Tamara Chaplin

Tamara Chaplin is a Professor of Modern European History and Lynn M. Martin Professorial Scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds affiliations with the Departments of Gender and Women’s Studies, French and Italian, Global Studies, the European Union Center, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, and the initiative on Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies. Her research focuses on gender/sexuality history, media history, queer theory, World War I, human rights, and social justice theories.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Modern European History, Rutgers University (2002)
• B.A., Concordia University (Montreal, 1995)

Research Interests: Chaplin examines intersections between media, gender, and queer identity in modern France. Her landmark book Becoming Lesbian: A Queer History of Modern France (2024) explores how media shaped public attitudes toward LGBTQ+ identities. Earlier work includes Turning On the Mind: French Philosophers on Television (2007), analyzing TV’s role in French national identity.

Awards:

• Provost's Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
• LAS Dean's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

Teaching & Affiliations: Chaplin teaches courses on modern Europe, sexuality, media, and World War I. She received grants from the NEH, Camargo Foundation, and UIUC’s Center for Advanced Study. Her interdisciplinary work bridges history with performance studies, drawing from her background as a former ballet dancer and SAG member.

Professional Service: Governing member of the Western Society for French History, past board member of the AHA’s LGBT History Committee, and Comité Scientifique member of the Société Pour l’Histoire des Médias (Paris).