Deborah Cohen

Deborah Cohen is the Richard W. Leopold Professor of History at Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, where she focuses on modern Britain and Europe. She also serves as Director of the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, bridging academic leadership with global historical research.

• Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (1996)

Her research spans global history, modern European history, war and empire, religious history, and gender/sexuality. She specializes in social science-inspired comparative history and biography, examining intersections of state and society, material culture, and the public histories of private lives. Her work often explores British imperial contexts, family capitalism, and transnational narratives.

Deborah’s recent publications include her acclaimed book Last Call at the Hotel Imperial (2022), analyzing American foreign correspondents during global crises, and earlier works on Victorian-era gender dynamics, consumerism, and political marriages. Her scholarship has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the Mark Lynton History Prize and Goldsmith Prize, while her writing appears in The Atlantic, New York Review of Books, and other major publications.

Awarded fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, Guggenheim, and American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2018), Cohen has also received the Charles Deering McCormick Professorship for teaching excellence. She co-edits the Modern British Histories book series for Cambridge University Press and contributes to academic discourse through editorial boards like Past & Present.