Ann Blair

Ann Blair is Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor in the Department of History at Harvard University, specializing in the cultural and intellectual history of early modern Europe (16th-17th centuries), with particular emphasis on France. She joined Harvard in 1996 after teaching at the University of California Irvine (1993-1996) and earned tenure in 2001.

Her research interests span multiple interconnected fields:

• Cultural and intellectual history of early modern Europe
• History of the book and reading practices
• History of disciplines and scholarly methods
• Interactions between science and religion
• Methods of intellectual work including note-taking and information management

Blair's scholarly publications reveal a consistent focus on how knowledge was produced, organized, and transmitted in early modern Europe. Her work traces the evolution of scholarly practices from Renaissance humanism through the scientific revolution, with particular attention to the material and social contexts of intellectual work. She has pioneered comparative approaches that connect historical practices with contemporary information challenges, notably in her influential work 'Too Much To Know' which examines pre-modern information management.

Her distinguished career has been recognized with numerous honors:

• Harvard College Professorship (2009)
• Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Graduate Mentoring Award (2014)
• Phi Beta Kappa Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2018)
• Star Family Prize for Excellence in Advising (2018)
• Honorary doctorate from University of Fribourg (2023)
• Fellowships from NEH, MacArthur, Mellon, Guggenheim, and Radcliffe foundations

As an educator, Blair has mentored generations of students through her teaching of courses like 'Texts in Transition,' 'Histories of Material Objects,' and 'What is Intellectual History?' She served as chair of Harvard's History Department from 2020-2022 and previously as Director of Undergraduate Studies. Her research has been substantially supported by major fellowships that enabled her to deliver prestigious lecture series including the Rosenbach Lectures (2014), Panizzi Lectures (2019), and Lyell Lectures (2023) on amanuenses in early modern Europe.

Blair actively participates in scholarly community building through organizing conferences such as the annual Harvard-Princeton graduate student conferences in early modern European history, and co-founding interdisciplinary initiatives like the Early Modern Workshop at Harvard.