About the Academy | Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia

The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia

Established in 1971, the Academy is an elected body of over 750 leading researchers and professionals across the social science disciplines.

We are both a peak body for the social sciences and a distinguished, independent membership organisation, gathering the best and brightest social science minds from universities, research institutes and policy agencies across the country. These are the people whose research shapes government decision-making, whose advice is called on by Australia’s leaders, and whose expertise has long played a key role in shaping our nation.

The breadth of the social sciences means that our elected members, known as ‘Fellows’, are experts in diverse fields from economics, history, education and law, through to psychology, linguistics, anthropology and statistics.

The Academy works with a diverse range of academic, private, public and not-for-profit organisations to develop and advance shared agendas. We have a commitment to reconciliation (including through the election of Australia’s leading indigenous researchers), supporting early and mid-career researchers, and building strong international research linkages in the social sciences.

Above all, we are focused on drawing on our experts and partnering with other organisations to advance and promote the conduct, awareness, translation, and uptake of social science research in ways that improve the lives of people and society, now and in the future.

History

1942 – Members of the Australian National Research Council propose the establishment of a Social Science Research Council.
1943 – The Australian National Research Council considers the proposal and establishes a Social Science Research Committee.
1952 – Nine years later, the Social Science Research Committee resolves to become an autonomous body. A draft constitution for the new body is accepted by the Australian National Research Council and all members of the Committee are invited to become members of the new Social Science Research Council of Australia.
1953 – The new Council holds its first meeting with a membership of 44.
1957 – The Social Science Research Council becomes an incorporated association.
1970 – The Council adopts a recommendation that it become the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
1971 – The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is incorporated on 7 July 1971. The 96 members of the Council become Fellows of the Academy.
2021 – The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia marks its 50th anniversary.

A detailed history of the Academy and its origins is available in The Poor Relation by former Academy President the late Professor Stuart Macintyre AO.

The Academy’s records between 1942 and 2012 can be accessed via the National Library of Australia.

2021 Milestone

50 years of the Academy

In 2021, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia will mark its 50^th anniversary.

This milestone provides an opportunity to celebrate the significant contributions of the Academy and its Fellows to the advancement of the social sciences. It also invites reflection on the value and future of the social sciences in contemporary Australian life.

The Academy will explore these themes in 2021 through a 50^th anniversary program of events and research, including the Academy’s Annual Symposium and State of the Social Sciences project.

Celebrating 50 Years will not only acknowledge the legacy of the social sciences, but it will also consider the invaluable role the social sciences can play in Australia’s social future.

President

Current President

Professor Kate Darian-Smith

Professor Kate Darian-Smith is the President of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, commencing her term in 2025.

She is Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Professor Darian-Smith served as Executive Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Arts, Law and Education, at the University of Tasmania (2018-2024). She previously held senior leadership roles at the University of Melbourne, including professorial appointments in Australian Studies, History, and Cultural Heritage, and as Director of the Australian Centre, and Associate Dean and Deputy Dean roles in the Faculty of Arts. She has held visiting professorial positions at universities in the US, China and Japan.

Professor Darian-Smith has a distinguished academic career, recognised internationally for her research in Australian history, cultural heritage, memory studies, and histories of war and society, settler-Indigenous relations, childhood, education, media and migration. Her recent research focuses on Australia’s cultural and social transformations during the 20th century.

She has held 15 Australian Research Council (ARC) grants, including as node convenor for the ARC Cultural Research Network, and served on the ARC’s Humanities and Creative Arts Evaluation Committee for ERA and College of Experts. A member of several international academic editorial boards, Professor Darian-Smith is former editor of Australian Historical Studies and section editor for History Compass, and is currently on the Editorial Advisory Board, Documents on Australian Foreign Policy, at DFAT. Other government appointments have included to the Board, Australia-Japan Foundation, DFAT and the Council, Australian Museum of Democracy, Old Parliament House. Her contributions extend to advisory roles with government, museums, and cultural organisations, and she is Senior Research Fellow at Museums Victoria.

Professor Darian-Smith has a longstanding commitment to promoting Australian Studies internationally, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and is a past President of the International Australian Studies Association. Elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2008, she brings a wealth of experience and a passion for interdisciplinary collaboration to her leadership of the Academy.

Past Presidents

1943-52 Dr Kenneth Cunningham
1952-53 Professor Sir Douglas Copland
1953-58 Sir Leslie Melville
1958-62 Professor Sydney Butlin
1962-64 Professor Wilfred Borrie
1964-66 Professor William O’Neil
1966-69 Professor Percy Partridge

Social Science Research Council incorporates as the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia

1969–72 Professor Richard (Dick) Downing
1972–75 Professor Geoffrey Sawer AO
1975–78 Professor Fred Gruen AO
1978–81 Professor Alan Shaw AO
1981–84 Professor Keith Hancock AO
1984–87 Professor Joseph Issac AO
1987–90 Professor Peter Karmel AC
1990–93 Professor Peter Sheehan AO
1993–97 Professor Paul Bourke

(Terms commencing 1 January)

1998–00 Professor Fay Gale AO
2001–03 Professor Leon Mann AO
2004–06 Professor Sue Richardson AM
2007–09 Professor Stuart Macintyre AO
2010–12 Professor Barry McGaw AO
2013–15 Professor Deborah Terry AO
2016–18 Professor Glenn Withers AO
2019-21 Professor Jane Hall AO
2022-24 Professor Richard Holden

Staff

The Academy’s National Office is located in Canberra. A small team of staff works closely with the Academy’s committees and Fellows to manage all aspects of the Academy’s programs.