Richard De Prospo

Richard De Prospo is the Ernest A. Howard Professor of English and American Studies at Washington College, directing the American Studies program. With nearly five decades of academic experience, he specializes in revising American literary history through neocolonial frameworks, challenging assumptions of literary continuity. His work emphasizes early American literature's divergence from modern traditions and postcolonial cultural dynamics.

Education: B.A. Yale University (1971), M.A. and Ph.D. University of Virginia (1972, 1977).

Research focuses on early American literature's neocolonial subversion, postcolonial print culture (e.g., Poe analysis), and cross-disciplinary inequality studies. Notable works include *Theism in the Discourse of Jonathan Edwards* (1985), *Poe's Difference* (2019), and the forthcoming *Recolonizing Congo* (2025).

Publications span literary theory, abolitionism, and African American literature. Key articles address pedagogical frameworks, colonial discourse, and psychoanalytic approaches. Honors include an Institute for Advanced Studies Fellowship (1993) and a Dupont Fellowship (1972).

Teaching areas include American literature surveys, American Studies curricula, and popular culture analysis. He co-edited *The Stowe Debate* (1994) and authored critical essays on Franklin, Edwards, and postcolonial themes.