Miranda Spieler

Miranda Spieler is a Professor in the Department of History and Politics at the American University of Paris. She holds a PhD from Columbia University and specializes in French colonial history, slavery studies, and legal history. Her research spans European imperial systems, with particular focus on French Guiana and Paris.

Education:

• AB Magna Cum Laude, Harvard-Radcliffe (1994)
• MA, MPhil, PhD, Columbia University (2005)

Spieler's research examines the intersections of law, slavery, and colonial power structures. Her work combines archival analysis with socio-legal frameworks to reconstruct historical narratives of marginalized communities. Current projects investigate enslaved populations in Enlightenment-era Paris and colonial legal regimes.

Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on legal anthropology and resistance movements, with recent articles exploring testimony methodologies and comparative emancipation processes across French colonies.

Awards:

• J. Russell Major Prize (2013)
• George Mosse Prize (2013)
• Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Fellowship, Princeton University

She serves as Faculty Fellow at the George and Irina Schaeffer Center for Genocide, Human Rights and Conflict Prevention, and advises graduate students in diplomatic history and international law.