Elisabeth McMahon

Dr. Elisabeth McMahon is a Professor of History at Tulane University, specializing in East African history with focus on slavery, emancipation, identity formation, and gender dynamics in coastal Islamic communities. Her research utilizes court records to analyze social transformations during emancipation periods.

Her research examines gendered social dynamics of emancipation across societal strata, using legal archives to document how former slaves reconstructed social identities. Current projects investigate emotional frameworks in Swahili coastal life (19th-20th centuries), model villages as development tools in Africa (1850-2011), and colonial/postcolonial development history.

Publications demonstrate consistent focus on African agency during colonial transitions, particularly through legal systems. Recent work (2020-2024) emphasizes women's experiences, labor systems, and development policy impacts.

Teaching emphasizes experiential learning through biography and memoir to humanize African historical experiences. Courses include Introduction to African History, Southern African History, History of Development, and seminars on gender and archival methods partnering with the Amistad Research Center.