Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Paula Michaels’ work bridges the histories of Eastern and Western Europe, integrating the USSR into a pan-European and global narrative through the study of social and cultural history. More recently her research has reached into the histories of North America and Australia.
Michaels is especially interested in the ways that medicine is mobilised to further political and social objectives. She is currently pursuing two major projects.
- Gender and Trauma since 1900 (co-edited with Christina Twomey, Monash University; Bloomsbury Academic, 2021). Do different cultures experience trauma differently? Can we discern commonalities across time and space, despite changing clinical and vernacular vocabularies? Drawing together case studies from around the globe, this volume puts gender at the centre of analysis in understanding the evolution of ideas and practices across the 20th century and beyond of what we today term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The history of PTSD is typically written as a straight line from shell shock in World War I, through war neurosis in World War II, to post-Vietnam syndrome. Entering the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual’s third edition in 1980, PTSD codified our contemporary understanding of a distinct cluster of symptoms that emerge in the wake of a profoundly distressing situation. Authored by scholars from Australia, the US, and UK, the contributions to this volume chronicle fluctating understandings of the psychological, legal, political, and social implications of emotional distress by men and women, on and off the battlefield.
- Soviet Medical Internationalism and the Global Cold War examines the role of Soviet medical cadres as tools of soft power and citizen diplomacy from the opening of extensive exchange agreements in the late 1950s through the collapse of the USSR in 1991. This study plaits the stories of three parallel initiatives: (1) sponsoring of medical students from the developing world for education in the USSR; (2) deploying Soviet medical cadres to the Global South as a form of developmental aid; (3) promoting peace through antinuclear activism. By examining the Soviet Union's pathbreaking use of medical diplomacy, this project contributes to our understanding of Soviet foreign policy strategies and broadens our conceptualisation of medical and health diplomacy.
Supervision interests
Michaels welcomes inquires from potential honours and postgraduate students in the history of medicine, gender history, and Russian, East European, and Eurasian history.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Gender
- Childbirth
- Trauma
- Modern Europe
- Imperial history
- Russia/USSR
- Kazakhstan/Central Asia
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Medical Internationalism: Cuba and Eastern Europe, 1959-1999
Michaels, P. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Hresanova, E. (Partner Investigator (PI))
16/08/24 → 15/08/28
Project: Research
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The Kronhill Program for European Jewish Experience
Margolis, R. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Slucki, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wolski, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Heller, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Michaels, P. (Associate Investigator (AI))
12/07/21 → 12/07/26
Project: Research
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An Unwavering Friendship: Soviet-Cuban Medical Internationalism and the Global Cold War
1/02/23 → 31/01/24
Project: Research
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Gender and Trauma since1900
Michaels, P. A. (Editor) & Twomey, C. (Editor), 2021, London UK: Bloomsbury Academic. 296 p.Research output: Book/Report › Edited Book › peer-review
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Paths to Parenthood: Emotions on the Journey through Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Early Parenting Experiences
Kokanovic, R. (Editor), Michaels, P. A. (Editor) & Johnston-Ataata, K. (Editor), 21 Aug 2018, Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. 254 p.Research output: Book/Report › Edited Book
8 Citations (Scopus) -
Lamaze: An International History
Michaels, P., 2014, New York NY USA: Oxford University Press. 240 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › Research › peer-review
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Curative Powers: Medicine and Empire in Stalin's Soviet Central Asia
Michaels, P. A., 2003, Pittsburgh, United States: University of Pittsburgh Press. 250 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › Research › peer-review
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An unbreakable friendship: Soviet medical internationalism in Cuba in the 1960s
Michaels, P. A. & Panichelli-Batalla, S., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: History Australia. 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
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Francis Richardson Keller-Sierra Prize
Michaels, P. A. (Recipient), 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Honorable Mention, Heldt Prize
Michaels, P. A. (Recipient), 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Shortlisted, General History, New South Wales Premier’s Award in History
Michaels, Paula (Recipient), 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship
Michaels, P. (Recipient), 2010
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
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National Library of Medicine Grant for Scholarly Works in Biomedicine and Health
Michaels, P. A. (Recipient), 2010
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
Activities
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Association for Women in Slavic Studies
Paula A. Michaels (Executive Member)
2017 → 2022Activity: External Academic Engagement › Professional association or peak discipline body
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Understanding the War in Ukraine and What Led to It
Paula Michaels (Contributor) & Daniel Heller (Contributor)
2022Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Association for Women in Slavic Studies Biennial Conference 2022
Paula Michaels (Keynote/plenary speaker)
31 Mar 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Obstetric Violence and Traumatic Birth in the Soviet Union
Paula Michaels (Contributor)
23 Sept 2021Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Gender in Catastrophic Times
Paula Michaels (Keynote/plenary speaker)
23 Sept 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
Press/Media
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The Women of the Revolution, Life Matters, Radio National
8/11/17
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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Ukraine and Russia: Religion and Politics of War
20/03/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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