Jennifer Harris

Jennifer Harris is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Waterloo, where she maintains the department blog Words in Place. She holds a PhD and two MA degrees (English and Women's Studies) from York University, and a BA from the University of Western Ontario. Professionally, she serves as interim editor of the Canadian Review of American Studies, and has held leadership roles including American Literatures Director of the Northeast Modern Language Association and President of the Canadian Association of American Studies.

Her research focuses on late 18th and 19th-century American literature, African American literature, print culture, and the recuperation of overlooked writers. She specializes in figures with trans-border Canada-US connections and methodologies that expand our understanding of historical print cultures. Her creative work includes poetry and children's literature, though these are distinct from her academic research.

Harris's publications predominantly explore 19th-century literary recovery, African American print culture, and Black Canadian literary history, with frequent contributions to journals like Legacy, Canadian Literature, and African American Review. Her scholarship consistently demonstrates innovative approaches to reconstructing marginalized voices through archival research and textual analysis.

Her notable awards include:

• Fulbright Fellowship at New York University
• SSHRC Standard Research Grant (2007-2010)
• SSHRC Aid to Small University Grant
• Honorable Mention, Darwin T. Turner Award
• Honorable Mention, Canadian Committee on Migration Article Prize
• Honorable Mention, Joe Weixlmann Award

Harris supervises graduate students in nineteenth-century American literature, African American literature, and American Studies. Current research examines understudied African American authors, continuing her commitment to expanding literary canons through recovery scholarship.