David Wheat

David Wheat is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Michigan State University, affiliated with the College of Social Science. His research focuses on the early modern Iberian world, emphasizing the Caribbean, Atlantic Africa, and transregional connections during the 16th and 17th centuries. He explores themes such as slavery, cross-cultural exchange, and global networks in colonial contexts.

Wheat has authored award-winning works like Atlantic Africa and the Spanish Caribbean, 1570-1640, which received the James A. Rawley Prize and Harriet Tubman Prize. He co-edited volumes including The Spanish Caribbean and the Atlantic World in the Long Sixteenth Century and From the Galleons to the Highlands. His current project, supported by NEH and MSU grants, reconstructs the life of Afro-Caribbean shipowner Catalina de los Santos.

Key honors include the NEH Faculty Fellowship (2023-2024) and MSU Humanities Research Award (2022). His publications analyze the transatlantic slave trade, colonial networks, and marginalized figures in early modern history.

Wheat’s research bridges global and local histories, emphasizing underrepresented voices and complex colonial dynamics. His work often integrates archival findings from Spain, the Caribbean, and West Africa to challenge traditional narratives of early modern globalization.