Tera W. Hunter

Tera W. Hunter is the Edwards Professor of American History and Professor of History and African American Studies at Princeton University, serving as Chair of the Department of African American Studies. A specialist in 19th and 20th century U.S. history, her scholarship centers on the intersections of gender, race, labor, and Southern histories.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. in History with Distinction from Duke University
• M.Phil. in History from Yale University
• Ph.D. in History from Yale University

Professor Hunter's research illuminates African American family structures, gender dynamics under slavery, and labor systems in the postbellum South. Her work reveals how Black communities navigated oppression through familial bonds and social organization, challenging narratives of victimhood with evidence of agency and resilience. She bridges academic rigor with public engagement through frequent media commentary.

Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on historical roots of contemporary racial issues, particularly through the lens of marriage and family across centuries. Books like Bound in Wedlock and opinion pieces in major publications form a cohesive body examining systemic injustice through intimate historical narratives.

Her accolades include:

• Stone Book Award (Museum of African American History)
• Joan Kelly Memorial Prize (American Historical Association)
• Littleton-Griswold Prize (American Historical Association)
• H.L. Mitchell Award (Southern Historical Association)
• Letitia Brown Memorial Book Prize (Association of Black Women's Historians)

Professor Hunter has mentored numerous doctoral students and secured significant research funding including National Humanities Center and Radcliffe Institute fellowships. Current projects include The African American Marriage Gap in the Twentieth Century and co-authoring The Making of a People: A History of African-Americans with Robin D.G. Kelley and Earl Lewis.