Elizabeth Dillenburg

Research Interests

• European History
• Britain and the British Empire
• Global History
• Gender and Sexuality
• Childhood Studies

Education

• PhD History University of Minnesota
• MA History Marquette University
• BA History/Psychology Marquette University

Elizabeth Dillenburg is an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University. She specializes in the history of modern Europe with a particular focus on the history of Britain and the British Empire. She teaches courses on European and global history, gender history, the history of childhood, and the history of colonialism.  

Along with Professor María Hammack, Professor Dillenburg is currently co-chairing Ohio State's Center for Historical Research 2025-27 program on "Bridging Global Lenses on Servitude & Unfree Labor: From Ancient Times to the Present."

Research

Dr. Elizabeth Dillenburg is an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University at Newark. Her research focuses on historical memory and the history of colonialism, gender, and childhood. In her book, Empire’s Daughters: Girlhood, Whiteness, and the Colonial Project, she uncovers how girls and ideas of girlhood played a pivotal role in shaping identities, cultures, and power structures across the British Empire. Her current research investigates the contested meanings of public monuments and explores how communities interpret, experience, and debate the enduring legacies of colonialism. Professor Dillenburg is deeply committed to public history and community-engaged historical projects. She previously volunteered at the Minnesota Historical Society, contributing to a special issue of its publication, Minnesota History, that commemorated the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment. She also collaborated with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota to develop a traveling exhibit on women's suffrage in 2019. She serves as the Resident Scholar for Girl Museum, where she helps develop exhibitions and podcasts that bring scholarship about the diverse histories and experiences of girls to wider audiences.

Awards

• The Ohio State Newark Teaching Excellence Award (Pre-Tenure Category) 2025.
• The Ohio State Newark Scholarly Accomplishment Award (Pre-Tenure Category) 2025.
• The Ohio State Newark Faculty Service Award (Pre-Tenure Category) in 2022.