Scholar - Women Also Know History

Participant Info

Keywords: High Middle Ages, Western Europe, Mediterranean, Latin East, crusades, Christianity, twelfth century, historiography, medieval

About Me: Dr. Garnhart-Bushakra is an early-career historian whose research focuses on the crusades, masculinity, bereavement and memorialization in poetry, and the Classical legacy during the twelfth century. Recently, she completed a postdoctoral lectureship and taught introductory courses on world history and Western civilizations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Alexandra now serves as the academic program manager for the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University, where she oversees undergraduate curriculum and enrollment, as well as an instructor of medieval Europe and the Mediterranean.

She earned her B.A. in history (honors) and Classical studies from Whitman College and her M.A. in history from UT-Knoxville. She also holds a doctorate in history from UT-Knoxville, where her dissertation received the Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies’ 2019-20 Jimmy and Dee Haslam Dissertation Prize and the Department of History’s 2022-21 Award for Excellence in Gender Studies. While an instructor, she earned her home department’s Susan Becker Award and the UT Graduate Student Senate’s recognition for excellence in teaching. Beyond her research, Alexandra is interested in humanities-related outreach, such as judging for History Day competitions, and she has previously served on the UT Chancellor’s Commission for Women.

Recent Publications: Garnhart-Bushakra, Alexandra. Review of Emotions in Crusading Context, 1095-1291, by Stephen J. Spencer (Oxford: University of Oxford Press, 2019). Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies 52 (2021): 285-288.

Access through Project Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/837151.%C2%A0%C2%A0.