Freedman, Aaron

Aaron Freedman is a PhD candidate in the Department of History, focusing on finance, labor, and political economy in the 20th century United States. His dissertation project examines the political economy of Wall Street between the 1979 Volcker interest rate shock and the early 1990s recession. His Master’s essay, “The Progressive Origins of the Union-Busting Consultant: The Rise and Fall of Nathan Shefferman,” was awarded the 2024 Bernard Bellush Prize by the New York Labor History Association for best unpublished graduate student paper. Aaron’s research has been supported by the American Historical Association, the Business History Initiative at Harvard Business School, and the Center for Political Economy at Columbia University.

Before coming to Columbia, Aaron worked in media and communications. His writing has been published in Reviews in American History, The Washington Post, The American Prospect, and elsewhere. Aaron received his MPhil and MA in History from Columbia, and received a BA in History and Political Science from Swarthmore College, where he graduated with High Honors. 

Education

Freedman holds a BA in History from Swarthmore College.