Denise A. Spellberg

Denise A. Spellberg is an Associate Professor of History and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, affiliated with Jewish Studies, Middle Eastern, and Religious Studies programs. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on global Islamic Studies, medieval Islamic history, religious pluralism, and gender dynamics.

• Ph.D., 1989, Columbia University

She has authored two influential books: Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders (2013) and Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: The Legacy of 'A'isha bint Abi Bakr (1994). Her work explores the material culture of monotheisms in the Mediterranean and Islamic historiography.

Spellberg has received prestigious awards, including the Carnegie Foundation Scholarship (2009-10), NEH Fellowship (1992-93), and the 2014 Hamilton Book Award Grand Prize. She has been nominated for seven teaching awards, winning three, and holds recognition from the Writers’ League of Texas and Turkish Women’s Cultural Association.

• Email: spellberg@austin.utexas.edu