Caroline Elkins

Caroline Elkins is a historian specializing in African history, empire, violence, and the legacy of colonialism. She holds appointments as Professor of History and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, Thomas Henry Carroll/Ford Foundation Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, Affiliated Professor at Harvard Law School, and Founding Oppenheimer Director of Harvard's Center for African Studies. Elkins earned her A.B. from Princeton University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. Her research focuses on Africa and regions of the former British Empire, including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Elkins is the author of "Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya," which draws on nearly a decade of research and interviews with Kikuyu detention camp survivors and their captors. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, was named a book of the year by The Economist, an editors' choice by The New York Times, and was a finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize. Elkins and her research were also featured in the BBC documentary "Kenya: White Terror," which received the International Red Cross Award at the Monte Carlo Film Festival.

"Imperial Reckoning" served as the basis for a legal claim filed by Mau Mau detention camp survivors against the British government, with Elkins serving as the claimants' first expert witness. The British government subsequently paid a $31 million settlement to survivors, funded a memorial to victims of torture and human rights abuses, and issued an apology for the crimes. Elkins's testimony contributed to the release of approximately 20,000 files from 37 territories, providing historians with new primary sources on counterinsurgency operations.

Elkins is also the author of "Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire," which examines the British Empire's use of violence in the 20th century and its institutionalization across colonies. The book was reviewed internationally, selected as one of The New York Times Top 100 Books of the year, and was a finalist for the Baillie Gifford Award. It was also recognized as a Best Book of the year by BBC, History Today, The New Statesman, and Waterstones. Elkins received the NYU/Axinn Foundation Prize for her work in narrative nonfiction.

At Harvard, Elkins has been selected twice as a Walter Channing Cabot Fellow, elected as a member of the Faculty Council for Arts and Sciences, and inducted as an honorary member of the University's Phi Beta Kappa chapter. She has received fellowships and awards from organizations including the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Scholars, Fulbright, the Social Science Research Council, the Mellon Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and the Rockefeller Center. Elkins contributes to The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The New Republic, and has appeared on radio and television programs such as NPR's "All Things Considered" and BBC's "The World." Her work continues to inform discussions on empire, violence, and historical accountability in African and global history.