Political History Research

Political history tells the story of how political power has been apportioned and wielded among members of a society over time. Thus, the work of a number of Ohio University faculty recounts citizens' relationships to one another and to the government that purports to act on their behalf. It reveals the institutional context in which state officials, elected or otherwise, exercise authority, manage conflict, enact laws, administer public policies, distribute resources, regulate social or economic activity, and conduct foreign relations. But the focus of political history extends beyond elites to include political parties, interest groups, and social movements, and how they engage state officials. More detailed information about below-listed faculty can be found on their faculty biography pages.

Patrick Barr-Melej

• Latin America; Modern Period
• Chile
• Cultural Politics; Intellectual History

Michele Clouse

• Europe; Early Modern Period
• Spain
• Medicine; Legal History

David Curp

• Europe; Modern Period
• Poland
• Ethno-National Relations; Religious Life; Church-State Relations

Joshua Hill

• East Asia; Modern Period
• China
• Political Ideas and Ideals; U.S.-China Relations

Kevin Mattson

• United States; Twentieth Century
• Intellectual History; Culture and Politics

Paul C. Milazzo

• United States; Twentieth Century
• Environment; Congress

Chester Pach

• United States; Twentieth Century
• International; Politics, Media, and Popular Culture

Assan Sarr

• Africa; Late Eighteenth through Twentieth Centuries
• The Senegal and Gambia River Basin
• Agrarian Society; Islam; Oral History

Brian Schoen

• Atlantic World; Nineteenth Century
• United States
• State Craft; Political Economy

Ingo Trauschweizer

• Atlantic World; Modern Period
• United States and Germany
• War and the State; War and Culture