Ellen Feingold

Ellen Feingold serves as an Affiliate Researcher at Georgetown University and is the curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. She holds a DPhil in History and MSc in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford.

Her educational background includes:

• DPhil in History, University of Oxford
• MSc in Economic and Social History, University of Oxford

Dr. Feingold's research focuses on the historical and socio-legal dimensions of monetary systems, with core expertise in the history of money and monetary objects, counterfeiting and forgery practices, and legal institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. She is the author of two seminal works: Colonial Justice and Decolonization in the High Court of Tanzania, 1920-1971 (2018) and The Value of Money (2015), the latter inspiring a major museum exhibit. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges economic history, legal anthropology, and material culture studies.

Dr. Feingold actively engages with academic discourse through publications in the Journal of West African History and Economic History of Developing Regions, while also contributing policy perspectives to Politico Magazine and Huffington Post.

She mentors students interested in her research domains and curatorial methodologies, emphasizing hands-on engagement with historical artifacts and archival materials.