Kevin Mattson

Distinguished University Professor and Connor Study Professor of Contemporary History
Bentley Annex
email address
mattson@ohio.edu
Recent News (opens in a new window)
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 (opens in a new window) (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020).
- “Just Plain Dick”: Richard Nixon’s Checkers Speech and the “Rocking, Socking” Election of 1952 (opens in a new window) (New York: Bloomsbury, 2012).
- The Cause: A History of Postwar Liberalism (opens in a new window), 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 (opens in a new window) (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 (opens in a new window) (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 (opens in a new window) (New York: Wiley, 2006).
- When America Was Great: The Fighting Faith of Liberalism in Post-War America (opens in a new window) (New York: Routledge, 2004; reissued as 2nd edition paperback with new preface in 2006).
- Engaging Youth: Combating the Apathy of Young Americans toward Politics (opens in a new window) (New York: Century Foundation, 2003).
- Intellectuals in Action: The Origins of the New Left and Radical Liberalism, 1945-70 (opens in a new window) (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002).
- Creating a Democratic Public: The Struggle for Urban Participatory Democracy During the Progressive Era (opens in a new window) (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998).
Edited Books
- Liberalism for a New Century (opens in a new window), 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 (opens in a new window), co-edited with Benjamin Johnson and Patrick Kavanagh (New York: Routledge, 2003).
- Democracy’s Moment: Reforming the American Political System for the 21st Century (opens in a new window), co-edited with Ronald Hayduk (Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002).