معرفی
Christopher Parsons is an Associate Professor of History at Northeastern University’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH), where he also serves as the Interim Director of Health, Humanities, and Society (HHS). His interdisciplinary research bridges the history of science, medicine, and the environment in the early modern Atlantic World.
- PhD, University of Toronto
Parsons’ research examines how epidemic diseases like smallpox shaped colonial encounters and imperial rivalries in 17th-century New France, New England, and New Netherland. His work emphasizes the contributions of Indigenous peoples to European and Euro-American environmental sciences, as detailed in his 2018 book A Not-So-New World: Empire and Environment in French Colonial North America. His published articles explore themes such as botanical discovery, biogeography, and specimen exchange in colonial contexts.
His recent articles reflect trends in Atlantic World studies, colonial science, and historical ecology, with keywords spanning History of Science, Environmental History, and Colonial Biogeography. His research often intersects with Indigenous knowledge systems and the ecological consequences of transatlantic exchange.
Scientific awards and honors include:
- Barra Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies
- Prix Lionel-Groulx from the Institut d’Histoire de l’Amérique Française
- Honorable mention for the Mary Alice and Philip Boucher Book Prize
Parsons’ work also involves mentoring graduate students and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams. As Interim Director of Health, Humanities, and Society (HHS), he integrates historical analysis with contemporary societal challenges, leveraging affiliations with CSSH’s research centers and labs.
