Lara Putnam

Lara Putnam is a Research Professor at the Department of History, University of Pittsburgh. Her work focuses on race, gender, migration, and grassroots social movements in the modern Americas, with special attention to transnational approaches and digital humanities.

Research Interests: She explores the information ecosystems shaping historical research, emphasizing how data creation and absence influence knowledge production. Her projects bridge Caribbean studies, labor history, and Atlantic world analysis, examining intersections of race, capitalism, and anti-racism.

Scientific Awards

• Andrés Ramos Mattei-Neville Hall Article Prize (2014–2015)
• Elsa Goveia Memorial Lecturer (2016)
• ACLS/SSRC/NEH Fellowship (2006)

Recent Publications reflect trends in political activism, suburban/rural organizing, and methodological critiques of data in the digital age. Grants include the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-funded Sawyer Seminar on information supply and power dynamics.