Louise Edwards is Professor of Modern Chinese History at the University of New South Wales. Louise has been appointed at UNSW as a Scientia Professor, which is in recognition of her leadership, innovation and excellence in research. Louise is an expert on women and gender in China and Asia. She is author of numerous articles, book chapters and edited books, including Drawing Democratic Dreams in Republican China (Washington University Press, 2020), Women in Asia, Women’s Movements in Asia (2010), and Women’s Suffrage in Asia (2004). Her most recent monographs include Gender, Politics and Democracy: Women’s Suffrage in China (Stanford University Press 2008) and Women Warriors and Wartime Spies of China (Cambridge University Press 2016).

Louise has made a sustained contribution to Asian Studies in Australia. From 2015-2016, Louise Edwards served as the President of the Asian Studies Association of Australia. She has been actively involved in the Women’s Forum in various capacities, including as moderator of the Listserv (1994-1997), and is the ongoing Editor of the Women in Asia Routledge book series.

The international standing of her research and leadership in her field has been recognized through her appointments as a fellow of the Australian Humanities Academy, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities. She previously served as the Convener of the Australian Research Council’s Asia Pacific Futures Network. Her UNSW Professorial Lecture is available online here, and her 2020 lecture Five Eyes, One Tongue and Hard of Hearing – Australia and Asia in China’s Century, hosted by the ANU’s China in the World Centre, has attracted over 16000 views to date.