Erik Mathisen

Dr. Erik Mathisen is a Senior Lecturer in US History and Subject Lead for History at the University of Kent's School of History. He specializes in 19th-century US history with a focus on slavery, emancipation, and labor in the Atlantic World. Previously, he taught at Queen Mary University of London and holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.

His research explores the intersections of political, intellectual, and social history. Key works include The Loyal Republic: Traitors, Slaves and the Remaking of Citizenship in Civil War America (2018), examining citizenship during the Civil War, and an upcoming project on free labor and global capitalism in the 19th-century Atlantic World.

• Research Projects: Supported by Leverhulme Trust and Gilder Lehrman Center fellowships.
• Teaching: Leads modules on U.S. history, Civil War Reconstruction, and Atlantic slavery.
• Awards: Leverhulme Trust Fellowship (2019), Gilder Lehrman Center Fellowship (2020).

His publications span journals like Journal of the Civil War Era and Journal of the Early Republic, with a focus on legal and economic dimensions of slavery, Reconstruction, and labor history.