Richard Kagan
Richard Lauren Kagan (b. 1943) is an American historian specializing in modern history. His focus of research is on the intellectual and legal history of the Spanish Empire under the Habsburgs. Born in 1943, he has been a professor at Johns Hopkins University since 1972. There, he acts as the Arthur O. Lovejoy Professor Emeritus of History, with a joint-appointment as a Professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. His work has given him international recognition. he has been invited to deliver speeches about his work in Spain and France (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad  Complutense de Madrid, Centre national de la recherche scientifique and École des hautes études en sciences sociales). Kagans is a resident member of the American Philosophical Society He has been a corresponding member of the Real Academia de la Historia since 2012. His work has addressed various issues regarding intellectual life in the Spanish Empire, such as art, law, the development of higher education, as well as its repercussion in North America. He is a supporter of the hypothesis of the black legend.