Janna Thompson

Janna Lea Thompson (1942–2022) was an American-born philosopher and ethicist, who spent the majority of her academic career in Melbourne, Australia. She is best known for her work on reparative and intergenerational justice.

Early life and education Janna Lea Thompson was born on 12 November 1942 in Fairbault, Minnesota, USA. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 and won a Marshall Plan scholarship which took her to the University of Oxford where she completed a Bachelor of Philosophy in 1966. She then joined La Trobe University as a lecturer (1975–1981) and was promoted to senior lecturer (1981–2000) and reader/associate professor (2000–2007), before being made professor (2007–2012).

Thompson died in Melbourne on 24 June 2022, just months following diagnosis of brain tumours.

Writing

In addition to her books and peer-reviewed journal articles, Thompson contributed to The Conversation and Inside Story and reviewed books for Australian Book Review.

She wrote her final book, Lockdown, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As author

As editor