Rather than viewing these women merely as passive victims of a patriarchal judicial system, Makowska highlights a vibrant, covert, and localized "magical landscape". Her findings show that early modern women actively built sophisticated underground networks to exchange prohibited supernatural practices, such as:
She completed her PhD in History at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, successfully defending her doctoral dissertation in November 2025 . Her research during this period received funding from prestigious provincial and federal agencies, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) .
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
Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender (SSEMWG) Academic Background : She is a PhD candidate specializing in Early Modern English Literature and Digital Humanities
Beyond the "look" of a project, Makowska focuses on the "why." Her strategic insights help projects reach their target audience through authentic storytelling rather than just algorithmic optimization. naomi makowska
Third, by integrating , Makowska joins a growing movement within history to treat objects as serious sources. This interdisciplinary approach resonates with fields as diverse as archaeology, art history, anthropology, and museum studies.
Dr. Makowska established her academic foundation at the University of Toronto, where she completed both her Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees in History. She subsequently completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in History at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, successfully defending her doctoral dissertation in November 2025.
Unveiling the Magical Underworld: Dr. Naomi Makowska and the Hidden History of Early Modern Women
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The subject of this report is the Professional Make-up Artist active in the German market.
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
The of Canada, a federal agency funding top-tier humanities research.
For readers seeking information on , the authoritative source remains her Queen’s University faculty profile and her published academic work. Other online mentions likely refer to different individuals entirely. is a prominent historian of early modern Italy
Makowska's work sits at the intersection of several rich historical subfields: gender history, the history of religion, and material culture studies. She is particularly interested in the records of the Roman Inquisition—an institution that has historically been studied primarily for its repression of heresy. By examining the testimonies, letters, and legal documents generated by inquisitorial proceedings, Makowska seeks to recover the voices and lived experiences of ordinary women, offering a more textured understanding of how gender, faith, and authority intersected in Counter-Reformation Italy.
The core of Makowska’s scholarship centers on the city of , during a volatile sixty-year window between 1598 and 1658 . Following the Counter-Reformation, early modern Italy was characterized by a heavy culture of surveillance, orchestrated primarily by local religious authorities and the Holy Office (the Inquisition).
is an accomplished historian of early modern Italy whose breakthrough research fundamentally reshapes our understanding of gender, religion, and forbidden knowledge. Her extensive academic career spans prestigious Canadian institutions, including the University of Toronto and Queen's University. In early 2026, her contribution to the academic community was further solidified when she was appointed as the incoming Website Administrator for the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender (SSEMWG).
Makowska has been called "the patron saint of beautiful sadness" ( Artforum ) and "a necessary antidote to the algorithmic image" ( Frieze ). However, she has also faced criticism for what some call "aesthetic over-privileging"—a sense that her work can feel too insulated, too precious. A 2023 review in The Brooklyn Rail argued that her focus on atmospheric erosion sometimes avoids the "gritty, political urgency" of her Polish contemporaries.