Katherine Turk

Katherine Turk is a Professor of History and Adjunct Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies. Her work bridges historical scholarship with public engagement, focusing on gender, labor, and legal history in the modern United States.

Education:

• PhD, The University of Chicago (2011)
• MA, The University of Chicago (2007)
• BA, Northwestern University (2004)

Turk’s research explores the intersections of women’s history, gender and sexuality, labor movements, and legal frameworks. Her notable publications include analyses of feminized labor, public service workers, and feminist activism in the 1970s, alongside foundational studies on LGBTQ+ rights and NOW’s role in shaping liberal feminism. Current projects examine debates over feminized labor and the intellectual history of women’s studies.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• 2023 Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
• 2017 Mary Jurich Nickliss Prize
• 2018-19 Mary I. Bunting Fellow at Harvard Radcliffe Institute
• 2011-12 Jerome Hall Postdoctoral Fellow
• Elected to the Society of American Historians (2024)

Turk has advised graduate students such as Kate McHugh, Hannah Fuller, and Hooper Schultz, often collaborating with faculty like Erik Gellman and Benjamin Waterhouse. Her research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and American Society for Legal History.