Dr. Deborah Kamen

Biography

Deborah Kamen is a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Washington. She received her Ph.D. in Classics from UC Berkeley in 2005, following a Master of Studies in Greek History from Oxford in 1999, and a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Languages from Bryn Mawr in 1998. Her research interests center on Greek cultural and social history, with a particular focus on the themes of slavery, gender, and sexuality in antiquity. Kamen has authored several significant works, including 'Status in Classical Athens' (Princeton University Press, 2013) which examines social legal statuses in ancient Athens and critiques the rigid classification common in classical scholarship. Her book, 'Insults in Classical Athens' (University of Wisconsin Press, 2020), analyses the spectrum of insults in ancient Athens, from benign mockery to serious affronts. In her recent publication, 'Greek Slavery' (De Gruyter, 2023), Kamen surveys current trends and debates in Greek slavery studies. She has also contributed to the field through her commentaries on Isaeus' Orations and Pseudo-Demosthenes' Neaira. Kamen co-edited the volume 'Slavery and Sexuality in Classical Antiquity' (University of Wisconsin Press, 2021) and has been active in the Lambda Classical Caucus, promoting LGBTQ+ scholarship in classical studies.

Research Interests