Rebecca Fraser

Rebecca Fraser is a Professor of American History & Culture at the University of East Anglia, affiliated with the School of Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies. She leads the AHRC-funded network 'Black Female Intellectuals in the Historical and Contemporary Context' (2019-2021) and has held roles such as Employability Director and Athena Swan/EDI Co-Lead. Her research focuses on intersections of race, gender, and sexuality in 19th-century America, emphasizing Black female intellectuals, enslavement, and Reconstruction.

Her key projects include Black Female Intellectuals in Nineteenth Century America: Born to Bloom Unseen? (2022), which redefines Black intellectualism through figures like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. Earlier works explore enslaved relationships and antebellum gender identity. Fraser’s awards include the Arthur Miller Prize (2005) and an Engagement Award (2013).

Her articles analyze topics like post-emancipation family reunification, Christmas traditions among enslaved communities, and Black women’s literary activism. Fraser actively contributes to public engagement through exhibitions, lectures, and interdisciplinary collaborations, including work on Elizabeth Keckley, an enslaved seamstress turned abolitionist figure.