User:Sheridanrutland

Ben Vinson III
Ben Vinson III is an American historian.

Ben Vinson III earned his Bachelor’s degree through Dartmouth College and later received a Doctorate degree from Columbia University. Vinson is a highly esteemed historian specializing specifically in Latin America. After holding faculty positions at Barnard College and Penn State University, Vinson joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2006. Vinson instructed as a professor of history at Johns Hopkins University. Vinson also held the position of director for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Africana Studies, after founding the Center. He later became Vice Dean for both the Center for interdisciplinary studies and the graduate education Center.

He has been awarded fellowships from the following institutions: Fulbright Commission, National Humanities Center, Social Science Research Council, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Mellon Foundation.

Vinson held the role of dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences at George Washington University from 2013-2018. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences at George Washington University is the university’s oldest college, as well as its largest. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is comprised of three separate schools and 42 departments and programs. During Vinson’s time in the position leadership, the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences integrated the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design into the school's liberal arts education. Vinson also facilitated the opening of the $275 million, 500,000-square-foot Science and Engineering Hall, complete with state-of-the-art research facilities. Vinson had a strong focus on the support and funding of research as well as launching programs for students to expand their educational opportunities. Over $90 million was raised in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences during Vinson’s tenure.

As of 2018, Vinson has served as the Provost and Executive Vice President of Case Western Reserve University. He was originally appointed to the position on July 2, 2018. Vinson is responsible for the totality of the university's academic programs and all research.

Vinson’s first book Bearing Arms for His Majesty: The Free-Colored Militia in Colonial Mexico, was publicated in 2002. Largely an exploration of class and race dynamics in colonial Mexico, circa the 18th century, Vinson provides a compelling study connecting the colored men of the Mexican military with the larger social structure. Using the device of the Spanish militia--which included participation from mulatos, pardos, and morenos-- the status of freedom and race dynamics to the so-called ‘New Spain’ is explored. Vinson accomplishes this using his sources, as well as previous studies done by Christon Archer and Lyle McAlister. In a review through Project MUSE, Marcia Cowher states it is a“well-researched and well-written” piece of historiography. She emphasizes the multi-regional view that Vinson uses to exemplify his argument, as well as his strongly backed, resourceful approach.

He later released African Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2007-- a collaboration with Herbert Klein. The historiographical piece sheds further light on the origins of the African slave system, covering from early 16th century up until the 19th century. More than just a retelling of slave societies, the book also highlights the creation of Creole culture, as well as African resistance and freedom.

In 2016, Vinson released Flight: The Story of Virgil Richardson, a Tuskegee Airman in Mexico. In connection to both African American and Latin American history, author Ben Vinson explores the life and story of young airman, Virgil Richardson. A story close to Vinson’s heart, due to his father’s military history, the book is a mixture of both historiography and biography. Primarily it explores the complexities of race, as seen contrastingly in the United States and Mexico.

Arguably Vinson's most famous book, Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico, was published in 2017. The book covers, broadly, Latin American history, especially those issues surrounding politics, policy, economics as well as racial and cultural diversity. Colonial Mexico has a rich and complex history in relation to the Atlantic Slave Trade and the African Diaspora. It’s caste system developed, as a result, still has a large impact on the social structure of the area today. In review of Vinson’s historiographical piece, Paul Rellstab of the University of Buffalo discusses the framework that this piece creates for the future study of colonial-era caste structure. Rellstab emphasizes the piece's analysis of caste mobility, viewing it as the “largest contribution”.

Vinson also serves as the editor-in-chief of the academic journal The Americas: A Quarterly Review of Latin American History. The journal covers the history of the political, social, economic, intellectual, and religious situation in North and South America. It is published quarterly in correspondence with the Academy of American Franciscan History through the Cambridge University Press.