Academy Fellow

Helen Irving was appointed to Sydney Law School in 2001 and was awarded the title of Professor Emerita at Sydney University after her retirement in 2021. Previously, she taught political science at Macquarie University and the University of Technology, Sydney. She has held visiting positions at universities overseas, including Hong Kong University, Harvard University (with the Harvard Chair of Australian Studies); the LSE, and the European University Institute (as a Fernand Braudel Senior Visiting Scholar). Her research includes Australian and United States constitutional law and history; constitutional citizenship; comparative constitutional design and gender; the use of history in constitutional interpretation, and models of judicial review. She has held ARC grants since 1994, and has just completed a three-year ARC Discovery Grant project on constitutional citizenship and allegiance. In 2020 she was awarded a three-year ARC Special Research Initiative grant (with Elisa Arcioni and Rayner Thwaites) on Citizenship and Claims of Belonging in Australian Law and History.

Associations

Member, Australian Association of Constitutional Law

Fellow, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia

Fellow, Academy of Australian Law

Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales

Awards and Honours

2013 Elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia

2012 University of Sydney, Law School Award for Excellence in Teaching

2008, Delegate, Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit

2005-2006, Harvard Chair of Australian Studies

2003, Centenary Medal

1995, Australian Political Science Association, Women and Politics essay prize

2001, Finalist, NSW Premier’s Centenary History Award, for Irving (ed), The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation (CUP 1999)

1998, Honourable mention, Centre for Australian Cultural Studies Book Award, for To Constitute a Nation (CUP 1997)

1996, Manning Clark essay prize, Evatt Foundation

1995, Women and Politics essay prize, Australian Association of Political Science.

Publications

Books

• Irving H. (under contract) Allegiance and the Citizen: The Paradox of Belonging (Edward Elgar Publishing).
• Irving, H. (2016). Citizenship, Alienage, and the Modern Constitutional State: A Gendered History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
• Ross, S., Irving, H., Klug, H. (2014). Comparative Constitutional Law: A Contextual Approach. United States: LexisNexis.
• Irving, H. (2008). Gender and the Constitution: Equity and Agency in Comparative Constitutional Design. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (2004). Five Things To Know About The Australian Constitution. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (1997/1999). To Constitute a Nation: A Cultural History of Australia's Constitution. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Edited Books

• Rubio-Marin, R., Irving, H. (2019). Women as Constitution-Makers: Case Studies from the New Democratic Era. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (2017). Constitutions and Gender. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Irving, H., Mowbray, J., Walton, K. (2010). Julius Stone: A Study in Influence. Sydney: The Federation Press.
• Irving, H., Macintyre, S. (2001). No Ordinary Act : Essays on Federation and the Constitution by J.A. La Nauze. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
• Irving, H. (2001). Unity and diversity : a national conversation : Barton lectures. Australia: ABC Books.
• Irving, H. (1999). The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (1996). A Woman's Constitution?: Gender and History in the Australian Commonwealth. Australia: Hale and Iremonger.

Journal Articles

• Irving, H., (2021) 'More Than a Mere Piece of Paper: Citizenship, Character and Allegiance in Australian Law' Public Law Review (in press).
• Thwaites, R., Irving, H. (2020). Allegiance, Foreign Citizenship and the Constitutional Right to Stand for Parliament. Federal Law Review, 48(3), 299-323.
• Irving, H. (2019). The Concept of Allegiance in Citizenship Law and Revocation: an Australian Study. Citizenship Studies, 23(4), 372-387. 
• Irving, H., Thwaites, R. (2015). Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill 2015 (Cth). Public Law Review, 26(3), 143-149.
• Irving, H. (2015). Outsourcing the Law: History and the Disciplinary Limits of Constitutional Reasoning. Fordham Law Review, 84(3), 957-967.
• Irving, H. (2015). Pulling the Trigger: The 1914 Double Dissolution Election and Its Legacy. Papers on Parliament, 63, 23-42.
• Irving, H. (2014). State Jurisdictional Residue: What Remains to a State Court When its Chapter III Functions are Exhausted? Federal Law Review, 42(1), 121-142.
• Irving, H. (2014). The Over-rated Mr Clark?: Putting Andrew Inglis Clark's Contribution to the Constitution into Perspective. Papers on Parliament, 61, 73-80. 
• Irving, H. (2013). Constitutional Interpretation, the High Court, and the Discipline of History. Federal Law Review, 41(1), 95-126.
• Irving, H. (2012). Where Have All The Women Gone? Gender And The Literature On Constitutional Design. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, 4(2), 89-115.
• Irving, H. (2010). The Dilemmas in Dialogue: A Constitutional Analysis of the NHRC's Proposed Human Rights Act. UNSW Law Journal, 33(1), 60-87.
• Irving, H. (2009). A nation built on words: the constitution and national identity in America and Australia. Journal of Australian Studies, 33(2), 211-225. 
• Irving, H. (2008). Still Call Australia Home: The Constitution and the Citizen's Right of Abode. Sydney Law Review, 30(1), 133-153.
• Irving, H. (2007). Federalism is a Feminist Issue: What Australians Can Learn From the United States Commerce Clause. Adelaide Law Review, 28(1 and 2), 159-176.
• Irving, H. (2007). The High Court Fails History in Thomas. Law Society Journal, 45(8), 54-55.
• Irving, H. (2005). Changing law by parliament. Legaldate, 17(1), 1-3.
• Irving, H. (2004). Advisory Opinions, The Rule Of Law And The Separation Of Powers. Macquarie Law Journal, 4, 105-134.
• Irving, H. (2003). An Australian Republic: This year, next year, sometime, never? Inroads: a journal of opinion, 12, 106-117.
• Irving, H. (2002). An Historical Reflection on Refugees in Australia. Immigration Review, 3, 11-14.
• Irving, H. (2002). How the nibble became a bite: What was the cause of federation? Tasmanian Historical Studies, 8(1), 18-24.
• Irving, H. (2002). How Well Does the Compact Fit?: A Critique of the New Constitutional Grundnorm in the Light of History and Theory. Griffith Law Review, 11(2), 408-435.
• Irving, H. (2002). Original Intent? The Founding Fathers at the 1927 Royal Commission on the Constitution. New Federalist, 8.
• Irving, H. (2002). Review: Allen, TRS, "Constitutional Justice: A Liberal Theory of the Rule of Law". Sydney Law Review, 24(3), 449-452.
• Irving, H. (2001). One Hundred Years of (almost) Solitude: The Evolution of Australian Citizenship. Papers on Parliament, 37, 41-55.
• Irving, H. (2001). The Commonwealth Constitution 1900-2000. New Federalist, 7, 3-8.
• Irving, H. (2001). Women of the West and How They Won. New Federalist, 6.
• Irving, H. (2000). The Republic Referendum of 6 November 1999. Australian Journal of Political Science, 35(1), 111-115.
• Irving, H., Williams, J. (1999). "The Best Fitted, with the Greatest Right": Sydney as the Federal Capital. The New Federalist: The Journal of Australian Federation History, 3, 14-21.
• Irving, H. (1998). Old Familiar Hacks, Just When They're Needed: The New South Wales Delegation. The New Federalist: The Journal of Australian Federation History, 1.
• Irving, H. (1998). Referendums in the Air: NSW in June, 1898. The New Federalist: The Journal of Australian Federation History, 2.
• Irving, H. (1996). Equal Opportunity, Equal Representation and Equal Rights?: What Republicanism Offers to Australian Women. Australian Journal of Political Science, 31(1), 37-50. 
• Irving, H. (1996). The Republic is a Feminist Issue. Feminist Review, 52, 87-101.
• Irving, H. (1994). A Gendered Constitution?: Women, Federation and Heads of Power. University of Western Australia Law Review, 24(2), 186-198.
• Irving, H. (1991). Little Elves and Mind Control: Advertising and its Critics. Continuum, 4(2), 98-111. 
• Irving, H. (1988). The Romance of Nature. Arena Journal, 84.
• Irving, H. (1986). Guilds, corporations and socialist theory. Economy and Society, 15(1), 123-144.

Chapters

• Rubio-Marin, R., Irving, H. (2019). Introduction - Women as Constitution Makers: The Promises and the Challenges of Participation. In Ruth Rubio-Marin, Helen Irving (eds.), Women as Constitution-Makers: Case Studies from the New Democratic Era, (pp. 1-30). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (2018). Through the lens of an encyclopedia. In James Stellios (ed.), Encounters with Constitutional Interpretation and Legal Education, (pp. 146-151). Annandale: The Federation Press.
• Irving, H. (2017). Citizenship and nationality. In Helen Irving (ed.), Constitutions and Gender, (pp. 387-409). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Irving, H. (2017). Introduction. In Helen Irving (eds), Constitutions and Gender, (pp. 1-15). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Irving, H. (2015). The Dixon Court. In Rosalind Dixon, George Williams (eds.), The High Court, the Constitution and Australian Politics, (pp. 179-200). Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (2013). Amending the Constitution: Achieving the Democratic Republic. In Benjamin T Jones and Mark McKenna (eds.), Project Republic: Plans and Arguments for a New Australia, (pp. 155-165). Melbourne: Black Inc.
• Irving, H. (2013). Autonomies of scale: Precarious self-government on Norfolk Island. In Yash Ghai, Sophia Woodman (eds.), Practising Self-Government: A Comparative Study of Autonomous Regions, (pp. 200-227). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (2013). Making the federal Commonwealth, 1890-1901. In Alison Bashford, Stuart Macintyre (eds.), The Cambridge History of Australia: Volume 1: Indigenous and Colonial Australia, (pp. 242-266). New York: Cambridge University Press. 
• Irving, H. (2011). Drafting, design and gender. In T Ginsburg and R Dixon (eds.), Comparative Constitutional Law, (pp. 19-37). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Irving, H. (2009). A Legal Perspective on Bills of Rights. In Julian Leeser and Ryan Haddrick (eds.), Don't Leave Us With the Bill: The Case Against an Australian Bill of Rights, (pp. 169-182). Australia: Menzies Research Centre.
• Irving, H. (2009). Australia. In Thiel, Markus (ed.), The Militant Democracy Principle in Modern Democracies, (pp. 15-36). United Kingdom: Ashgate.
• Irving, H. (2009). More Than Rights. In Williams, Susan (ed.), Constituting Equality: Gender Equality and Comparative Constitutive Law, (pp. 75-92). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (2009). The Constitution and the Judiciary. In Rhodes, R. A. W. (ed.), The Australian Study of Politics, (pp. 107-118). London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. 
• Irving, H. (2007). Citizenship, Statehood and Allegiance. In Nicholas Brown and Linda Cardinal (eds.), Managing Diversity: Practices of Citizenship, (pp. 37-67). Ottowa: Ottowa University Press.
• Irving, H. (2007). The Constitution. In Brian Galligan and Winsome Roberts (eds.), The Oxford Companion to Australian Politics, (pp. 128-131). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.
• Irving, H. (2006). Rights and Citizenship in Law and Public Discourse. In Tom Campbell, Jeffrey Goldsworthy & Adrienne Stone (eds.), Protecting Rights Without a Bill of Rights: Institutional Performance and Reform in Australia, (pp. 161-174). Ashgate.
• Irving, H. (2006). What If Federation had Failed in 1900? In S Macintyre & S Scalmer (eds.), What If? Australian History as it Might Have Been, (pp. 44-66). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
• Irving, H. (2004). A True Conservative? In R Manne (ed.), The Howard Years. Melbourne: Black Inc. Publishing.
• Irving, H. (2004). Citizenship And Subject-Hood In Twentieth-Century Australia. In Pierre Boyer, Linda Cardinal & David Headon (eds.), From Subjects to Citizens: A Hundred Years of Citizenship in Australia and Canada, (pp. 9-18). Ottawa, Canada: University of Ottawa Press.
• Irving, H. (2004). Its First And Highest Function: The Framers' Vision Of The High Court As Interpreter Of The Constitution. In Peter Cane (ed.), Centenary Essays for the High Court of Australia, (pp. 17-34). Sydney, Australia: LexisNexis Butterworths.
• Irving, H. (2003). Lessons from History: the High Court and the invalidation of the Communist Party Dissolution Act. In Jones, Mcmillan (ed.), Public Law Intersections, (pp. 201-207). ACT: Centre for International and Public Law.
• Irving, H. (2002). Sister Colonies with Separate Constitutions: Why Australian Federationists Rejected the Canadian Constitution. In Linda Cardinal & David Headon (eds.), Shaping Nations: Constitutionalism and Society in Australia and Canada, (pp. 27-37). Ottawa, Canada: University of Ottawa Press.
• Irving, H. (2002). The Census, The Constitution and Democracy. Yearbook of Australia 2002. Canberra: AGPS.
• Irving, H. (2001). 'They will choose well, they will choose wisely': The idea of direct election of the Governor-General in Australia in the 1890s. In A.Murray (ed.), Trusting the People, (pp. 35-54). Perth: Sage Publications.
• Irving, H. (2001). A Nation in a Day. In Kevin T. Livingston, Richard Jordan, Gay Sweely (eds.), Becoming Australians: The movement towards Federation in Ballarat and the Nation. Australia: Wakefield Press.
• Irving, H. (2001). Australia's Constitutional Identity: A conundrum for the 21st Century. In Helen Irving (ed.), Unity and diversity : a national conversation : Barton lectures, (pp. 194-221). Australia: ABC Books.
• Irving, H. (2001). Democratic Experiments with Constitution-Making. In M. Sawer (eds.), Elections Full , Free and Fair, (pp. 115-129). Australia: Federation Press.
• Irving, H. (2001). Framers of the Constitution. In Michael Coper, Tony Blackshield, and George Williams (eds.), The Oxford Companion to the High Court of Australia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Irving, H. (2001). Garran, Robert Randolph. In Michael Coper, Tony Blackshield, and George Williams (eds.), The Oxford Companion to the High Court of Australia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Irving, H. (2001). Introduction - No Ordinary Act : Essays on Federation and the Constitution by J.A. La Nauze. In H Irving & S Macintyre (eds.), No Ordinary Act : Essays on Federation and the Constitution by J.A. La Nauze. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
• Irving, H. (2001). The Empire Strikes Back: The Constitution, Sovereignty and 19th Century Globalisation. In Charles Sampford, Tom Round (eds.), Beyond the Republic: Meeting the Global Challenges to Constitutionalism. Australia: Federation Press.
• Irving, H. (2001). The Republic Debate. In J.Summers, D.Woodward & A.Parkin (eds.), Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia (7th ed), (pp. 135-151). Sydney: Academic Press.
• Irving, H. (2000). Citizenship before 1949. In Kim Rubenstein (ed.), Individual Community Nation: Fifty Years of Australian Citizenship. Australia: Australian Scholarly Publishing.
• Irving, H. (2000). George Reid. In Michelle Grattan (ed.), Australian Prime Ministers. Australia: New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd.
• Irving, H. (2000). The Most Eccentric of Them All: J W R Clarke. In David Headon, John Matthew Williams (ed.), Makers of Miracles: The Cast of the Federation Story. Australia: Melbourne University Press.
• Irving, H. (1999). New South Wales. In Helen Irving (ed.), The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation, (pp. 19-92). United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
• Irving, H. (1998). Citizenship. In B. Caine, M. Gatens, E. Grahame, J. Larbalestier, S. Watson, E. Webby (eds.), Australian Feminism: A Companion. Australia: Oxford University Press.
• Irving, H. (1998). Women, the Constitution and the People's Convention. In Jane Gardiner (ed.), Here We Come, Ready Or Not!: A Collection of Papers Analysing the Legal and Political Status of Australian Women and Exploring New Avenues for Action by Women to Attain Constitutional and Legal Change. Australia: Women into Politics Incorporated.
• Irving, H. (1997). Republicanism and Citizenship. In Brian Galligan, Ian McAllister, John Ravenhill (eds.), New Developments in Australian Politics. Australia: Macmillan Education Australia.
• Irving, H. (1997). The Making of the Australian Constitution. In Kathy Laster (ed.), Law as Culture. Australia: Federation Press.
• Irving, H. (1997). The People and their Conventions. In Michael Coper, George Williams (eds.), Power, Parliament and the People. Australia: Federation Press.
• Irving, H. (1996). A Gendered Constitution? Women, Federation and Heads of Power. In Helen Irving (ed.), A Woman's Constitution? Hale & Iremonger.
• Irving, H., Headon, D. (1996). A Week in the Future: Homage to Catherine Helen Spence. In Helen Irving (ed.), ibid.
• Irving, H. (1996). Fair Federalists and Founding Mothers. In Helen Irving (ed.), A Woman's Constitution?: Gender and History in the Australian Commonwealth. Australia: Hale & Iremonger.
• Irving, H. (1996). Thinking of England: Women, Politics and the Queen. In Jeanette Hoorn, David Goodman (eds.), Vox Reipublicaire: Feminism and the Republic. Australia: La Trobe University Press.
• Irving, H. (1994). Who were the Republicans? In David Headon, James Warden, Bill Gammage (eds.), Crown Or Country. Australia: Allen and Unwin.
• Irving, H. (1992). History and the Insider. In S. Magarey (ed.), Writing Lives. Australia: Australian Feminist Studies Publications.