Randy J. Sparks

Dr. Randy J. Sparks is Professor of History and Clement Chambers Benenson Professor in American Colonial History at Tulane University. His research explores the Atlantic World with focus on the slave trade, racial dynamics, and religious history of the American South.

Research reconstructs African and African-American experiences through rare firsthand accounts, examining slave trade operations, racial hierarchies, and cultural survival. Notable works analyze African port societies and transatlantic enslavement odysseys.

Current projects investigate US involvement in illegal slave trading and freedom suits across Atlantic societies. Teaching covers American religious history, southern autobiography, and legal history.