Edward Muir

Edward Muir holds the Clarence L. Ver Steeg Professorship in the Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, where he teaches History and Italian. A leading scholar of Italian Renaissance and Early Modern European History, his work focuses on ritual, violence, and social dynamics. He earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1975.

His research spans religious history, urban development, and legal systems, with notable publications including Civic Ritual in Renaissance Venice (1981) and The Culture Wars of the Late Renaissance (2007). He has served as president of major historical societies, including the American Historical Association (2023).

• Education: Ph.D., Rutgers University, 1975
• Editorial Roles: Co-editor of Early Modern History: Culture and Society; founding editor of I Tatti Italian Renaissance History
• Fellowships: Guggenheim, NEH, Harvard’s Villa I Tatti, Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), National Humanities Center

Awarded the Charles Deering McCormick Professorship of Teaching Excellence (2006–2009), Muir is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Academia Europaea. His current research explores trust in Renaissance Italy through a project titled The Delicate Sinews of Trust.