John Yargo

John Yargo is an Assistant Professor of English at Boston College, specializing in early modern literature, critical race studies, and environmental humanities. He holds a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where his dissertation received the 2023 J. Leeds Barroll Dissertation Prize. His research examines environmental catastrophe and racial formation in early modern literature, with a focus on Shakespeare, Milton, and Renaissance drama.

• Education: B.A., Millsaps College; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst

Yargo’s current book project, Environmental Catastrophe and the Early Modern Reinvention of Race, explores how natural disasters influenced early modern racial ideologies. He has published peer-reviewed articles in Shakespeare Studies, Early Theatre, and Studies in Philology, and engages in public scholarship through podcasts like High Theory and the New Books in Literary Studies network.

• Awards: 2023 J. Leeds Barroll Dissertation Prize

Yargo teaches courses on Shakespeare, critical race theory, and environmental humanities. He previously taught in Jordan and Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer and at Chiang Mai University. His work bridges literary analysis with contemporary environmental and social justice concerns.