Stephanie Jones-Rogers is an associate professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley, who has made significant contributions to the field of American history, particularly in the area of slavery studies. Her research focuses on the experiences of enslaved women, the slave trade, and the role of white women in the slave economy.
Jones-Rogers’ groundbreaking book, “They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South,” published in 2019, challenges the conventional wisdom that white women were innocent bystanders to the institution of slavery. Instead, she argues that white women actively participated in and benefited from the slave economy by owning, managing, and profiting from enslaved people. Her research draws on a variety of primary sources, including personal diaries, wills, and court records, to provide a nuanced understanding of the role of white women in the perpetuation of slavery.
Jones-Rogers’ work has been widely recognized and celebrated by scholars in the field. “They Were Her Property” won several prestigious awards, including the Lerner-Scott Prize from the Organization of American Historians and the Joan Kelly Memorial Prize from the American Historical Association. Her scholarship has also been supported by a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
In addition to her research, Jones-Rogers is an active member of the academic community. She has served as a reviewer for a number of academic journals and has been invited to speak at conferences and universities across the country. She is also a co-editor of the Women’s and Gender History series at the University of North Carolina Press, where she works to promote scholarship in the field of women’s and gender history.
Overall, Stephanie Jones-Rogers is a respected scholar in the field of American history who has made significant contributions to our understanding of the role of white women in the slave economy. Her work challenges conventional wisdom and highlights the complexity of the institution of slavery in the United States.