Claire Gilbert

Claire Gilbert is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Saint Louis University (SLU), part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on Late Medieval and Early Modern Spain, with an emphasis on language contact, multilingualism between Arabic and Romance languages, and the social history of translation. She holds a Ph.D. from UCLA (2014), an M.A. from UCLA (2009), and a B.A. from Stanford University (2004).

Her work examines the role of translation in state formation, religious conversion, and cross-cultural exchange. Key projects include In Good Faith: Arabic Translation and Translators in Early Modern Spain (2020) and her edited volume “An Age of Translation” (2021). She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the NEH Summer Institute co-Principle Investigator role (2022–2023) and the SLU Student Government Association Faculty Excellence Award (2023).

Prof. Gilbert teaches courses such as Graduate Seminar: Empire and Diplomacy in the Early Modern Hispanic World and Politics of Language. Her research explores how linguistic practices shaped power dynamics, cultural identity, and imperial governance in the Mediterranean.

• Education: Ph.D., UCLA (2014); M.A., UCLA (2009); B.A., Stanford (2004)
• Key Projects: Over a dozen peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on translation history, multilingualism, and early modern empires.
• Grants: NEH Fellowships, SSRC Dissertation Fellowship, and multiple SLU research awards.