Mary E. Hicks is a historian whose scholarship explores the intersections of slavery, maritime history, and the African diaspora in the South Atlantic world. Her forthcoming book, Captive Cosmopolitans: Black Mariners and the World of South Atlantic Slavery (Omohundro Institute and University of North Carolina Press, 2025), examines the lives of enslaved and free Black sailors, illuminating how their labor, mobility, and transnational experiences shaped the development of Atlantic slavery and global trade. Through extensive archival research, Hicks highlights the central role of maritime workers in connecting African, American, and European economies while also tracing their struggles for autonomy and resistance within oppressive systems.