James Holstun

James Holstun is a Professor of English at the University at Buffalo, within the College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on class struggle, feminism, colonialism, and world literature, with a particular emphasis on historical materialist approaches. He has published extensively, including books such as Ehud’s Dagger: Class Struggle in the English Revolution (2000), which won the Deutscher Memorial Prize, and edited volumes like Pamphlet Wars: Prose in the English Revolution (1992). His work spans 17th-century utopian thought, modernist and realist fiction, and intersections of race, gender, and colonialism in literature.

Awarded a NEH Fellowship (1990-1991) and the 2002 Deutscher Prize, Holstun’s recent publications include groundbreaking analyses of Black abolitionist poetry and contemporary war narratives. He is affiliated with 319 Clemens Hall and maintains a prolific agenda with works in progress focusing on Alice Childress, Simone de Beauvoir, Palestinian novelist Sahar Khalifeh, and Marxist feminist theory.

• Key Research Areas: 17th-century utopianism, colonial literature, Marxist literary theory, gender studies, and global literary movements.
• Recent Recognition: 2025 Isocrates Award for Black Abdiel analysis.

His current projects include compiling unpublished works by Alice Childress and exploring intersections of Freudian theory with feminist critiques of Milton’s Paradise Lost. Holstun’s interdisciplinary approach bridges historical analysis with contemporary cultural critiques, emphasizing solidarity across racial, gender, and class divides.