Elizabeth Colwill

Elizabeth Colwill is an Associate Professor of American Studies and Department Chair at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She specializes in gender, slavery, and revolution in the Atlantic world, with a focus on the francophone Caribbean. Her interdisciplinary research bridges comparative slavery studies, feminist theory, and postcolonial frameworks.

Education: Ph.D. in Comparative Women’s History (SUNY Binghamton, 1991); B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Evergreen State College, 1980).

Research interests include the African diaspora, cultures of violence, memory politics, and performance studies. She explores intersections between history and the arts through community projects like the San Diego Women’s History Arts Initiative and collaborations with dance theatre companies.

Her current book project examines gender, ritual, and slave emancipation in Saint-Domingue during the Haitian Revolution. Recent publications analyze gendered dimensions of revolutionary violence, legal testimony, and post-emancipation familial politics.

Awarded for teaching excellence and interdisciplinary initiatives, Colwill co-founded a first-year student retention program and partnered with organizations like the International Rescue Committee. She advocates for feminist pedagogies and interdisciplinary education.

Labs/Teams: Active in collaborative community projects and academic networks focused on Caribbean history and transnational feminist scholarship.