Benjamin Schmidt

Benjamin Schmidt serves as Professor of History and Jon Bridgman Endowed Professor at the University of Washington, specializing in Europe's global engagements during the early modern period (c. 1450-1750). His interdisciplinary work bridges cultural history, visual/material studies, and the history of science to examine colonial encounters and knowledge production.

His educational background includes:

• PhD, Harvard University
• MA, Harvard University
• BA, Columbia University

Schmidt's research centers on Atlantic World dynamics, comparative colonialisms, and early modern globalism, with particular focus on Dutch imperial imagination, material culture, and the construction of exoticism. He analyzes how European societies represented non-European worlds through cartography, travel literature, and museum practices, emphasizing entangled global networks and the material dimensions of knowledge exchange.

His publications reveal a consistent trajectory exploring European-world interactions, evolving from Dutch-New World encounters to broader studies of globalization, artistic exchange, and climate history. Recent works extend into Netherlandish art globalization and cultural histories of the Little Ice Age, maintaining his core focus on early modern Europe's global entanglements while incorporating environmental perspectives.

His scholarly impact has been recognized through significant awards:

• Renaissance Society of America’s Gordan Prize
• Holland Society’s Hendricks Prize

Professor Schmidt actively mentors graduate students through specialized fields in Early Modern European History and Comparative Colonialisms, guiding research on Atlantic World colonialism and European-Asian imperial comparisons. His current projects 'Mediating the World' and 'Seeing, Mapping, and Narrating the Cold' indicate ongoing grant-supported research, though specific funding details remain unpublicized. He regularly teaches courses including 'Exploration and Empire' and 'Spain and Its Golden Age,' demonstrating sustained pedagogical engagement.