معرفی
Matthew Harper is an Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies and Program Director of Africana Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Mercer University, where he joined in 2014 after directing African and African-American Studies at the University of Central Arkansas.
His academic credentials include a Ph.D. and M.A. in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in History from Louisiana Tech University.
Dr. Harper's research investigates 19th-century Black religion and politics throughout the African diaspora, analyzing how historical narratives shaped political realities in post-emancipation societies. His current work examines radical Black religious movements in the Black Atlantic, with specific focus on a Baptist-led enslaved uprising in Jamaica. This scholarship bridges African American history, Caribbean studies, and religious historiography.
His publication record centers on his 2016 monograph The End of Days, which established his expertise in African American religious-political dynamics during emancipation; ongoing research extends these themes to transnational Atlantic contexts.
Dr. Harper co-directs Mercer’s Building the Beloved Community Symposium, an interfaith initiative promoting racial justice and reconciliation through cross-racial community collaboration.
