Brenna Wynn Greer

Brenna Wynn Greer serves as Associate Professor of History at Wellesley College, where she investigates intersections of race, gender, and capitalism in 20th century America through the lens of African American visual culture and business history. Her scholarship examines how media representation shaped black citizenship and commercial publishing in post-WWII America.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. from Beloit College
• M.A. from University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison

Greer's research centers on historical connections between capitalism and social movements, particularly through visual media. Her award-winning book Represented: The Black Imagemakers Who Reimagined African American Citizenship analyzes how black citizenship became commercially viable in postwar media, while her current project explores black commercial publishing's cultural significance. Her teaching spans Cold War politics, consumer citizenship, civil rights narratives, and fashion history through seminars like Seeing Black: African Americans and U.S. Visual Culture.

Her contributions have earned recognition through:

• Woodrow Wilson Fellowship
• ACLS Fellowship
• Andrew W. Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography (2018-2010)
• Knafel Assistant Professorship in Social Sciences
• Anna and Samuel Pinanski Teaching Award

Greer's fellowships have enabled foundational research on African American media representation, while her teaching excellence manifests in innovative courses examining U.S. history through consumer culture, visual politics, and social movements. She actively mentors students in advanced seminars exploring the Black Freedom Struggle and Cold War cultural dynamics.