In Memoriam: Sonya Orleans Rose, 1935-2020

Sonya Orleans Rose, professor emerita of history, sociology, and women’s and gender studies at the University of Michigan, died on October 15 at her home in Sarasota, Florida. She was 84 years old.

Dr. Rose joined the University of Michigan faculty as a professor of history and sociology in 1993. In 1995, she received an additional appointment as a professor of women’s studies. In 2002, Dr. Rose was appointed the Natalie Zemon Davis Collegiate Professor of History, Sociology, and Women’s Studies. She also served terms as associate chair and chair of the department of history.

Before coming to Michigan, Dr. Rose served on the faculty of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. There, she was associate dean of faculty, associate dean of the college, and chair of the sociology department.

Professor Rose was the author of several books including Limited Livelihoods: Gender and Class in Nineteenth-Century England (University of California Press, 1992) and Which People’s War: National Identity and Citizenship in Britain, 1939-1945 (Oxford University Press, 2003).

Professor Rose was a graduate of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She held a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She retired from the University of Michigan in 2006.