Debra Blumenthal

Debra Blumenthal is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, specializing in late medieval and early modern Iberia. Her research examines cross-cultural interactions among Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities, while also exploring slavery, race, gender history, and the history of medicine.

• Ph.D., University of Toronto, 2000

Her work focuses on the role of enslaved women in medical knowledge production and constructions of maternity in the medieval Mediterranean world. Current projects include her book "Comares: Mothering in Uncertain Times," which analyzes tensions between midwives, wet nurses, and birth mothers amid male anxiety over reproduction.

Blumenthal's research has been recognized with prestigious awards including the Premio del Rey (2011), Nursing Clio Best Article Prize (2024), and fellowships from the Huntington Library and Radcliffe Institute. She has advised multiple graduate students and is affiliated with research clusters on race, gender, and Mediterranean studies.

Scientific Awards:

• 2024 Nursing Clio Best Article Prize
• 2011 Premio del Rey (American Historical Association)
• 2014 Best Essay Prize (Society for Renaissance Studies)
• Sargent-Faull Fellowship (Radcliffe Institute, 2003-2004)
• NEH Summer Stipend (2003)
• Huntington Library Fellowship (2010-2011)