Douglas Flowe

Douglas Flowe is an Associate Professor of History at Washington University, where he also serves as the Dean’s Fellow for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (2025-2027) and a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity. A graduate of the University of Rochester (PhD) and SUNY Geneseo (BA), his scholarship interrogates intersections of criminality, race, masculinity, and urban spaces in American history.

His research focuses on the carceral state and how racialized perceptions of crime shaped the experiences of African American men in New York’s prison systems during the Jim Crow era. He is particularly interested in survivability within oppressive systems, racially discriminatory legal frameworks, and the role of urban environments as pre-carceral spaces. His work has been featured in major media outlets like CNN, PBS, and the History Channel.

Recent publications include analyses of Progressive Era drug policies, prison reform failures, and gentrification’s impact on Black cultural spaces. Awards include the Littleton-Griswold Book Prize (2021), Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship (2021-2022), and multiple university-level diversity and teaching accolades.

• Scientific Awards
  • Littleton-Griswold Book Prize (AHA/ASLH, 2021)
  • Mellon Fellowship (IAS Princeton, 2021-2022)
  • Diversity Advancement Award (WashU, 2024)
  • Provost’s Research Excellence Award (WashU, 2024)
• Professional Service
  • Editorial Board, Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
  • Board of Directors, Urban History Association (2018-2021)
  • Editorial Board, Annuals of the Next Generation Journal