Nell Jane Musgrove

Nell Jane Musgrove is a Professor in the School of Arts and Humanities at the Faculty of Education and Arts, specializing in historical research on marginalized populations, institutional care, and colonial policies. Her work bridges social history, heritage studies, and childhood studies.

Her research focuses on histories of foster care systems, Indigenous knowledge in education, and the intersection of emotion and marginalized voices in colonial contexts. She employs innovative methods like digital humanities and spatial analysis to uncover overlooked narratives.

Recent publications examine activism in institutional care, memory construction in prison histories, and the role of big data in childhood studies. Her books, including The Scars Remain and The Slow Evolution of Foster Care in Australia, highlight systemic failures and long-term impacts of colonial policies.

Musgrove collaborates on projects like the Trove child welfare database and contributes to decolonizing university curricula through Indigenous pedagogy. Her interdisciplinary approach addresses historical accountability and social justice across multiple scales.