Taking to the Field (Jane Carey, Monash University Publishing)

The most surprising thing to be found in a book about the history of women in science—for the author, as well as the reader—is the fact that the field has not been as male-dominated as many of us might assume. In Taking to the Field Jane Carey dives deep into the histories of famous and not-so-famous Australian names from the 19th century to the present day. The field of botany—which was seen as an ‘appropriate’ science in which women might flourish—appears to have been teeming with women identifying and sketching plants (although not giving themselves the credit of having contributed research). We read about the ‘maverick anthropologist’ Daisy Bates, and learn how Georgia Sweet become Australia’s first associate professor in the late 1890s in the field of parasitology. While the results of Carey’s historical survey might be unexpected, they are also, in certain respects, not so surprising. Taking to the Field is a story of misogyny and lack of recognition in the face of traditional ‘understandings’ of women’s abilities. It is also a story of racism: many white women were at the forefront of the pseudoscience of eugenics (women were heavily involved in programs supporting the poisonous White Australia policy, as it was often seen as relating to the realm of the family). This is a surprising, confronting and empowering book that scans the scientific contributions—both good and bad—of women throughout the past few centuries.

Rebecca Whitehead is a freelance writer from Melbourne. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews