Flora Cassen

Flora Cassen is an Associate Professor in the departments of History and Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds a PhD in Jewish history from New York University. Her research focuses on early modern Jewish life in Italy and the Spanish Empire, exploring themes like anti-Judaism, symbolism, and colonial narratives. She is the author of Marking the Jews in Renaissance Italy: Politics, Religion, and the Power of Symbols (Cambridge UP, 2017) and is currently translating Joseph ha-Kohen’s Sefer ha-India ha-ḥadasha, supported by a NEH grant. Her work bridges academia and the public through publications in Haaretz, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Conversation.

• Education: PhD, New York University (Jewish History); MA, Brandeis University (Comparative History); BA, Brussels (History & Law).
• Key Projects: Translation of colonial-era Hebrew texts challenging Spanish imperialism, and a forthcoming book on antisemitism.
• Awards: $299,000 NEH grant for collaborative translation work.

Her research highlights marginalized voices, such as Sephardic Jews and colonial subjects, using interdisciplinary methods to reinterpret historical narratives. She previously taught at the University of Vermont and UNC Chapel Hill.