a predominantly male domain, Hooker brings to life the stories of women scientists’ experiences, from colonial times to today, when many are leaders in their fields. Inspiring, insightful, and full of ‘ripping yarns’, Irresistible Forces is a map of women’s contributions to science in the past and a chart of where it might go in the future.

Claire Hooker is an historian of public health, medicine and science. In addition to Australian science, Dr Hooker has researched the history of infectious disease control, pasteurisation and immunisation, and health advertising in Australia. Her current work is a political history of tobacco control.

Book Preview

978-0-522-85107-6