Jonathan Holloway (historian)

Jonathan Holloway (historian)
Name	Jonathan Holloway
Birth date	1967
Birth place	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Fields	African American history, 20th-century United States, Jim Crow era
Workplaces	Yale University, Northwestern University, Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Alma mater	University of California, Davis (BA), Yale University (MA, PhD)
Doctoral advisor	David W. Blight
Notable works	Confronting the Veil: Abram Harris Jr., E. Franklin Frazier, and Ralph Bunche, 1919–1941, Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America Since 1940
Awards	Frederick Jackson Turner Award, John Hope Franklin Publication Prize

Jonathan Holloway (historian) is an American historian and academic administrator specializing in African American history, the Jim Crow era, and post-World War II American intellectual and social history. He is the President of Rutgers University, having previously served as Provost of Northwestern University and Dean of Yale College. Holloway's scholarship critically examines African-American intellectuals, the construction of racial identity, and the politics of historical memory.

Early life and education

Jonathan Holloway was born in 1967 in San Francisco, California. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies. He then pursued graduate work at Yale University, where he studied under the prominent historian David W. Blight. Holloway received his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in American Studies from Yale, completing his doctoral dissertation on early 20th-century African-American intellectuals.

Academic career

Holloway began his academic career as a faculty member in the Department of History and the Program in African American Studies at the University of California, San Diego. In 1999, he returned to Yale University as a professor, holding appointments in the Department of African American Studies, the Department of History, and the American Studies program. At Yale, he also served as Master of Calhoun College (now Grace Hopper College). In 2014, Holloway was appointed the Dean of Yale College, becoming the first African American to hold that position. He left Yale in 2017 to become the Provost of Northwestern University. In 2020, he was named the 21st President of Rutgers University.

Research and scholarship

Holloway's research focuses on the intellectual and social history of African Americans in the 20th century, particularly during the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement. His first book, Confronting the Veil: Abram Harris Jr., E. Franklin Frazier, and Ralph Bunche, 1919–1941, examines the early careers of three influential Black scholars and their engagement with issues of class, race, and economic policy. His subsequent work, Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America Since 1940, analyzes how Black communities have navigated and remembered the trauma of Jim Crow laws and segregation in the United States. His scholarship often intersects with themes of historical narrative, cultural memory, and the Great Migration.

Administrative leadership

As Dean of Yale College, Holloway oversaw undergraduate education and student life at Yale University, implementing initiatives to support first-generation college students and enhance academic advising. During his tenure as Provost of Northwestern University, he was the chief academic officer, responsible for the university's academic priorities, budget, and faculty appointments. As President of Rutgers University, Holloway leads New Jersey's flagship public research university, guiding its strategic direction, advocating for its land-grant university mission, and navigating challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and issues of campus diversity.

Awards and honors

Holloway's scholarly work has been recognized with several prestigious awards. His first book, Confronting the Veil, won the 2003 Frederick Jackson Turner Award from the Organization of American Historians and the 2004 John Hope Franklin Publication Prize from the American Studies Association. He has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Society of American Historians. He has also received honorary degrees from institutions including Drew University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Selected works

* Confronting the Veil: Abram Harris Jr., E. Franklin Frazier, and Ralph Bunche, 1919–1941 (2002) * Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America Since 1940 (2013) * The Cause of Freedom: A Concise History of African Americans (2021) * Co-editor, Black Scholars on the Line: Race, Social Science, and American Thought in the Twentieth Century (2007)

Category:American historians Category:African-American historians Category:American university and college presidents Category:Yale University alumni Category:Yale University faculty Category:Rutgers University people Category:1967 births Category:Living people