Naomi Makowska !full!

Together, these interests position Makowska as a historian attuned to the —a vantage point that is increasingly central to twenty-first-century historiography.

At the in Montreal, Makowska presented a highly localized biographical study titled “Becoming Giulia: The Social Construction of a Marginal Woman in Early Modern Modena.”

Acknowledging her expertise in digital humanities and academic administration, the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender (SSEMWG) appointed Makowska as the incoming Website Administrator . Her three-year term commenced in January 2026 alongside co-editor Jess Hamlet. Core Research: Forbidden Knowledge in Early Modern Modena naomi makowska

Makowska’s primary academic contribution lies in her examination of "forbidden knowledge" circulation among women in early modern Modena between 1598 and 1658. Her work breaks new ground by shifting the focus from elite women to non-elite women and their communities. Key Aspects of Her Research

Documented how women shared information on "love magic," healing spells, superstition, and conjuring. Together, these interests position Makowska as a historian

Supervised by Professors and Federica Francesconi (University at Albany, State University of New York), Makowska is currently in the advanced stages of completing her doctoral dissertation. Her mentorship team includes two distinguished scholars of early modern religious and gender history, underscoring the scholarly weight of the project she has undertaken.

: Her work utilizes Inquisition trial records from Modena to analyze how women engaged with forbidden knowledge, including love magic and conjuring. Core Research: Forbidden Knowledge in Early Modern Modena

Throughout her academic career, Makowska's research has achieved recognition and backing from premier funding agencies. Her exploration into European gender history has been supported by prestigious provincial and federal organizations, including: