Background

Diane Bell was born on June 11, 1943, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is the daughter of Allan Thomas Haig and Florence Edna Bailey.

Education

In 1975 Diane Bell received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Monash University. In 1981 Bell gained a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Australian National University.

Career

From 1962 to 1967 Diane Bell was a primary school teacher in Victoria and New South Wales. In 1976 she was a part-time tutor at the Australian National University. In 1983 to 1988 she had a private practice as a consulting anthropologist at Diane Bell and Associates. From 1984 to 1986 she served as a research fellow on the Social Justice Project at the Research School of Social Sciences at Australian National University (ANU).

From 1986 to 1988 Bell was a professor of Australian Studies and founding director of the Centre for Australian Studies at Deakin University. From 1989 to 1998 she worked as the Henry R. Luce Professor of Religion, Economic Development and Social Justice and as a founding director of Women's Studies from 1990 to 1993 at Holy Cross College in Massachusetts, United States.

In 1999 Bell was appointed a professor of anthropology and director of women's studies at the George Washington University in Washington, District of Columbia, United States. Currently, she is a professor emerita of anthropology there. Her books include Daughters of the Dreaming (1983), Generations: Grandmothers, mothers, and daughters (1987), Law: The old and the new (1980), Religion in Aboriginal Australia (co-edited 1984), and Radically Speaking: Feminism reclaimed (co-edited 1996).

Achievements

• Diane Bell is best known as the author of Daughters of the Dreaming and Evil:Novel. Her book Evil: A novel was made into a play and performed in Washington, District of Columbia, and Adelaide. She is a recipient of numerous awards.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Generations: Grandmothers, Mothers, and Daughters

    (Women from around Australia tell of the significant objec...)

    1987
  • Radically Speaking: Feminism Reclaimed

    (Showing that a radical feminist analysis cuts across clas...)

    1996
  • Daughters of the Dreaming

    (Award-winning author Diane Bell reveals the importance of...)

    1983
  • Ngarrindjeri Wurruwarrin: A World That Is, Was and Will Be

    (This finely textured ethnography weaves written texts wit...)

    1998
  • Listen to Ngarrindjeri Women Speaking: Kungun Ngarrindjeri Miminar Yunnan

    (The Ngarrindjeri women of South Australia reveal their th...)

    2008
  • Evil: A Novel

    (Newly appointed professor Dee P. Scrutari turns her anthr...)

    2005
  • Law, the Old and the New: Aboriginal Women in Central Australia Speak Out 1980

Politics

Diane Bell ran as an independent candidate in the 2008 Mayo by-election, caused by the resignation of former foreign minister and Liberal leader Alexander Downer. Her campaign was called Vote4Di and was supported by a campaign website.

Views

Diane Bell campaigned for fresh water flows for the River Murray, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert and the Coorong. In 2007, she was a co-founder of the "StoptheWeir" website and worked with the River, Lakes and Coorong Action Group Inc to stop the construction of a weir across the River Murray at Pomanda Island (at the point where the river enters Lake Alexandrina).

Membership

Diane Bell is a member of American Anthropology Association, American Academy of Religion, Australian Anthropology Association, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islands Studies. In 2002 she became an honorary member of the Golden Key Honor Society.

Interests

• feminist theory and practice, aboriginal studies

Connections

On October 9, 1967, Diane Bell married Allan James. In 1972 they divorced. They have two children: Genevieve, Morgan.

Father:

Allan Haig

Mother:

Florence Bailey

Son:

Morgan Bell

Daughter:

Genevieve Bell

ex-spouse:

Allan James

References

• Contemporary Authors
  2010