Kristin Olbertson
Pronouns
Title
Discipline
Educational Background
- Ph.D., History, University of Michigan (2005)
- J.D., University of Michigan School of Law (2000)
- B.A., History, Carleton College (1994)
Rank
Associate Professor
My career at Alma began in
I'm an expert in
My expertise:
U.S. history through the Reconstruction era; U.S. legal, Constitutional, and women’s history
Signature course(s):
Recent publications:
The Dreadful Word: Criminal Speech and Polite Gentlemen in Massachusetts, 1690-1776 (March 2022), Cambridge University Press.
“Religion and Rights in 19th-Century American Law.” American Journal of Legal History Vol. 20. Issue 1 (2013)
“‘She Steadfastly Accused Him in the Time of Her Travail’: Women’s Words and Paternity Suits in Eighteenth-Century Massachusetts.” Cardozo Journal of Law and Gender Vol. 19, Issue 1 (Fall 2012).
Recent presentations:
“Alleging Fear: The Proof & Politics of Marital Violence Cases in 18th-Century New England,” at the American Historical Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 2023.
“Summoned to Speak: Women’s Testimony in 18th-Century Massachusetts Courts,” at Gendering News in the Early Modern World Conference, Durham University, August 2022.
“Bodies of Evidence: Women’s Words and Women’s Bodies in 18th-Century New England,” at the American Society for Legal History Conference, November 2021.
Other recent accomplishments:
Fellow at the Bright Institute, Knox College, 2022-2024.