Sarah Balakrishnan

Sarah Balakrishnan is an Assistant Professor of History at Duke University's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, specializing in sub-Saharan Africa, colonialism, and the Atlantic slave trade. She holds a PhD in African History from Harvard University (2020), alongside MAs from Harvard and a BA from McGill University. Her research examines colonial governance, carceral systems, and urban history in Ghana, with a focus on gender, violence, and cultural memory.

Education: PhD in History (Harvard, 2020), MA in History & Anthropology (Harvard), BA in History & Political Theory (McGill).

Research Interests: Colonial African history, prison systems, gender studies, urban property rights, and Afrocentrism. Recent work includes studies on colonial violence in Ghana and the transnational evolution of debtors' prisons.

Teaching: Courses include 'Global History of the Prison,' 'Modern African History,' and 'History Through Fiction.'

Fellowships: Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar Grant (2022-2025), Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship (University of Minnesota), Carter G. Woodson Fellowship (UVA).

Publications: Over 15 peer-reviewed articles in journals like South Atlantic Quarterly, American Historical Review, and Journal of African History. Current projects explore carceral systems in West Africa and the intersections of cemeteries and colonial property law.