Catherine Clark

Catherine Clark is an Associate Professor of History and French Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences). She is on leave through Spring 2026.

• Education
  • BA, Swarthmore College, 2004
  • MA, Columbia University, 2005
  • MA, University of Southern California, 2009
  • PhD, University of Southern California, 2012

Clark specializes in cultural and transnational histories of modern Europe, with a focus on France, visual culture, and urban studies. Her research explores how visual media (e.g., photographs, films, TV shows) generate historical knowledge and shape urban narratives.

Her scholarship includes the 2018 book Paris and the Cliché of History, which examines Paris’s photographic history and methodological frameworks for analyzing visual primary sources. Additional projects analyze post-1945 French street photography, cinematic representations of urban transformation, and Franco-Chinese cultural exchanges.

• Scientific Awards
  • Residential Fellowship at Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
  • Residential Fellowship at Camargo Foundation, Cassis, France

At MIT, Clark co-directs the Global France Seminar and teaches courses on modern European history, photography, and French urban culture. She also contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives like the Digital Humanities Laboratory.