About
Dr. Lamothe earned his Ph.D. from Boston University, where he completed fields in African History, British History, and Cultural Anthropology. His research focuses on the history of military slavery in Egypt and the Sudan. Dr. Lamothe’s book Slaves of Fortune: Sudanese Soldiers and the River War (James Currey Press, 2011) revived nineteenth-century Sudanese slave soldiers, as well as their wives and camp followers, from historiographical obscurity, examining both how imperial forces transformed their lives and how these same lives simultaneously shaped imperial destinies, and African history, in the process. Prior to Carroll, Dr. Lamothe taught for twelve years at Lesley University (Cambridge, MA), where he was promoted to full professor in 2024.
In addition to being a historian, Dr. Lamothe is also an accomplished documentary filmmaker. His first film, The Political Dr. Seuss, was broadcast nationwide as the 2004 season premiere of the PBS series Independent Lens, and it was subsequently nominated for a George Foster Peabody Award in documentary television. His second film, The Call of Wild, a reflexive experiment in cinéma vérité revisiting the travels and legacy of Gen-X icon Chris McCandless, screened at film festivals worldwide in 2007–2008 and was broadcast nationwide on PBS from 2009–2015. His most recent work, Missing Kenley, a five-episode, ten-part docuseries on the 1992 disappearance of Acadia University student Kenley Matheson, premiered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2022 and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
Dr. Lamothe enjoys hiking and biking of the leisurely sort; unabashedly skiing blues over blacks; outdoor grilling no matter the season; rooting for his Pats, Red Sox, and Celtics; and traveling off the beaten path, though no longer on a shoestring. Since moving to Montana, Dr. Lamothe climbs Mt. Helena on a regular basis and is learning to fly fish with requisite patience and humility.
Recent Scholarship
“Brotherhood that Binds the Brave: Sudanese Soldiers and the Paradox of Martial Identities in the Age of Empire” in Making Martial Races: Gender, Society, and Warfare in Africa. Ohio University Press, 2024. This book was the recipient of the award for the best edited volume/anthology of 2024 by the African Studies Review.
“In the Footsteps of Hannibal,” site research on the Rhône River and in the French Alps, retracing the four most likely crossing points of Hannibal Barca’s army into Italy in 218 BCE during the Second Punic War, June 2022 & 2023.
Missing Kenley, producer-director of five-episode, ten-part docuseries on the 1992 disappearance of Acadia University student Kenley Matheson. Public premiere: Neptune Theatre Scotiabank Stage, Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 16–17th, 2022. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Tubi, Vudu, Roku, PlutoTV, Redbox, Vimeo, InDemand, DocPlay, Filmzie, Real Stories, Biblio, Hoopla, and Top Box TV.