Meet (More of) Our Editorial Assistants

Justin Brooks is a doctoral student in History at Yale University, specializing in the early modern British Empire. He holds a bachelor’s degree in History with highest honors from Holy Cross; a graduate degree in Australian Indigenous Studies from Melbourne University; and master’s degrees in World and International History with distinction from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. Justin’s research interests broadly revolve around the relationship between indigenous peoples and early modern British state formation. By casting new light on the complex and nebulous origins of indigeneity as a concept, he hopes to understand how these foundations continue to shape settler-state attitudes toward native peoples in the modern Anglophone world. Before arriving in New Haven, Justin received a Fulbright Scholarship and an Alliance Fellowship to research aspects of Australian and South African colonial history, respectively. He has also served as a land-rights volunteer at Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation, and in 2011, he represented Columbia University’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race as an observer at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Emily Van Alst is a sophomore anthropology major at Yale. She is Sihasapa Lakota and very active within the Native American Cultural Center.  She serves as a Peer Liaison for the NACC and is the President of the Yale Native American Arts Council. She is currently the Ezra Stiles Representative for Sophomore Class Council. She is also a tour guide at the Yale Center for British Art. In her spare time, she enjoys wandering Yale’s art galleries, watching Disney movies, and drinking coffee.

 Justin Hawkins is a second-year student at Yale Divinity School, working on his Master of Arts in Religion in Philosophical Theology.  He completed his undergraduate work at Georgetown University, where he studied political philosophy, Spanish, and theology, graduating in 2011 with Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude honors.  His master’s thesis at Yale focuses on Jonathan Edwards’ doctrine and interpretation of scripture, particularly as exemplified in several of Edwards’ unpublished manuscripts.  Justin is supported in his research by scholarships from Yale Divinity School and a grant from the Beinecke Library. 

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