Samuel Truett

Samuel Truett is an Associate Professor of History at the University of New Mexico and Director of the Center for the Southwest. His research focuses on borderlands history, environmental history, and transnational connections across North America and beyond. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona (1988), and M.A. (1992) and Ph.D. (1997) in History from Yale University.

Truett’s work emphasizes crossings—social, cultural, and environmental—between the U.S. West, Mexico, and global regions. His current projects include a biographical study of a 19th-century British traveler entangled in global networks and an exploration of ruins and lost worlds in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. He has held prestigious fellowships at institutions like the Huntington Library and the Institut d’Etudes Avancées in France.

• Education:
  • B.A., Anthropology, University of Arizona, 1988
  • M.A., History, Yale University, 1992
  • Ph.D., History, Yale University, 1997

His research integrates Indigenous perspectives and global histories, challenging traditional national narratives. Recent publications include Fugitive Landscapes (2006) and contributions to the Cambridge History of America and the World (2022). Truett teaches courses on borderlands history, Native American studies, and environmental history, fostering students’ engagement with transnational methodologies.

• Key Awards:
  • Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lectureship (2016–2019)
  • Institut d’Etudes Avancées Fellowship (2015–2016)
  • Western History Association Distinguished Speakers Program (2012–2015)

Truett collaborates with interdisciplinary teams at UNM and partner institutions to advance borderlands studies. His work bridges regional and global histories, emphasizing how environmental and cultural exchanges shape borderland societies. He is currently developing initiatives to connect Southwestern histories with broader transnational frameworks.