Dr. Jane Nicholas

Biography

Jane Nicholas is a Professor in the Department of History at the University of Waterloo, specializing in the history of gender and the modern body. She is the author of 'Modern Girl' and 'Canadian Carnival Freaks Extraordinary Body', both published by the University of Toronto Press. Additionally, she co-edited the volume 'Contesting Bodies Nation Canadian History', contributing to the discourse on feminist pedagogy and the higher education landscape alongside esteemed colleagues such as Patrizia Gentile and Tracy Penny Light. Her research has appeared in numerous academic journals including the Journal of Social History and the Canadian Historical Review, and has been recognized through research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Currently, she is involved in a SSHRC-funded project examining infanticide in the long nineteenth century, and her recent collaboration with Nora Jaffary has resulted in a special issue of the Journal of Social History focused on infanticide in the Americas, expected to publish in Fall 2025. Jane Nicholas also serves as the Chair of the Canadian Committee on Women's and Gender History.

Research Interests