Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson is Winthrop Professor of History, Professor of African and African American Studies, and Director of the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History at Harvard University. He teaches and researches on the topics of law, slavery, capitalism, and political economy. His books Soul by Soul (1999) and River of Dark Dreams: Slavery and Empire in the Cotton Kingdom (2013) are the recipients of numerous awards. His publications have appeared in such journals as Atlantic Studies; Transition and Journal of the Early Republic, as well as The New York Times, Boston Review and The Atlantic. Johnson previously served as Chair of the Project on Justice, Welfare, and Economics at Harvard and Director of the American Studies program at New York University, and is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. He holds a BA in History from Amherst College, a Postgraduate Diploma in History from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in American History from Princeton University.