Professor Tyler Stovall was a leading Black historian of France who broke barriers in the field by challenging conventional notions of a colorblind French society. With his many books and articles offering a critical analysis of European history, Professor Stovall shed new light on the role of colonialism and capitalism in creating the unequal social and economic conditions experienced by African and Arab immigrants, and the frequent social upheavals they spurred.
On December 10, 2021, Professor Stovall died unexpectedly at the age of 67 in New York City, where he had recently moved after accepting a deanship at Fordham University.
He had spent nearly 30 years teaching in the University of California system, holding a number of professorships and administrative positions between UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz beginning in the 1980s.
He first served as Dean of the Undergraduate Division of the College of Letters and Science at UC Berkeley from 2008 until 2014. He then served as Dean of Humanities at UC Santa Cruz from 2014 until 2020, when he accepted a position of Dean of Graduate Studies at Fordham University.
Professor Stovall had also served as the 2017 President of the American Historical Association. He was one of only three Black people to ever hold that position.
This website was created to memorialize Professor Stovall's life and work, as well as to serve as a resource for students and scholars to carry on his legacy.
