Biography

Joëlle Rollo-Koster was born and raised in the town of Toulon located on the southern French Mediterranean coast. She received her undergraduate degree and master’s degree in history from the University of Nice, France.

After moving to the United States, Professor Rollo-Koster enrolled at SUNY Binghamton where she studied with Richard C. Trexler, one of the founders of behaviorist history. Following her social science track, she earned her Ph.D. focusing on the social and demographic history of the papal city of Avignon, capital of Christianity between 1309- 1378. Her thesis, “The People of Curial Avignon: A Critical Edition of the Liber Divisionis and the lists of Matriculation of the Confraternity of Notre Dame la Majour,” analyzed three late medieval censuses where she collected data on some 8,000 individuals. This data framed her early research and publications.

Having studied total history, along with applied social scientific methodologies to text and documentation, Professor Rollo-Koster considers herself a social scientist, one who analyzes long-term effects, mentalities, demography, geography, economic conditions, etc. She retired from URI in July 2026 but is still scholarly active.

RECENT AWARDS and HONORS
Chevalier des Palmes Académiques (2016)
University of Rhode Island Research and Scholarship Excellence Award: Advanced Career Faculty, in the Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities (2017)
EURIAS Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (2017-2018)
URI Foundation Scholarly Excellence Award (2018)
Fellow, Medieval Academy of America (2024)

RECENT NEWS
“Medieval Europe was far from democratic, but that didn’t mean tyrants got a free pass,” The Conversation, April 12, 2024. https://theconversation.com/medieval-europe-was-far-from-democratic-but-that-didnt-mean-tyrants-got-a-free-pass-227214

“Gifts that live on, from best bodices to money for bridge repairs: Women’s wills in medieval France give a glimpse into their surprising independence,” for The Conversation.  

TEDEd – Why were there three popes at the same time? at https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-were-there-three-popes-at-the-same-time-joelle-rollo-koster published May 11, 2023.

February 2025, “Papal elections aren’t always as dramatic as ‘Conclave’ – but the history behind the process is” for The Conversation at https://theconversation.com/papal-elections-arent-always-as-dramatic-as-conclave-but-the-history-behind-the-process-is-242958

February 2025, As Catholics Pray for Pope Francis, Cardinals Are Divided on the Church’s Future at https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2025-02-28/pope-francis-catholic-church-conclave-future

February 24, 2025, “Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon” for The Conversation at https://theconversation.com/butchers-bakers-candlestick-makers-and-prostitutes-the-women-working-behind-the-scenes-in-papal-avignon-249345

March 28, 2025, “From censorship to curiosity: Pope Francis’ appreciation for the power of history and books,” for The Conversation at https://theconversation.com/from-censorship-to-curiosity-pope-francis-appreciation-for-the-power-of-history-and-books-250734

May 19, 2025: How Popes Died in the Middle Ages: Ritual, Power, and Performance at https://www.medievalists.net/2025/05/popes-died-middle-ages/

January 28, 2026, “Montaillou to ICE: The Medieval Roots of Snitching,” at https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/montaillou-to-ice-the-medieval-roots-of-snitching/

April 15, 2026, “Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000 year old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?” at The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/trumps-clash-with-the-pope-reenacts-a-1-000-year-old-question-what-happens-when-sacred-and-secular-power-collide-280548

April 2026, “Marc Bloch’s Feudal Society: Why It Still Matters Today,” at Medievalists.net, https://www.medievalists.net/2026/04/marc-bloch-feudal-society/

April 2026, “Avignon as Threat: How a Medieval Myth Became a Modern Weapon,” at Medievalists.net, https://www.medievalists.net/2026/05/avignon-papacy/

October 2026: “‘The Uprising’ shows how medieval people weren’t so obedient after all,” at The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/the-uprising-shows-how-medieval-people-werent-so-obedient-after-all-290576