Sally Fisher

Dr. Sally Fisher serves as a Research Associate within the Gender and Women’s History Research Centre, an integral part of the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Melbourne Campus. Her academic profile centers on gender and cultural history during the late medieval and early modern periods, with specialized expertise encompassing queenship and royal studies, diplomatic history, material culture (particularly dress and textiles), and early modern ecological approaches.

Fisher's research program delves deeply into the intersections of gender, power, and representation in historical contexts. She examines how queens and noble women navigated political landscapes through diplomatic channels, household management, and environmental stewardship. Her methodological approach combines literary analysis of Shakespearean texts with critical examination of chronicles, letters, legal documents, and manorial records to reconstruct women's agency and lived experiences. Current projects investigate gendered dimensions of early modern natural resource management across English and French contexts, revealing how women engaged with forests and waterways in agricultural and ecological practices.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a cohesive scholarly trajectory focused on royal and elite women's experiences. Recurring themes include the portrayal of queenship in literature and historical records, the dynamics of exile and imprisonment, the construction of female ambition, and the gendered use of space and resources. Her work consistently employs comparative frameworks between English and French contexts and bridges literary, legal, and environmental history to offer nuanced perspectives on women's historical roles.

Her significant scholarly recognition includes:

• Royal Studies Journal Biennial Book Prize (2020) for the chapter "‘All my frendys fro me thei flee;’ The Disgraced and Unstable Household of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester"

Fisher actively contributes to major research initiatives, notably serving as a key researcher on the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project "A History of Early Modern Natural Resource Management" led by Professor Susan Broomhall. Within this project, she investigates women's environmental management practices with emphasis on gendered interactions with natural resources in early modern England and France.

As a member of the Gender and Women’s History Research Centre at ACU, Fisher collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and has co-edited scholarly publications, including a special issue of Parergon on exile and imprisonment in medieval and early modern Europe. Her work demonstrates strong commitment to collaborative research and editorial scholarship within the historical community.