Naomi Makowska [WORKING]

: How religious institutions like the Inquisition affected the daily lives of women.

In a rare response, Makowska addressed this in a newsletter (another medium she has mastered): “I never claim my life is the only way. I show a version . I pay for that flat with the work I do. The critique of privilege is valid, but it also erases the 7 years I spent sharing a 300-square-foot apartment with three roommates. I show the result, not the struggle, because I don’t owe anyone my trauma.”

If you want to focus this article on a specific angle, let me know if you would prefer to explore: Her detailed findings on Her contributions to the digital humanities and SSEMWG

Earned from the University of Toronto.

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By analyzing local Inquisition trial records, Makowska demonstrates that women formed collective, covert networks. Neighbors, friends, family members, and clients gathered to pass down forbidden practical knowledge. These networks served as critical systems of mutual support, emotional refuge, and localized autonomy. Contribution to Historiography and Book Reviews

Dr. Naomi Makowska’s scholarship injects critical nuance into European gender history. By bridging the gap between institutional religious history and the social history of the occult, her work illustrates that the "forbidden knowledge" of the early modern era was a complex form of social currency. Through her continuing output, Dr. Makowska ensures that the voices of the 507 women of Modena—and thousands like them across early modern Europe—are no longer silenced by the archives of the courts that condemned them.

is a prominent historian of early modern Italy whose groundbreaking research centers on the intersections of gender, religion, and underground knowledge production. Professionally recognized for her deep archival work with Inquisition records, Makowska serves as a Web Editor for the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender (SSEMWG) . Her academic contributions challenge traditional historical narratives by re-centering the lives, agency, and covert defiance of women in the 16th and 17th centuries. Academic Background and Credentials

As she continues to make her mark on the fashion industry, there's no doubt that Naomi Makowska will become a household name. With her stunning looks, captivating personality, and commitment to her craft, she is sure to inspire a generation of fashion enthusiasts and aspiring models around the world. : How religious institutions like the Inquisition affected

Search for on any visual platform, and you will immediately notice a pattern: warmth, grain, and silence. Her editing style favors film-like overlays, desaturated greens, and soft contrasts. She has explicitly mentioned in interviews that she studies the works of 1960s European cinema directors to inform her framing.

Through meticulous archival work, Makowska demonstrates that these non-elite women relied on collective exchange. Forbidden knowledge was a currency passed among:

She later pursued advanced doctoral research at in Kingston, Ontario, where she successfully defended her PhD dissertation in November 2025. Her high-caliber research has garnered competitive backing from premier provincial and national funding bodies, including:

Scholar Spotlight: Naomi Makowska

Throughout her academic career, Makowska's research has achieved recognition and backing from premier funding agencies. Her exploration into European gender history has been supported by prestigious provincial and federal organizations, including:

Where previous historical schools viewed these trials merely as evidence of systematic oppression, Makowska reads between the lines of the inquisitorial testimonies. Her dissertation, Women's Production and Exchange of Forbidden Knowledge... , reveals that despite the pervasive threat of detection, these women engineered a "vibrant and magical landscape".

(Eds. Elizabeth S. Cohen and Marlee J. Couling, Amsterdam University Press, 2023). Review Summary