Robin Fleming

Robin Fleming is a medieval historian, professor of history at Boston College, and a 2013 MacArthur Fellow. She is an accomplished writer of numerous books that focus on the daily lives and lifestyles of the people of England around the time of the Roman Empire and early medieval times. By working hand-in-hand with archaeologists she has been able to piece together details of their lives that may otherwise be overlooked.

When asked if she becomes emotionally invested in her research, she replied:

"Absolutely. I feel it’s my job to let people speak who have been forgotten and ignored. . . . It’s really hard in my period to get beyond kings and bishops and really . . . important people. But there were all these other people who had lives that were just as important. I want to speak for them."


Fleming received her B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1977 and 1984.[2] She has been the recipient of several awards honoring her groundbreaking research, from the following institutions: The Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute of advanced studies at Harvard University, the Bunting Institute for advanced study (1993–94), the Harvard Society of Fellows, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.