Cynthia Herrup
Encyclopedia
Cynthia Herrup is an American
historian
of early modern British
law
who holds the position of Professor of History and Law at the University of Southern California
.
Herrup's writings center primarily on the social history of criminal law
, but she also touches upon the historical impact of gender
and sexuality
. Her first book, The Common Peace: Participation and the Criminal Law in Seventeenth-Century England, examined how communities without lawyers made decisions about law enforcement—it postulated that people as well as lawyers were important in the history of law. Her second book, A House in Gross Disorder: Sex, Law, and the 2nd Earl of Castlehaven (1999), used a notorious trial
to explore how law reflected tensions between genders and generations.
She has held many fellowships, including those from the Folger Shakespeare Library
, the National Humanities Center
, and the Huntington Library.
from 1991 to 1996. From 1995 to 1997, she served on the editorial board of the Journal of Modern History. Herrup was also president of the North American Conference on British Studies from 2003 to 2005.
Until 2005, she served as William Kenneth Boyd Professor of History and Law at Duke University
.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of early modern British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
who holds the position of Professor of History and Law at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Herrup's writings center primarily on the social history of criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
, but she also touches upon the historical impact of gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
and sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. Her first book, The Common Peace: Participation and the Criminal Law in Seventeenth-Century England, examined how communities without lawyers made decisions about law enforcement—it postulated that people as well as lawyers were important in the history of law. Her second book, A House in Gross Disorder: Sex, Law, and the 2nd Earl of Castlehaven (1999), used a notorious trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
to explore how law reflected tensions between genders and generations.
She has held many fellowships, including those from the Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period...
, the National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. It is the only major independent institute for advanced study in all fields of the humanities in the United States. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any...
, and the Huntington Library.
Career
Cynthia Herrup edited the Journal of British StudiesJournal of British Studies
The publication of the , The Journal of British Studies is an academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press aimed at scholars of British culture from the Middle Ages through the present. JBS presents scholarly articles and book reviews from renowned international authors who share...
from 1991 to 1996. From 1995 to 1997, she served on the editorial board of the Journal of Modern History. Herrup was also president of the North American Conference on British Studies from 2003 to 2005.
Until 2005, she served as William Kenneth Boyd Professor of History and Law at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Awards
While teaching at Duke University in 1988, Cynthia Herrup was a recipient of a Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
.