Naomi Makowska

Makowska’s doctoral dissertation, titled "Women’s Production and Exchange of Forbidden Knowledge in Early Modern Italy," utilizes Inquisition trial records from Modena to reconstruct the lives of women often left out of traditional historical narratives. Her work focuses on:

Her analytical contribution, The Prostitute Saint , focuses on how domestic sculptures of figures like St. Mary Magdalene functioned inside the home, navigating the complex boundaries between female deviancy, penitence, and domestic virtue. Leadership in Digital Humanities and the Wider Field

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Beyond the academy, Makowska’s research has potential appeal for , and educators seeking to present the Inquisition’s history in accessible yet scholarly rigorous ways. Her engagement with material culture, in particular, lends itself to exhibition design and digital humanities projects that bring early modern objects and manuscripts into virtual spaces.

Makowska's expertise also extends to material culture. She co-curated the digital history exhibition, The Sculptures are Watching! Behaving and Misbehaving in the Italian Renaissance Home . naomi makowska

: She earned both her BA and MA in History at the University of Toronto and recently defended her PhD at Queen's University in November 2025.

Her PhD research, titled "Ordinary or Transgressive Women? The Home, the City and the Inquisition in Early Modern Modena," examines the lives of women in Modena, Italy, and their interactions with religious and civic oversight.

: Makowska considers the physical world of early modern women—their homes, clothing, devotional objects, and personal effects—as vital historical evidence. This perspective enriches traditional textual analysis and brings the sensory dimensions of the past into sharper focus.

These networks allowed women to divine the future, protect their households, and assert control over their personal lives. Makowska’s analysis shows that "networking" for lower-class women was a vital survival strategy, providing crucial emotional and practical support during times of crisis. Contributions to Global Gender History Leadership in Digital Humanities and the Wider Field

Her doctoral dissertation offers a deep look into the covert activities of women living in the 16th and 17th centuries:

Naomi Makowska represents a new generation of historians committed to recovering the lives of those who left only fragmentary traces in the archival record. Her PhD research at Queen’s University—examining early modern Italian women and the Inquisition through the lenses of gender, religion, and material culture—demonstrates both scholarly rigor and humanistic compassion. With a peer-reviewed publication already to her name and the guidance of distinguished supervisors, she is well positioned to make lasting contributions to our understanding of the past.

A core pillar of Makowska's work is the exploration of female networks. In patriarchal early modern Europe, elite women left behind letters, diaries, and recipe books. Non-elite women—such as sex workers, single mothers, and magical practitioners—rarely had the means or literacy to record their own lives.

During this tumultuous sixty-year period, Modena experienced significant political and social instability. It was also a hotbed for the Counter-Reformation, resulting in intense clerical surveillance. Between 1598 and 1658, approximately for religious crimes. These offenses included: Makowska's expertise also extends to material culture

Analyzing the, often overlooked, testimonies of women within these records.

Makowska's scholarship primarily explores how early modern women utilized alternative networks to share forbidden healing, magical practices, and supernatural beliefs. Below is an in-depth exploration of her academic background, research findings, and professional contributions to gender and institutional history. Academic Background and Professional Milestones

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Her work draws on to examine how women negotiated the inquisitorial system. Rather than treating these women simply as passive victims of religious persecution, Makowska seeks to recover their agency, resilience, and complex strategies for survival, belief, and self-expression. This approach places her firmly within the interpretive traditions of gender history —a field that emerged in the late twentieth century and has since transformed how historians understand power, patriarchy, and everyday life in premodern societies.

Naomi Makowska’s rise is a testament to the power of versatility. In an era where specialization is often preached, Makowska has found success by diversifying her skill set.

Dr. Makowska’s primary scholarship utilizes a microhistorical approach to study the lives of everyday women in Italy. Her doctoral dissertation explores how women in Modena, Italy, generated and circulated forms of "forbidden knowledge" between the years 1598 and 1658.