Greta Austin

Greta Austin is a Professor of the History of Christianity and Chair of the Religion, Spirituality, and Society program at the University of Puget Sound, where she also directs the Gender & Queer Studies Program. Her research focuses on medieval canon law, particularly the legal texts of the central Middle Ages, such as Burchard of Worms' Decretum. She holds a PhD from Columbia University (2000), following a BA from Princeton (1990), MA from University of Colorado Boulder (1992), and MPhil from Columbia (1996).

Her work bridges legal history and gender studies, examining topics like bishops’ authority, women’s roles in medieval legal systems, and the intersection of religion and violence. She has authored books and articles in journals such as Speculum and Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte, and presented globally at institutions like Yale and the National University of Singapore.

Awarded the Thomas A. Davis Teaching Excellence Award and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, Austin teaches courses on medieval religion, magic and religion, and gender theory. She serves on the Board of the Iuris canonici medii aevi consociatio (ICMAC) and chairs Puget Sound’s Graduate Fellowships Advisory Committee.

Her recent scholarship explores themes of gender, legal frameworks, and the role of bishops in shaping medieval religious and social norms. She actively engages with interdisciplinary topics such as the portrayal of medieval law in film and comparative analyses of medieval and modern legal concepts.