Vera Mackie is Emeritus Senior Professor of Asian and International Studies at the University of Wollongong. Vera’s work has been seminal to the development of Asian Studies in Australia. Her scholarship traverses the fields of history, women’s studies, Asian Studies, cultural studies, and peace studies. She has close to 200 publications, including her monographs, Creating socialist women in Japan: gender, labour, and activism, 1900–1937 (Cambridge University Press, 1997) and Feminism in modern Japan: Citizenship, embodiment, and sexuality (Cambridge University Press 2003), which are critical contributions to the literature on Japanese women and their activism.

Over her career, Vera has worked at multiple Australian universities, including Swinburne University, Adelaide University, the University of Melbourne, Curtin University, and the University of Wollongong. Outside of Australia, Vera has held visiting positions at Victoria University, Ochanomizu University, Hitotsubashi University, Chuo University, New York University, the National University of Singapore, and the University of the Philippines.

Vera has made sustained and exceptional contributions to leadership in the Australian academic community. She was elected President of the Japanese Studies Association of Australia (1997–1999); a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia in 2004; Member of the Royal Society of New South Wales in 2018, a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and a member of the ARC College of Experts in 2020. Vera is National Co-Convener of the Australian Women’s History Network (2013) and has served on the editorial boards of multiple journals, including those of peak Australian bodies, the Japanese Studies Association of Australia (Japanese Studies, 2002-), and the Asian Studies Association of Australia (Asian Studies Review, 2008-).

Alongside her scholarship, Vera provided exceptional and extensive postgraduate supervision, formally recognised by the University of Wollongong in 2018 through the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research Supervision. Former PhD student and Associate Professor and Reader in Japanese Studies at the University of Queensland, David Chapman says:

“Vera was an exceptional supervisor and colleague who supported me throughout my PhD with patience, generosity, and unfailing encouragement. A consummate professional, she possesses an extraordinary breadth of knowledge across multiple disciplines, which was a constant source of inspiration. Beyond my doctoral studies, Vera played a pivotal role in guiding my professional development as an academic, offering insightful advice on publishing, promotion, and academic conduct, and always pointing me towards new opportunities with kindness and wisdom.”

Vera’s generous and conscientious training of her students and postgraduates has enabled a generation of scholars, working inside Australia and globally, to continue her legacy of rigorous feminist scholarship.

Laura Dales, Carolyn Stevens, and Emma Dalton