Eric Hinderaker

Eric Hinderaker is Distinguished Professor in the Department of History at the University of Utah, where he has taught continuously since 1991. Rising through the ranks from Instructor to Professor and then to his current distinguished title in 2018, he is a leading scholar of early American, Native American, and imperial history.

Education & Languages: While explicit degree details are not provided, his long-standing academic career and extensive publications demonstrate advanced training in history. He is proficient in Spanish (Latin American) and can read French.

Research Interests: Hinderaker’s scholarship centers on the intersections of Indigenous nations and European empires in colonial North America. He explores the fluid boundaries of the backcountry, the shifting alliances of the Seven Years’ War, Mohawk diplomacy, and the construction of colonial identities. His work combines meticulous archival research with broad interpretive frameworks that illuminate the contested spaces of empire.

Recent Scholarship Trends: From 1996 to 2024 his publications trace a sustained engagement with frontiers, borderlands, and Indigenous agency. Monographs such as Elusive Empires and The Two Hendricks examine territorial competition and Mohawk leadership, while chapters and articles address military culture, historiography, and the legacies of empire. Collectively, these works underscore the centrality of Indigenous actors in shaping colonial outcomes.

Awards & Honors:

• Cox Book Prize (2018) – Society of the Cincinnati
• Finalist, George Washington Prize (2018)
• Faculty Fellow Award (2016) – University of Utah
• Security Pacific Short-Term Fellowship (2015) – Huntington Library
• Herbert H. Lehman Prize (2014) – New York Academy of History
• Elected Non-Resident Member (2011) – Colonial Society of Massachusetts
• Professor of the Year (2011) – Phi Alpha Theta
• Dixon Ryan Fox Prize (2009) – New York State Historical Association

Grants & Advising: He has secured external funding from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, the Office of the National Geodetic Survey, and the Lounsbery Foundation for projects on historical fishing and hunting practices, visualizing history, and the International Geophysical Year. Regularly teaching proseminars, senior seminars, and thesis research courses, he mentors graduate and undergraduate students in early American and Native American history.

Teaching & Service: Recent courses include “US History to 1877,” “American Revolution,” and “Thesis Research–PhD,” demonstrating his commitment to both broad survey instruction and advanced research training. His service to the profession includes editorial work and leadership within scholarly societies.