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History Faculty Research Interests and Areas of Specialization

UWM’s designation as an R1 institution indicates robust research activity, and the History Department fills a critical role in research that crosses the social sciences and humanities. Our faculty have a broad range of research areas. Prospective graduate students should browse the faculty pages to identify a good fit between our research areas and their interests.

UWM prides itself on our undergraduate research programs. As early as freshman year, students can build their resume through hands-on research experience. Prospective and current undergraduate students can reach out directly to faculty to inquire about research opportunities in their area or work through the Office of Undergraduate Research.

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Rachel Buff
  • Professor, History - General
  • Department Chair

Immigration; immigrant rights; transnational cultural politics of the Cold War; diasporic cultural citizenship 

Martha Carlin
  • Professor, History - General

Medieval social and economic history (especially urban, food, daily life, correspondence, shopping, inns) 

Gregory Carter
  • Associate Professor, History

Mixed race identity and representation; Racial science; Popular culture 

Winsin Chu headshot
  • Associate Professor, History

Modern Central Europe; German-Polish borderlands; Empires; national minorities; diasporas 

David Divalerio headshot
  • Associate Professor, History

Buddhism; Tibetan Buddhism; Tibetan History, Culture, and Language; History of Contemplative, Ascetic, and Eremitic Traditions. 

Carolyn Eichner
  • Professor, History & Women's & Gender Studies

Gender, Women, & Sexuality in 19th-Century France & Empire; Race; Histories of Feminisms & Radical Movements; The Paris Commune; New Caledonia; Politics of Names & Naming. 

christine-evens-headshot
  • Associate Professor, History

Modern Russia and Eurasia; History and theory of mass communications; Socialist cultures in comparative perspective; Play and leisure; Consumer culture 

Marcus Filippello headshot.
  • Associate Professor, History

Sub-Saharan African history (especially Benin); Environmental history; History of development 

Thomas Haigh headshot.
  • Professor, History

History of Information Technology; Business History; History of Work; History of Technology; Media History 

Nan Kim headshot.
  • Associate Professor & Public History Director, History

Trauma and memory; Korea in global history; Social movements and participatory democracy; Inclusive peace processes; Contemporary history and the anthropology of politics; Public history 

Richard Popp headshot.
  • Associate Professor, History

Media History; US Cultural History; 20th Century US; Consumer Culture; History of Capitalism 

Lex Renda headshot.
  • Associate Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies, History

United States Political and Legal History; Nineteenth-Century United States 

Joseph Rodriguez headshot.
  • Professor, History

U.S. Latino history; U.S. urban history; urban studies 

Nigel Rothfels headshot.
  • Acting Dean of College of Letters & Science, and Professor, History

History of Animals; Nineteenth Century German and European History; European Colonial History 

Amanda Seligman headshot.
  • Professor, History

Urban; Chicago and Milwaukee; Public Policy; Graduate School 

Rebecca Shumway headshot.
  • Associate Professor, History

Precolonial Africa; West Africa and the Slave Trade; Africa and Racism; Comparative Slavery; African Roots of American Culture; African Intellectual History 

Lisa Silverman
  • Associate Professor, History

Modern European Jewish history; German and Austrian cultural history; Photography and Visual Culture; Gender 

Chia Vang headshot.
  • Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Professor

20th century US-Asia relations; Cold War politics; Asian America history; refugee migration; transnational and diaspora communities 

Xin Yu headshot
  • Assistant Visiting Professor, History - General

Early Modern and Modern China; East Asian history; Kinship, family, gender; Lineage and genealogy; Book history, print culture, and printing technology; Rural society, everyday life, and local politics