Dr. Evan Haefeli

Biography

Evan Haefeli is a historian specializing in colonial America and the Atlantic world, with particular interests in Native American history and the religious-political aspects of early modern European expansion in the Americas. He focuses on the origins of American religious freedom, having joined Texas A&M University in 2014 after teaching at prestigious institutions such as Princeton, Tufts, Columbia University, and the London School of Economics. His research delves into the borderlands of New France and New England, tracing the early influences of Dutch colonization and the implications of anti-Catholic sentiment in early American society, including the diplomatic relationships with the Iroquois Confederacy and other Indigenous neighbors in the eastern woodlands. Haefeli is currently completing a multi-book project on religious toleration in the Dutch and British colonies, and he also engages with the historical memory of Quakers.

Research Interests