Dr Emma Carson
Research Candidature Officer
Graduate Research Training
Research and Innovation
Emma Carson is a Ph.D. candidate in Department of Historical and Classical Studies at the University of Adelaide. Her current project specialises in Australian military history and the history of emotions, although she is also generally interested in twentieth-century history, memory politics, and gender history.
My Ph.D. dissertation looks at the impact of military service and separation on married couples during World War II. This is an extension of my first-class Honours thesis from 2018, 'Separated Spouses and the Construction of Intimacy in World War II', for which I was awarded both the Lynda Tapp Prize in Honours History and the Tinline Scholarship in History. I am especially interested in exploring how couples constructed intimacy, power, and devotion in their letters to one another while apart and how these constructions ultimately affected their relationships after the war.
I previously collaborated with the Tate Museum as part of a Summer Research Scholarship at the University of Adelaide, which resulted in me presenting a paper at the Council of Australian Museums and Collections Symposium at Australian National University in April 2018. I am also currently working on a paper based on my Honours thesis, which I hope to publish within the next twelve months.
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Award | AHA Conference Australian Women’s History Network Support Scheme | Australian Women's History Network | Australia | $500 |
| 2022 | Distinction | The People’s Choice Award for Ongoing Research at the Department of Historical and Classical Studies Postgraduate Conference | Department of Historical and Classical Studies, University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2021 | Award | Highly Commended Paper at the Lilith Feminist History Symposium | Australian Women's History Network | Australia | - |
| 2020 | Award | Australian Historical Association/Copyright Agency Travel and Writing Bursary | Australian Historical Association/Copyright Agency | Australia | $800 |
| 2020 | Research Award | Hugh Martin Weir Prize | University of Adelaide | Australia | $2,000 |
| 2019 | Scholarship | Research Training Stipend | University of Adelaide | Australia | $27,596 p.a. |
| 2018 | Award | Lynda Tapp Prize in Honours History | University of Adelaide | Australia | $450 |
| 2018 | Award | Tinline Scholarship in History | University of Adelaide | Australia | $1,500 |
| 2017 | Award | Lynda Tapp Essay Prize in History | University of Adelaide | Australia | $900 |
| 2017 | Scholarship | Summer Research Scholarship | University of Adelaide | Australia | $1,200 |
| 2017 | Award | Bundey Prize for English Verse | University of Adelaide | Australia | $300 |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Doctor of Philosophy (History) |
| 2018 - 2018 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) |
| 2015 - 2017 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Arts |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Carson, E. (2022). Loneliness, the Love Letter and the Performance of Romance During Wartime Separation, 1939–1945. In K. Barclay, E. Chalus, & D. Simonton (Eds.), The Routledge History of Loneliness (pp. 434-451). Routledge. DOI |
I have teaching experience in the following areas:
Marking and Teaching Assistance
HIST 2093: The Family, Memory and Identity (Level II)
ARTS3011: Humans and Technology: From Stone Tools to Cyborgs (Level III)
Lecturing
HIST 3071: History of Warfare (Level III)
Tutoring
HIST 1108: Empires in World History (Level I)
HIST 3034: Migrants and the Making of Modern Australia (Level III)
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - ongoing | Member | Society for the History of Emotions | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Member | Australian Historical Association | Australia |
| 2016 - ongoing | Member | Golden Key International Honour Society | Australia |
| Date | Title | Engagement Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - 2022 | 'Stories from the Archives, from Foundation to Federation', South Australia's History Festival | Public Community Engagement | History Trust of South Australia, Barr Smith Library, and State Records of South Australia | - |
| 2021 - ongoing | 'War Letters and Family History', South Australia's History Festival | Public Community Engagement | History Trust of South Australia | Australia |
| 2020 - 2020 | Interview on love letters during World War II, ABC Radio Adelaide, Weekends with Deb Tribe | Public Community Engagement | ABC Radio Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Role | Editorial Board Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - ongoing | Board Member | Lilith: a feminist history journal | Australian Women's History Network | Australia |
| Date | Office Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - 2021 | Postgraduate Representative of the History Department | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Topic | Presented at | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - ongoing | 'Do you know why he called her Spanner?' Writing Sex and Innuendo in Second World War Letters | Australian Historical Association Conference | Deakin University | Australia |
| 2022 - ongoing | Sex and the Physical Body in Letters, 1939-1945 | Department of Historical and Classical Studies Postgraduate Conference | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Separated Spouses and the Construction of Intimacy in World War II | Australian Historical Association Conference | UNSW Sydney | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | 'Patrolling the Borders of Intimacy': Censorship in the Letters of Australian Servicemen and their Partners, 1939-1945 | Conflict & Society | UNSW Canberra | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Separation, Letters, and Negotiating Gender in World War II | Lilith Feminist History Symposium | Australian Women's History Network | Australia |
| 2019 - ongoing | Constructing Intimacy in the Letters of Australian Servicemen during World War II | Postgraduate Research Conference | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2019 - 2019 | Constructing Intimacy in the Letters of Australian Servicemen, 1939-1945 | Letter-Writing and Emotions Workshop (ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions) | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2018 - ongoing | The Legacy of Douglas Mawson and Narratives at the Tate Museum | The Council of Australian University Museums and Collections Symposium | Australian National University | Australia |
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