Thomas Alan Dichter

I'm a scholar of American culture and literature and an organizer committed to building opportunities for currently and formerly incarcerated people to lead. I collaborate with nonprofits and educational institutions to break down barriers for people impacted by the legal system.

From 2015 to 2025, I was a Lecturer in History & Literature at Harvard, where I taught classes and advised research in American studies and ethnic studies, including community-engaged courses with the Mindich Program for Engaged Scholarship. In History & Literature, I created Harvard's first class on prison abolitionism. Along with my students, I launched a digital archive of the 1973 Walpole prison takeover—during which the population of a Massachusetts state prison successfully organized themselves and ran the institution for over two months following a labor strike by correctional officers.

At Harvard, I was also a founding member of Harvard Academic Workers-UAW, the labor union representing over 3000 non-tenure-track teachers and researchers. Additionally, I helped run an equity-focused fellowship program at Harvard Medical School (I am currently back in that role for Fall 2025) and worked with the Culture Lab Innovation Fund to advance fair-chance hiring and admissions at Harvard—policies to welcome employees and students regardless of criminal history. 

I've also taught at Amherst College and Boston College, and in Harvard's English department. I hold an undergraduate degree in English from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania.