Nara Milanich

Nara Milanich is Professor and Chair of History at Barnard College, Columbia University, where she has been a faculty member since 2004. She is a distinguished historian specializing in modern Latin America, with particular expertise in Chile, and the comparative histories of family, gender, childhood, reproduction, law, and social inequality. Her scholarship bridges historical analysis with contemporary social issues, making significant contributions to multiple fields.

Professor Milanich earned her B.A. from Brown University in 1994 and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University in 2002. Her academic journey has led to numerous prestigious appointments and fellowships, reflecting her standing as a leading scholar in her field.

Her research interests span Latin American history, comparative family and kinship studies, childhood studies, gender and reproduction, legal history, and social inequality. Milanich approaches these topics through a historical lens that reveals how contemporary issues have deep historical roots, particularly evident in her groundbreaking work on paternity. Her scholarship consistently demonstrates how seemingly biological or natural phenomena are deeply embedded in social, cultural, and political contexts.

Professor Milanich's publications reveal a consistent focus on the intersections of family, law, and social inequality in Latin American contexts. Her work shows increasing attention to the politics of reproduction and paternity, culminating in her influential book Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father. While her early work focused more narrowly on Chilean history, her recent scholarship takes a more comparative approach across Latin America and beyond, examining transnational themes in family law and reproductive politics.

• Columbia University, Heyman Center Society of Fellows (2015-16)
• ACLS Burkhardt Fellowship (2014-15)
• Grace Abbott Book Award from the Society for the History of Children and Youth (2009) for Children of Fate

Professor Milanich actively mentors graduate students in Latin American History at Columbia University and has directed the Masters in Latin American Studies program. Her research has been generously supported by major funding organizations including Fulbright, the Social Science Research Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, UNESCO, and the American Council of Learned Societies. Beyond traditional academic work, she demonstrates a strong commitment to public scholarship and social justice through her writing for major publications and direct activism.

While Professor Milanich does not lead a formal laboratory (as is common in historical disciplines), she is deeply involved in scholarly communities and initiatives. She serves on the editorial boards of the Hispanic American Historical Review and Historia (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), and is a founding member of REHIAL (Red de Estudios de Historia de las Infancias en América Latina). Her collaborative work extends to co-founding the Dream Act Faculty Alliance and working with the Dilley Pro Bono Project to support undocumented immigrants and refugees.