Deirdre Lyons

Deirdre Lyons is an Earl S. Johnson Instructor of History in the MAPSS program at the University of Chicago's Department of History. She specializes in the history of gender, family, and racial politics in the French Antilles, focusing on slavery and post-emancipation societies. Her research combines archival work in France, Martinique, and Guadeloupe to explore how enslaved and freed populations navigated legal and social systems.

• Education:
  • PhD in History, University of Chicago
  • MA in History and MA in Social Sciences, University of Chicago
  • BA in History, New York University

Her research interests include slavery’s legal and social structures, gendered resistance strategies, and the intersection of family dynamics with colonial policies. Her current book manuscript examines how family became a contested site during and after abolition, emphasizing the agency of enslaved women in shaping post-slavery societies.

Recent awards include fellowships from the Schomburg Center (2024), John Carter Brown Library (2023), and the Omohundro Institute (2022-23). She has also contributed to public history projects, including co-curating exhibitions and consulting for anti-human trafficking NGOs.

Academic service includes roles as Assistant Reviews Editor for the Journal of African History and Tech Officer for the French Colonial Historical Society. Her work bridges academic research with community engagement, emphasizing the global legacies of colonial histories.