Eric Nelson (historian) facts for kids

Eric Matthew Nelson (born August 13, 1977) is an American historian. He is a Professor of Government at Harvard University. He studies important ideas about how governments work and how people think about politics.

About Eric Nelson

Eric Nelson grew up in New York City. He was born in 1977. When he was a child, he visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art every week. This shows he was interested in learning from a young age.

His Time at Harvard

Eric went to Harvard College for his first degree. He was a very good student. He joined a special honor society called Phi Beta Kappa early. He also graduated with "summa cum laude," which means "with highest honors."

His main project, called a thesis, was about a thinker named Thomas Hobbes. It won the Hoopes Prize. This award is given for excellent student projects. While at Harvard, he wrote articles for The Harvard Crimson newspaper. He often wrote about how history connects to today's world.

Studying in the United Kingdom

After Harvard, Eric Nelson went to graduate school in the United Kingdom. He received a special Marshall Scholarship to study there. In 2000, he earned a Master's degree (M.Phil.) from Trinity College, Cambridge at the University of Cambridge. His project was about how ancient Greek ideas influenced English thinkers.

Two years later, in 2002, he earned his Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) from the same college. This is the highest degree you can get.

His Background and Languages

Eric Nelson is Jewish. His grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust. From 2012 to 2015, he was the Director of the Harvard Center for Jewish Studies.

He can read seven different languages. These include English, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, French, Italian, and German. He can also speak four of these languages.

His Career and Teaching

After finishing his Ph.D., Eric Nelson taught at Cambridge for a year. In 2004, he returned to Harvard as a "Junior Fellow." This is a special position for promising young scholars.

By 2009, he became a professor of Government. A year later, at age 32, he was granted tenure. This means he has a permanent teaching position. In 2014, he was named the Robert M. Beren Professor of Government. He has also received important awards called fellowships from groups like the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

His Books and Research

Since returning to Harvard, Eric Nelson has written four books. He is currently working on a fifth book. This new book will explore how religious ideas connect with modern political thinking.

He teaches many classes at Harvard. These classes cover topics like the ideas of Thomas Hobbes, the American Revolution, and the English Revolution. He also teaches about Jewish political traditions, monarchy (rule by kings or queens), republicanism (a type of government where citizens have power), and the Age of Enlightenment.

Other scholars say that Eric Nelson is helping to rethink how modern political ideas began. His book The Hebrew Republic shows that understanding religious beliefs is important for understanding politics.

His Views on Harvard Policies

Eric Nelson, along with other professors, wrote an article for a newspaper. They shared their thoughts against a proposed rule at Harvard. This rule would have stopped students in certain social clubs from leading sports teams or getting special scholarships.

Books by Eric Nelson

• The Greek Tradition in Republican Thought, (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
• The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought, Harvard University Press (2010). This book won the 2012 Laura Shannon Prize. It was also named an outstanding academic book in 2010.
• He helped edit Hobbes's translations of famous ancient Greek stories, the Iliad and Odyssey (The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2008).
• The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding (Belknap Press, Harvard University Press, 2014)
• The Theology of Liberalism (Harvard University Press, 2019)