Bryan Wagner

Bryan Wagner is a Professor in the English Department at the University of California, Berkeley. His research integrates legal history, African American studies, and digital humanities, focusing on cultural expression in the context of slavery and its legacies. He is Principal Investigator for digital humanities projects like Louisiana Slave Conspiracies and Tremé 1908, which explore historical archives and neighborhood histories. His scholarly works include monographs such as Disturbing the Peace (2009), The Tar Baby: A Global History (2017), and The Life and Legend of Bras-Coupé (2019). His projects bridge interdisciplinary methodologies, examining folklore, music, and legal frameworks to understand systemic oppression and cultural resilience.

Research interests center on the intersection of law, vernacular culture, and colonialism. He explores how marginalized communities negotiate legal systems through storytelling, music, and performance. His work on the tar baby folktale traces its global circulation alongside colonial legal and economic systems, linking it to themes of labor, property, and captivity. Recent projects include analyzing the commercialization of New Orleans' second-line music and reconstructing narratives of maroon communities.

He has collaborated on public humanities initiatives, including An Open Classroom on New Orleans Culture, and led digital archives documenting slave conspiracies and neighborhood histories. His current book project examines the role of minor judiciary traditions in music and popular theater.