Wilson Center Experts
Sonya Michel
Senior Scholar
United States Studies
Contact Information:
T 202-691-4388
// F 202-691-4001
Expertise:
Democracy
; Gender
; Gender Equality
; History
; U.S. History
; Women's History
; Human Rights
; Women's Rights
; Migration
; Population
; Society and Culture
; Child Care
; Old-age Security
; Race and Ethnicity
; Urban Studies
; U.S. Politics
; North America
; United States
Affiliation:
Professor of History, University of Maryland, College Park
Education
M.A. and Ph.D. in American Civilization, Brown University; B.A. in Philosophy, Barnard College
Honors
Fulbright Senior Scholar, Germany, 2009; Woodrow Wilson Center Fellow, 2005-6; Shelby Cullom Davis Center Fellowship, Princeton University, 1995-96; Social Politics recognized by Library Journal as one of "10 Best New Journals of 1994"; Fulbright Scholar Abroad, Sweden, 1994; National Academy of Education Spencer Fellow, 1989-90; Bunting Institute, Radcliffe College, Fellow, 1989-90.
Experience
Professor of History and Director of the Miller Center for Historical Studies, University of Maryland, College Park; Professor of History and Director of Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and at Urbana-Champaign; founding co-editor of the journal Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society (published by Oxford University Press); member, International Advisory Board for the Nordic Centre of Excellence Project on the Nordic Welfare State: Historical Foundations and Future Challenges; Director, Wilson Center's United States Studies
Expertise
History and contemporary analysis of social policy in the United States and in comparative perspective, with a particular emphasis on child care, work-family balance, care work, and old-age security; race and gender issues; immigration; civil society
Major Publications
- Civil Society and Gender Justice: Historical and Comparative Perspectives, co-edited with Karen Hagemann and Gunilla Budde (Berghahn Books, 2008)
- Child Care at the Crossroads: Gender and Welfare State Restructuring, co-edited with Rianne Mahon (Routledge, 2002)
- Children's Interests / Mothers' Rights: The Shaping of America's Child Care Policy (Yale University Press, 1999)
- Mothers of a New World: Maternalist Politics and the Origins of Welfare States, co-edited with Seth Koven (Routledge, 1993)
- Behind the Lines: Gender and the Two World Wars, co-edited with Margaret Higonnet, Jane Jenson and Margaret Weitz (Yale University Press, 1987)
- The Jewish Woman in America, with Charlotte Baum and Paula Hyman (Dial Press, 1975)
Previous Terms at the Wilson Center:
Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center, 2005-2006;
Director, United States Studies, 2009-2011
Related Content for this Expert
Early Childhood Development: Why it Matters in the U.S. and Worldwide
June 22, 2010 // 12:00pm — 1:15pm
Although research shows it is an excellent investment, federal support for early childhood development (ECD) in the U.S. and in developing countries is inadequate and inconsistent. Lacking comprehensive ECD services, millions of children do poorly in school and grow up to have low incomes and high fertility rates, putting strains on social services and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. more
Foreign Policy Challenges in the 112th Congress: The Global Economy
January 28, 2011 // 9:00am — 10:30am
Experts will discuss how key regions such as China and Europe as well as issues such as immigration and urban growth affect U.S. trade and finance policy. more
Separation of Powers in Russia and Ukraine: A Comparative Perspective
May 18, 2010 // 1:00pm — 5:30pm
Sonya Michel, Director, U.S. Studies, Woodrow Wilson Center; Louis Fisher, Constitutional Law Specialist, Law Library, Library of Congress; Fernando Limongi, Professor of Political Science, University of São Paulo; Jeffrey Anderson, Graf Goltz Professor and Director of the BMW Center for German and European Studies, Georgetown University; William Pomeranz, Deputy Director, Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center; Oleg Rumyantsev, President, Foundation for Constitutional Reforms; Oleksandr Zadorozhnii, Professor of Public International Law, Institute of International Relations, Tara Shevchenko National University of Kyiv; Maria Popova, Assistant Professor of Political Science, McGill University more
Immigration Reform's Hidden Challenge: Who Is Going to Care for the Baby Boomers?
April 06, 2010 // 12:00pm — 1:15pm
As baby boomers start to hit retirement, two-thirds of the states report shortages of certified nursing assistants and 60 percent lack home health aides. Increasingly, health care workers are being recruited from outside the U.S. but run into the barrier of U.S. immigration policy. Leading experts discussed the challenge and potential solutions. more
Terrorism and the Rule of Law: Perspectives from Israel and the United States
November 12, 2010 // 9:00am — 10:00am
The mounting threat of terrorism poses legal challenges to democratic societies. How can they effectively interrogate and detain suspected terrorists, while still protecting basic human rights? Experts from Israel and the United States discussed the challenges of providing an adequate legal framework for contending with the new threat posed by international terrorism in the 21st century and options for future progress. more
Pages
Immigration Reform's Hidden Challenge: Who Is Going to Care for the Baby Boomers?
April 06, 2010 // 12:00pm — 1:15pm
As baby boomers start to hit retirement, two-thirds of the states report shortages of certified nursing assistants and 60 percent lack home health aides. Increasingly, health care workers are being recruited from outside the U.S. but run into the barrier of U.S. immigration policy. Leading experts discussed the challenge and potential solutions.
Pages
Women, Migration and the Work of Care: The United States in Comparative Perspective
Oct 03, 2011A new United States Studies publication, based on the conference: "Temporary Migrant Care Worker Programs in Canada and the EU: Models for the U.S.?"
"Rebuilding the American Food System—One Heirloom Tomato at A Time"
Aug 19, 2011A new U.S. Studies publication examining the challenges and trends in the American food system
Women's Rights, Family Values, and the Polarization of American Political Culture
May 29, 2011 to Jun 04, 2011
host John Milewski is joined by Sonya Michel and Marjorie Spruill for a discussion on the tranformation of American political culture and the women's rights movement in the 1970's.
Women's Rights, Family Values, and the Polarization of American Political Culture
May 09, 2011 to May 15, 2011
Sonya Michel is director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's United States Studies program. Marjorie Spruill is a Wilson Center Fellow and a Professor of History at the University of South Carolina.