Congratulations to the 9 recipients of the 2023 National Library of Australia Fellowships. 

Drawing on the Library’s extensive collections to inform their projects, the 2023 Fellows will use the National Library’s unique collections to conduct research into subjects including the arts in Australia, Japanese fashion history, ballast water, the Australian wool industry and various social history themes. 

Recipients 

Supported by the Ray Mathew and Eva Kollsman Trust for Research in Australian Literature 

Dr Deirdre O'Connell, independent researcher  

  • Pakie's Club: Mapping the Literary Salons of Augusta "Pakie" MacDougall 1875-1945

Supported by the Stokes family 

Dr Mei-fen Kuo, Lecturer in Contemporary Chinese Culture and History, Macquarie University

  • Print Culture, the Cold War Legacy and Understanding "Chineseness" in Australia

Dr Lorinda Cramer, Research Fellow, Australian Catholic University

  • From Shoddy to Superfine: A Material History of Australian Wool

Dr Adam Sundberg, Associate Professor, Creighton University USA

  • Globalizing Exotics: An Environmental History of Ballast Water Management in Australia

Supported by the Harold S. Williams Trust for Japan Studies 

Dr Tets Kimura, Research Associate in the Creative Arts, Flinders University

  • The Historical and Cultural Development of Japanese Fashion: A Chronology from the Edo (17th Century) to the Reiwa (21st Century) Eras

Supported by past and present members of the National Library Council and Patrons 

Dr Eleanor Hogan, independent researcher

  • Eleanor Witcombe: Her Brilliant Career

Offered by the Library 

Dr Alice Garner, Research Associate, Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne

  • Making it Count: The Many Lives of Mavis Robertson

Associate Professor Deane Williams, Film and Screen Studies, Monash University

  • A Cultural Biography of Ron Maslyn Williams

Dr Wesley Lim, Lecturer in German Studies, Australian National University

  • Between Austria and Australia: Staging Hybrid Nationhood in the Photographs of Gertrud Bodenweiser and Her Dance Companies

Thank you 

The Library would like to acknowledge the donors who continue to support the Fellowships program, including the Ray Mathew and Eva Kollsman Trust, the Stokes family, Harold S. Williams Trust for Japan Studies, and past and present members of the National Library Council and Patrons. Three Honorary Fellowships were also awarded by the Library this year.  

On behalf of donors and the Fellowships Advisory Committee, the Library thanks all applicants for the 2023 NLA Fellowship program. Applicants demonstrated significant understanding of the Library’s collections across a wide range of innovative projects, and unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to apply again for the next program. 
 

About 

Funded through generous philanthropic support, the Library’s Fellowship program has supported more than 200 emerging and established Australian and international scholars since 1986, encouraging new and innovative research across a range of scholarly and creative disciplines. 

The 2023 Fellows will undertake a 12-week residency in Canberra, where they will have supported access to the extensive national collections, full office facilities including a designated workstation, and, for funded Fellowships, an honorarium, travel and accommodation support.  

At the end of their residency, Fellows will present their findings in free public lectures