Franco Paz ’16 Signs Book Deal
Penguin Books will publish his yet unfinished PhD dissertation in history, an incredible coup.
Franco Paz ’16 (History, Literature minor) is a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, working toward a PhD in history following MA studies at the University of Vermont. While yet to be finished, Penguin Books has signed a deal to publish his dissertation, an unusual move.
His research centers on “the interconnected histories of race, capitalism, and the environment, with a particular focus on the 18th century Caribbean and Eastern Seaboard,” according to his profile.
At Purchase, Paz won the Maass Prize in American History for his senior project, A Fearful Alchemy: John Brown, Nat Turner, Abolitionists, and the Press, the culmination of an interest in the history of enslaved people that began in classes with Associate Professor of History Laura Chmielewski.
Paz has published pieces in recent years, including:
- “Harvard Is Paying a Small Price for Laundering Its Past” on hyperallergic.com
(May 10, 2022)
- “Who should own historical images of enslaved people?” on washingtonpost.com
(October 5, 2022).