Martha Elena Rojas

Martha Elena Rojas is an Associate Professor and Director of the Rumowicz Literature of the Sea Lecture/Seminar Series at the University of Rhode Island's English Department. She holds a PhD from Stanford University and a BA from Harvard University. Her research focuses on early American literature, maritime studies, and hemispheric cultural movements.

Education:

• Ph.D., Stanford University
• B.A., Harvard University

Research Interests: Examining diplomatic writing, coastal imagination, and the intersection of maritime literature with themes of empire, colonialism, and race. Her work engages with figures like Thomas Jefferson, Herman Melville, and Sarah Orne Jewett, redefining the scope of maritime literature to include coastal narratives and marginalized voices.

Labs/Programs: Involved with the Edmund S. and Nathalie Rumowicz Program in Literature and the Sea, advancing scholarship on oceanic histories and contemporary maritime issues.