Ada Maria Kuskowski

Ada Maria Kuskowski is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, affiliated with the School of Arts & Sciences Department of History. Her research focuses on medieval legal cultures, particularly the development of customary law in France and the intersections of law with literature and conquest. She holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University (2013), and prior to Penn, held positions at Southern Methodist University and fellowships at institutions including NYU Law School and the University of Wisconsin. Her recent book Vernacular Law (2023) examines how medieval jurists transformed oral customs into written legal systems. She teaches courses on medieval law, conquest, and legal history.

Education

• Ph.D., History, Cornell University, 2013
• M.A., History, Cornell University, 2008
• L.L.B. & B.C.L., McGill University Faculty of Law, 2005
• B.A., History, McGill University, 2001

Research Interests

• Legal history and culture
• Law and literature
• Vernacular writing and translation
• Court culture
• Social histories of knowledge
• Colonial conquest and legal frameworks

Her articles explore topics ranging from medieval customary law’s textualization to Roman law’s influence on medieval legal thought. Current projects include a study of post-conquest legal systems in medieval Europe. She actively mentors graduate students seeking to pursue medieval legal history research.