Robin Bates

Robin Bates holds the Ian Sanders Chair in History and serves as Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of History at Northwestern University (Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences). His research focuses on postrevolutionary France (1789–1848), examining how education, political culture, and empire shaped social orders. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (2015) and has held teaching positions at Florida State University and Northeastern Illinois University.

Education

• Ph.D. in History, University of Chicago, 2015
• M.A. in History, Queen’s University (Canada), 2004
• B.A. (Honors) in History, Queen’s University, 2002

Research Interests

Bates explores Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary France, focusing on political culture, education systems, and the French Empire’s global impact. His work bridges economic history (capitalism), gender studies, and imperial governance. Current projects include a book on pedagogy’s role in reconstructing French society after 1789 and analyses of race and capital in French colonial contexts.

Teaching

• Upper-level courses: History of Capitalism, European Total War, Socialism
• Introductory courses: Global History, Age of Revolutions
• Directs the Ian Sanders Scholars program’s research seminars

Awards & Recognition

• Pierre Savard Award (2011) for In the Province of History
• University of Chicago Century Fellowship (2004–2010)
• SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2004–2008)

Engagement

Bates has reviewed for The Catholic Historical Review and Women’s Writing, coordinated conferences on Enlightenment studies, and translated academic works. He maintains fluency in French and working proficiency in German.