Gerald Early

Gerald Early is the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters in the Department of African and African American Studies and the Department of English at Washington University in St. Louis. He has taught at the university since 1982 and previously served as chair of the African and African American Studies Department (2014-2021) and interim director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Equity (2022-2023). He holds a PhD from Cornell University and is the executive editor of The Common Reader, an interdisciplinary journal under the university’s Provost’s office.

• Education: PhD, Cornell University

Early is a prominent essayist and American culture critic specializing in African American studies, sports, and cultural identity. His work explores intersections of race, literature, and societal structures, with a focus on historical and contemporary figures in arts and athletics.

His notable scientific awards include the 1994 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism and a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. He is also an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

As an author and editor, Early has contributed to anthologies like The Cambridge Companion to Boxing and Body Language: Writers on Sport, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding cultural and social phenomena.