Eddie Glaude Jr.

Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, where he also holds an appointment in the Department of Religion. A prominent figure in Social Science, he joined the Princeton faculty in 2002. Glaude earned a B.A. in political science from Morehouse College, an M.A. in African American Studies from Temple University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Religion from Princeton University in 1997. He began his teaching career at Bowdoin College and has served as a visiting scholar at Amherst College and Harvard University. In 2011, he delivered Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Lectures, which formed the basis of one of his books. Known for his dedication to undergraduate education, Glaude teaches courses such as “Black Power and Its Theology of Liberation” and “Religion and the Tradition of Social Theory.” He collaborates closely with students on senior theses, often incorporating their research into his own work, and co-developed the online course “Covenant Curriculum: A Study of Black Democratic Action” with Cornel West to empower civic engagement on democratic ideals.

Glaude's research focuses on African American religion, race, politics, and democracy, exploring pragmatism and the Black experience in America. His major publications include Exodus! Religion, Race, and Nation in Early Nineteenth-Century Black America (University of Chicago Press, 2000), In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America (University of Chicago Press, 2007), Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul (Crown, 2016), Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own (Crown, 2020), An Uncommon Faith: A Pragmatic Approach to the Study of African American Religion (University of Georgia Press, 2018), and We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For (Harvard University Press, 2024). He received the 2021 Stowe Prize for Begin Again, recognizing its illumination of social justice issues, and the Modern Language Association's William Sanders Scarborough Book Prize. Glaude has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from Colgate University in 2015. His scholarship extends influence through public lectures and commentary on race and American democracy.