I am a writer and an independent historian of Britain and the Caribbean. At the heart of my work is the conviction that Britain and its history cannot be understood in isolation from the Caribbean.
After 12 years working in universities in North Carolina, Western New York, Liverpool, and London, I left academia in April 2023. My last academic position was at Goldsmiths, University of London, where I was the founding convenor of the MA Black British History, the first taught masters' programme of its kind in the United Kingdom.
I do historical consulting across a range of industries, including bespoke curriculum development for primary schools and secondary schools, along with freelance writing. I review books for The Observer, London Review of Books, and BBC History. Currently I am a trustee of the Black Cultural Archives and the Tudor Trust, and a member of the Church Commissioners Oversight Group, a group that advises the Church Commissioners as it responds to its historic links with African chattel enslavement.
Sharing history as widely as possible and telling stories about the past and the present that explain, inspire, empower, and challenge has been an important part of my work. I've appeared on TV, radio, and podcasts, as well as a range of public events. In 2020, I was selected as a BBC Radio 3/AHRC New Generation Thinker.
I am currently writing my first book, Entangled Lands: A Caribbean History of Britain, which will be published by Penguin/Allen Lane in 2025. I also have a Substack newsletter, The Stories, where I write about pop culture, sports, stories, and occasionally history.
I'm a product of Hampton Roads, Virginia; Duke University (AB, 2005); and Princeton University (MA, 2007; PhD, 2012). From 2019-2023, I was a Lecturer in Black British History at Goldsmiths, University of London. From 2017-2019, I was a Lecturer in the History of Slavery and Unfree Labour at the University of Liverpool. From 2013-2017, I was an assistant professor of history at SUNY Buffalo State, an urban comprehensive college in Western New York.
I live in Liverpool.
Contact
I am represented by Matthew Marland at RCW Literary Agency. Please send books and writing requests to him directly. For all other matters, including freelance consulting inquiries, please email me at christienna [at] cdfryar [dot] com.