About
Hannah Farber is an Associate Professor at Columbia University specializing in the political economy of colonial North America, the early American republic, and the Atlantic World. Her award-winning book Underwriters of the United States: How Insurance Shaped the American Founding (2021) examines how marine insurance systems influenced American state formation, and she is currently researching civil litigation in The American Lawsuit: Civil Litigation from the Revolution to Tocqueville.
Her academic credentials include:
- Ph.D. in History, University of California, Berkeley (2014)
- B.A., Yale University
Professor Farber's research explores the material foundations of early American society through marine insurance networks, commercial documentation, and legal frameworks. Her work connects economic practices with political development, particularly examining how merchant behavior shaped constitutional structures. Additional interests include early American interest rates and the visual language of commerce, analyzing artifacts like property marks and bills of lading as cultural texts.
Her scholarly output from 2009-2022 demonstrates consistent engagement with Atlantic World systems, covering topics from Barbary Wars diplomacy to bastardy laws. Publications appear in leading venues including Early American Literature, William and Mary Quarterly, and Journal of the Early Republic, reflecting interdisciplinary approaches to economic, legal, and material history.
Professor Farber has received significant recognition including:
- John Lyman Book Award (2021)
- Hagley Prize for Best Book in Business History (2023)
- John M. Murrin Prize for best article (2019)
- National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship (2020)
- Multiple Columbia University research fellowships (2018-2020)
- 15 additional major awards from historical associations and research institutions
Her research has been supported by extensive funding including NEH fellowships, Columbia University grants, and competitive awards from the American Historical Association and Economic History Association. Professor Farber teaches courses on early American law, the Bible in early America, and the early republic, focusing on how commercial practices shaped political identity.
