Congratulations to Professors Britain Hopkins and Daniel Johnson on the recent publication of their work!

Two articles by Professor Hopkins were published this past spring. Both highlight her research into the emergence of student loan debt in the United States. The first article, “The origins of the student loan industry in the United States: Richard Cornuelle, United Student Aid Funds, and the creation of the Guaranteed Student Loan Program” appeared in The Journal of American History. Professor Hopkins discusses elements of this piece in a guest feature in the Journal of American History podcast. The second article, “‘They can never take it away from you:’ The optimistic cruelty of student loan indebtedness”, appeared in Cultural Politics and contextualizes contemporary debates over student loan debt cancellation within the broader history of student loans.

In “Culture Wars, Nationalism, and the Politics of History,” published in the summer 2024 issue of New Politics, Professor Johnson examines the contemporary culture wars in history in the United States. He argues against nationalist interpretations of the past in favor of a revival of methods of social history popularized in the 1960s. Read the article online here. In October 2024, Professor Johnson’s “‘So great is the hurry in the spirit of this world’: Transcending Time with John Woolman” appeared in The Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies (22.4). The article explores how the writings of the New Jersey Quaker John Woolman challenged an emerging 18th-century consensus concerning industry and time management.