Curtin, Philip

Curtin, Philip (De Armond) (1922–  ) historian; born in Philadelphia. He pioneered the study of African economic history and helped mainstream African history in American curricula. He founded the African studies program (1961) while at the University of Wisconsin (1956–75) before joining the Johns Hopkins University faculty (1975). He wrote prolifically on the African colonial period, the slave trade, and, in his later work, black demographic and medical history.