Mona Lesley Siegel is an American scholar, author, and historian whose primary focus is on international feminism, peace, and democracy in Europe and around the world. She is a professor at California State University Sacramento. Siegel has written for and been interviewed by numerous news media on issues ranging from

paid family leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity le ...

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

to the history of

global feminism Global feminism is a feminist theory closely aligned with post-colonial theory and postcolonial feminism. It concerns itself primarily with the forward movement of women's rights on a global scale. Using different historical lenses from the lega ...

Biography

Mona Lesley Siegel received her Ph.D. in history from the

University of Wisconsin, Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, in 1996. In 2004,

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

published Siegel's book ''The Moral Disarmament of France: Education, Pacifism, and Patriotism, 1914-1940,'' which examines the role of French schoolteachers in fostering French patriotism in the interwar years. The book was awarded the 2006

History of Education Society The History of Education Society is an "international scholarly society devoted to promoting and teaching the history of education across institutions." The Society was founded in 1960. Its journal is the ''History of Education Quarterly''. Hist ...

Outstanding Book Award. In 2019, Siegel co-wrote, along with Dorothy Sue Cobble, an article for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' discussing the state of the contemporary debate on paid parental leave and discussing the history of paid parental leave policies. Siegel's articles have also appeared in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', and elsewhere. In January 2020, Siegel published a second book with

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

entitled ''Peace On Our Terms: The Global Battle for Women's Rights after the First World War'', which examines women's global activism for democracy and peace after World War I.

Awards and fellowships

From 1993 to 1994, Siegel was a Peace Scholar through the

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American Federal government of the United States, federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individual ...

, receiving funding for her dissertation, "Lasting Lessons: War, Peace and Patriotism in French Primary Schools, 1914-1939." Siegel was awarded the

Peace History Society The Peace History Society is an American scholarly society, affiliated to the American Historical Association, which defines its purpose as "The scholarly study of the deep-rooted causes of peace and war and the means to secure and maintain nonviole ...

's 2011-2012 DeBenedetti Prize in Peace History for her article “Western Feminism and Anti-Imperialism: The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's Anti-Opium Campaign." The Peace History Society also awarded her the Elise M. Boulding Prize in Peace History for ''Peace On Our Terms: The Global Battle for Women's Rights after the First World War'' (2020). In 2016 and 2018, Siegel received grants from the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

for "archival research leading toward completion of a book on feminist activism and peace negotiations at the end of World War I."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegel, Mona L. University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni California State University, Sacramento faculty Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) American women historians 20th-century American historians 21st-century American historians 20th-century American women 21st-century American women