Sneja Gunew was born in West Germany of a German mother and a Bulgarian father. A speaker and reader of German, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree from the University of Melbourne, a Master of Arts degree from Toronto, Canada and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Newcastle (New South Wales). She taught in literature and women's studies at the universities of Newcastle and Melbourne, and at Deakin University (Geelong) from 1972. In 1993 she took up a position at the University of Victoria, Canada and in 1995 she became Professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada.