Dr Emily Michelson

About the Author

Dr. Emily Michelson is a distinguished historian and scholar of early modern Europe, specializing in the intersections of religion, culture, and identity during the Renaissance and Reformation periods. With a PhD from Harvard University, she has held prestigious fellowships at institutions such as the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Newberry Library, where her research delves into the complex dynamics of Jewish-Christian relations in Counter-Reformation Rome. Michelson's work illuminates the strategies of resistance and adaptation employed by marginalized communities amid religious upheaval, offering fresh perspectives on power, spectacle, and survival. Her acclaimed book, Catholic Spectacle and Rome's Jews: Early Modern Conversion and Resistance, exemplifies her rigorous approach, blending archival depth with narrative flair to challenge traditional historiographical narratives. Beyond academia, she contributes to public discourse on religious tolerance and historical memory through lectures and essays.