Jared Ross Hardesty

Jared Ross Hardesty serves as Professor of History at Western Washington University, specializing in colonial America, the Atlantic world, and the histories of labor and slavery.

His research interrogates systems of unfreedom and dependence across colonial societies, with particular focus on urban centers like Boston and the broader New England region. Hardesty's work reveals how slavery and labor exploitation shaped social hierarchies and economic structures throughout the Atlantic world during the 18th century.

His publications demonstrate rigorous engagement with primary sources and interdisciplinary methodologies. The monographs Unfreedom (2016), Black Lives, Native Lands, White Worlds (2019), and Mutiny on the Rising Sun (2021) establish him as a leading voice in slavery studies, while his 2024 editorial work on Stedman's Suriname writings expands access to critical colonial-era documentation. His scholarship consistently bridges local case studies with transnational historical frameworks.