Charlotte Rossler is a historian of the British Empire, the history of science, and women’s and gender studies. Her current book project highlights the role of performance in the history of the popularization of scientific racism in the 19th century in Britain and beyond. The project considers how the act of performance modifies ideas of race and how live performance enabled people of color to contest the development of scientific racism. It also emphasizes the importance of local, provincial spaces over conventional metropolitan ones.
In her classroom, students can expect to examine primary sources, ask questions about race, gender, sex, sexuality, and disability, and see how dynamics of colonialism and imperialism continue to impact our contemporary world. She encourages open discussion with the aim of seeing what perspective each student brings to bear on our sources and material, and to develop student voice in their writing and research.
Areas of Expertise
- History of Europe, particularly the British Empire
- History of Science
- History of Race, particularly Scientific Racism
- Scientific Popularization History
- Women’s and Gender History
- LGBTQ+ History
Courses Taught
- HIST 114 Modern Europe
- HIST 150 Gender and Sexuality in the British Empire
- HIST 248 Decolonization
- HIST 250 History of Science, Medicine, and Technology
- HIST/GWS 334 Sex and Race in the Age of Empire
Accomplishments
- Huntington Library Exchange Fellowship with New College, Oxford (2021)
Research Interests
- I am particularly interested in the history of scientific racism, especially how ideas of race in science were popularized and contested by audiences and performers. This has led me to examine the role of performance in popularizing racist hierarchy through media such as lectures, human exhibitions or human zoos, and theatre. I am also interested in histories of gender, sex, and sexuality, especially how these categories were developed, popularized, and contested within science and in popular culture.
Education
- Ph.D., Stony Brook University
- B.A., University of Detroit Mercy