- 6057594475
Matthew Pehl
Texas Tech University, History, Faculty Member
- I am a historian of the United States and nonfiction filmmaker, with a particular interest in the history of work, po... moreI am a historian of the United States and nonfiction filmmaker, with a particular interest in the history of work, politics, gender, and religious cultures. I am the author of "The Making of Working-Class Religion" (Illinois, 2016) and a number of papers, reviews, and related writings. From 2009 to 2020, I taught history at Augustana University (SD), where I was the Orin M. Loftus Distinguished Professor. In the fall of 2023, I will begin a full-time position at Texas Tech University. In the spring of 2024, I completed an MA at the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism, part of the Missouri School of Journalism. My film, "Cowboy Strike," explores the cultural legacy of the 1883 cowboy strike in the Texas Panhandle, and won the Stacey Woelfel Award for Innovation in Journalism at the 2024 Stronger than Fiction Film Festival.edit
In 1883, cowboys in the Texas Panhandle responded to the rise of the first mega-ranches in dramatic fashion: they launched a strike. In investigating the story of this long-forgotten historical anecdote, a contemporary songwriter seeks to... more
In 1883, cowboys in the Texas Panhandle responded to the rise of the first mega-ranches in dramatic fashion: they launched a strike. In investigating the story of this long-forgotten historical anecdote, a contemporary songwriter seeks to pay tribute to the cowboys’ search for economic justice. In doing so, he must rethink the meaning of the mythic legacy of the American frontier.
Click the "File" tab to link to film
Click the "File" tab to link to film
Research Interests:
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This article explores the ways in which working class religion became entwined in the social and political debates surrounding World War II. It was published in the "Journal of American History" in September 2012.
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This extended encyclopedia entry was published in the "Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History" in 2018
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This essay was published in "The Pew and the Picket Line" (Illinois, 2016), eds. Cantwell, Drake, and Carter. It uses the experiences of the Detroit Industrial Mission to examine the way class shapes religious cultures and worldviews.
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This essay, scheduled to be published in the "Oxford Handbook of Midwestern History," examines the history and legacy of second-wave feminism in the Midwest
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This essay explores the history of the South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women in the 1970s and, in turn, the broader transformation of feminist politics in the upper Midwest. It will soon be published as a chapter in "The Plains... more
This essay explores the history of the South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women in the 1970s and, in turn, the broader transformation of feminist politics in the upper Midwest. It will soon be published as a chapter in "The Plains Political Tradition, Volume 3" (SD Historical Society Press).
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This essay, which explores the rise of "right-to-work" laws in South Dakota in the 1940s, was recently published in "The Plains Political Tradition, Volume 2" (SD State Historical Society Press)
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This essay explores the Prison Labor Code, created as part of the National Recovery Administration to standardize prison labor around the country. I argue that it was a hopeful but failed effort to create national "humane" standards of... more
This essay explores the Prison Labor Code, created as part of the National Recovery Administration to standardize prison labor around the country. I argue that it was a hopeful but failed effort to create national "humane" standards of prison labor.
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This review essay--an examination recent works of LGBT scholarship--was published in the Fall/Spring 2019/2020 issue of "Middle West Review"
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This review essay, published in Middle West Review in Fall 2018--examines recent literature on Midwestern universities during the 1960s.
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This review essay considers Robert Bussel's "Fighting for Total Person Unionism," Tula Connell's "Conservative Counterrevolution," and Kersten and Lang's anthology, "Reframing Randolph." It was published in Labour/La Travail
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My book examines Catholic, African American, and southern-bred white evangelical workers in 20th century Detroit. Check it out at this link.