Carla Freccero, distinguished professor and chair of the literature department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, passed away on January 28. She was 69 years old.
A two-time Ivy League graduate, Dr. Freccero earned her bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in Renaissance studies from Yale University. She began her academic career at another Ivy League institution, Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where she taught in the department of French and Italian.
In 1991, Dr. Freccero began her tenure at UC Santa Cruz. Throughout the next three decades, she served in several leadership roles, including chair of the literature department, chair of the history of consciousness department, founding member of what is now The Humanities Institute, director of the Center for Cultural Studies, and associate dean and interim dean for humanities. In addition to her primary appointment in literature, Dr. Freccero was affiliated with the women’s studies/feminist studies program.
As a scholar, Dr. Freccero conducted extensive research on gender, feminism, and queer studies. She also explored topics such as animal studies and early modern ideas about cannibals, which intersected with issues of colonialism, race, and questions about monstrosity. Her work led to numerous publications, including Popular Culture: An Introduction (New York University Press, 1999), Premodern Sexualities (Routledge, 1996), and Queer/Early/Modern (Duke University Press, 2006).