معرفی
James Rice serves as the Walter S. Dickson Professor of English and American History in the Department of History at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences. Appointed in 2016 and serving as Department Chair from 2018-2024, he holds a prominent position in early American historical scholarship.
His academic credentials include a BA in History from Colorado College (1985), followed by an MA (1989) and PhD (1994) in History from the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to Tufts, he taught at SUNY Plattsburgh, Washington College, and Tübingen University.
Rice's research dismantles traditional boundaries between American history and Native American history, colonial history and prehistory, and national histories across North America. His work bridges historical scholarship with environmental studies and interdisciplinary approaches, currently focusing on two major book projects: a comprehensive synthesis of Native American environmental history spanning from Oaxaca to the Arctic since first human habitation, and a critical reassessment of England's first permanent American colony titled Founding Massacres: Violence, Ambition, and the Birth of Virginia.
His publication record reveals a sustained emphasis on Indigenous perspectives in colonial America, with recurring themes of environmental change, intercultural violence, and political diplomacy. Recent works increasingly integrate environmental history frameworks with ethnohistorical methods, particularly examining Powhatan expansionism, Bacon's Rebellion, and captivity narratives within broader Atlantic World contexts.
His scholarly recognition includes:
- OAH Binkley-Stephenson Award for best article in the Journal of American History (2015)
- State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship (2016)
Professional service demonstrates significant field leadership through editorial board membership for Environmental History journal (2025-2029), prize committee roles for the American Society for Environmental History and American Society for Ethnohistory, and advisory positions including the Commonwealth of Virginia's 2019 Commemoration Historian Council and Historic Jamestowne project. His teaching portfolio at Tufts spans advanced seminars on North American history, colonial America, and environmental humanities.
