Maurice Wallace

Maurice Wallace is a Professor of English and Associate Chair of the English Department at Rutgers University, located on the College Ave Campus. He holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Duke University (1995) and a B.A. in English Literature and African & African American Studies from Washington University in St. Louis (1989).

His research focuses on African American literature and cultural studies, 19th-century American literature, the history and representation of US slavery, and gender studies. His notable works include Constructing the Black Masculine and co-editing Pictures and Progress. Current research explores Frederick Douglass’s religious life and the sonic qualities of Martin Luther King Jr.’s voice.

Wallace has received prestigious awards including the John Hope Franklin Fellowship and the William Sanders Scarborough Prize. He contributes to academic journals like American Literature and James Baldwin Review, and teaches courses on Toni Morrison, visual culture, and sound studies.

His teaching spans undergraduate and graduate levels, covering topics such as slavery’s aesthetic legacy, African American literary theory, and the intersection of photography and literature.