Wendy Lower is an American historian specializing in modern European history, with a focus on the Holocaust, Nazi Germany, and genocide studies. She serves as a professor of History at the University of Miami and holds the John and Catherine MacArthur Chair in the Humanities. Lower earned her Ph.D. in History from Harvard University, where she also completed her undergraduate studies.
Her scholarly work examines the roles of ordinary individuals and institutions in the perpetration of mass violence. Notable publications include:
- "Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields" (2013) – a monograph that investigates the participation of German women in Nazi atrocities, challenging previous assumptions about gendered involvement in the Holocaust.
- "The Holocaust and the Nazi War Machine: The Role of Forced Labor in the Extermination of European Jewry" (2008) – a study analyzing the economic dimensions of the Holocaust and the integration of forced labor into the Nazi war effort.
- "The Routledge Handbook of Holocaust Studies" (co‑edited, 2020) – a comprehensive reference work covering various aspects of Holocaust research.
Lower has contributed articles to peer‑reviewed journals such as The Journal of Modern History, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and Central European History. She has also appeared in documentary films and public lectures, providing expert commentary on Holocaust historiography and memory.
Her research has been recognized with several awards, including the National Jewish Book Award for Hitler's Furies and fellowships from institutions such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies. Lower's work is widely cited in academic literature and has influenced contemporary understandings of gender dynamics and civilian participation in state-sponsored mass murder.
