Christine Johnson

Christine Johnson is an Associate Professor of History at Washington University, specializing in Renaissance Germany and early modern European intellectual and political history. She holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, along with MA and BA degrees from Johns Hopkins and Macalester College, respectively. Her research focuses on transformations in knowledge, power, and identity, particularly in the context of European expansion and the Reformation.

Her seminal work, *The German Discovery of the World* (2008), reinterprets German responses to overseas exploration, arguing that Renaissance-era expertise enabled meaningful engagement with new global discoveries. Current research examines the intersection of national identity and imperial claims in the Holy Roman Empire (1440–1556).

Johnson has received prestigious awards including the Kluge Fellowship (2009) and multiple research grants. Her interdisciplinary teaching spans topics like global empires, the Black Death, and early political thought. She actively contributes to public discourse, including commentary in *The American Prospect* on labor dynamics post-pandemic.