Sarah Ifft Decker

Sarah Ifft Decker is an Assistant Professor of History at Rhodes College, specializing in the intersections of gender, religion, and daily life in the medieval Mediterranean. Her teaching emphasizes diverse perspectives in the global Middle Ages, analyzing primary sources to challenge dominant narratives centered on Christian elites. She has published extensively on Jewish women's roles in medieval Catalan cities.

• Education: Ph.D. (Yale, 2017), M.A. (Jewish Theological Seminary, 2011), B.A. (Swarthmore, 2009)

Research focuses on marginalized medieval communities, particularly Jewish women's experiences in economic and legal contexts. Her award-winning book The Fruit of Her Hands examines gendered labor patterns in Barcelona, Girona, and Vic between 1250-1350. Current projects explore Jewish legal adaptation in Christian environments and anti-Judaism in medieval representations.

Academic output reveals interdisciplinary engagement with medieval economic networks, family law, and interfaith dynamics. Articles span topics like credit systems, marriage patterns, and legal documentation practices across religious communities in the Iberian Peninsula.

Recipient of the prestigious 2024 La corónica International Book Award for her scholarship on medieval women's history. Regular contributor to academic discourse through book reviews in journals like Jewish Historical Studies and Speculum.

Host of the public history podcast Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast, addressing modern interpretations of medieval history since 2018. Actively examining representations of medieval Jews in contemporary media through her article project on cinematic depictions.