معرفی
Dr. Lauren MacIvor Thompson is an Assistant Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies at Kennesaw State University and faculty research fellow at the Georgia State University College of Law's Center for Law, Health, and Society. Her scholarly work bridges historical research with contemporary reproductive rights discourse, examining the complex intersections of medical authority, women's health, and public policy in American history.
Education
- PhD, History, Georgia State University (2016)
- MA, Public History, Georgia State University (2006)
- BA, History, University of Virginia (2003)
Thompson's research focuses on the history of reproductive health, women's rights, and legal frameworks governing bodily autonomy from the 19th through 20th centuries. Her work examines how medical expertise, legal structures, and social movements have shaped access to contraception and abortion throughout American history, with particular attention to the birth control movement's development. She employs interdisciplinary methods drawing from legal history, medical humanities, and gender studies to illuminate historical contexts relevant to contemporary reproductive justice debates.
Her publications reveal consistent themes exploring the relationship between women's bodily autonomy and state regulation, with particular emphasis on how medical authority has been used both to restrict and advance reproductive rights. Thompson's scholarship demonstrates how historical narratives about women's health have been weaponized in legal and political contexts, while also highlighting women's agency in navigating and challenging restrictive systems.
Scientific Awards and Recognition
- Fellowship from American Philosophical Society
- Fellowship from New York Academy of Medicine
- Fellowship from Society for the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
- Nominated for Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Article Prize (2021)
Thompson is an active public intellectual who frequently presents at major historical associations including the American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, American Society for Legal History, and American Association for the History of Medicine. She contributes to public discourse through regular op-eds in major publications and maintains membership in the national Scholars Strategy Network, demonstrating commitment to translating academic research for broader audiences and policy impact.
