Distinguished University Professor and Connor Study Professor of Contemporary History
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Recent News
Education
- Ph.D. in History from the University of Rochester
Research
- United States; Twentieth Century
- Intellectual History; Culture and Politics
Kevin Mattson is a Distinguished University Professor at Ohio University and the Connor Study Professor of Contemporary History in the Department of History. His research focuses on the intersection of ideas and politics in the 20th century. He is on the editorial board of Dissent magazine.
Publications
Books
- We’re Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture of 1980s America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020).
- “Just Plain Dick”: Richard Nixon’s Checkers Speech and the “Rocking, Socking” Election of 1952 (New York: Bloomsbury, 2012).
- The Cause: A History of Postwar Liberalism , with Eric Alterman (New York: Viking, 2012).
- “What the Heck are You Up to, Mr. President?”: Jimmy Carter, America’s “Malaise,” and the Speech that Should have Changed the Country (New York: Bloomsbury, 2009; revised paperback edition with preface by Hendrik Hertzberg, 2010).
- Rebels All!: A Short History of the Conservative Mind in Postwar America (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2008): Winner of Choice ’s “Outstanding Academic Title” Award, 2008 and History Book Club Selection.
- Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century (New York: Wiley, 2006).
- When America Was Great: The Fighting Faith of Liberalism in Post-War America (New York: Routledge, 2004; reissued as 2nd edition paperback with new preface in 2006).
- Engaging Youth: Combating the Apathy of Young Americans toward Politics (New York: Century Foundation, 2003).
- I ntellectuals in Action: The Origins of the New Left and Radical Liberalism, 1945-70 (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002).
- Creating a Democratic Public: The Struggle for Urban Participatory Democracy During the Progressive Era (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998).
Edited Books
- Liberalism for a New Century , co-edited with Neil Jumonville, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007).
- Steal This University!: The Rise of the Corporate University and the Academic Labor Movement , co-edited with Benjamin Johnson and Patrick Kavanagh (New York: Routledge, 2003).
- Democracy’s Moment: Reforming the American Political System for the 21 st Century , co-edited with Ronald Hayduk (Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002).