It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Lauren Rabinovitz, Professor Emeritus of American Studies and Cinematic Arts at the University of Iowa. A pioneering feminist scholar of film, television, and American popular culture, Dr. Rabinovitz made lasting contributions that continue to shape the fields of cinema and media studies. Her influential books include For the Love of Pleasure: Women, Movies, and Culture in Turn-of-the-Century Chicago, Points of Resistance: Women, Power, and Politics in the New York Avant-Garde Cinema, 1943–1971, and Electric Dreamland: Amusement Parks, Movies, and American Modernity. She also co-edited Television, History, and American Culture: Feminist Critical Essays, and developed groundbreaking digital projects such as Yesteryear’s Wonderlands and The Rebecca Project, among the earliest to use new media for film analysis.

Beyond her scholarship, Rabinovitz was a dedicated teacher, advisor, and mentor who directed at least 19 dissertations and inspired generations of students. Known for her rigor, generosity, and creativity, she sustained and expanded American Studies at Iowa, serving as department chair from 2000 to 2008. She also provided leadership in the wider field as a member of the original Board of Console-ing Passions and through her work with the Mid-America American Studies Association, where she served as Vice President and President and received the Kolmer Award in 2015.

Her intellectual curiosity extended into food studies, where she illuminated how food practices and politics reveal broader histories of modernization, identity, and culture. Colleagues and students alike remember her not only as a brilliant scholar but as a generous mentor whose guidance and support left a lasting mark.

Dr. Rabinovitz’s legacy endures through her influential publications, innovative projects, and the many students and colleagues she inspired. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, students, and colleagues. She will be greatly missed.