J.J. Nattrass is currently a Ph.D. student working towards candidacy in the field. Entering his second year of the program at GWU, JJ’s major area of specialty is the borderlands of Early America and the Atlantic viewed through the lens of religion/spirituality. Within this, JJ’s research efforts are trained on the North East region of North America (taking in areas of modern-day USA and Canada) in the 17th and early 18th centuries, with a focus on Native American history, settler colonial narratives (English and French), gender, race, culture, and war.
His MA thesis work focused on the Salem Witch Trials, and his research continues to be influenced by events and disputes leading into and out of Salem across the Northern frontiers of New England, New France, and Indigenous territories. He is supervised at GWU by Professor David J. Silverman.
JJ was awarded his BA with Honours at Kingston University London, UK, while his MA in History was attained at the University of Western Ontario, Canada where he worked on his thesis with Professors Nancy Rhoden and Laurel Shire.
Before he entered graduate education, JJ worked as a journalist and editor in the United Kingdom for a slew of International and National titles. His work can be found in the archives of NME, METRO, The Daily Mirror, and more. As a result of his time in journalism, he believes firmly in the responsibility of academics to make their work accessible to those outside of their field and the wider academy. JJ also believes that History is the sum of many stories told together, not just the broad consensus nor the previously unexposed and marginalized. In short, to be effective and useful History needs to be told in all its horror, pain, and glory across multiple narratives to create an honest portrait of the past.