Ben Keppel

Ben Keppel is a Professor in the Department of History at the University of Oklahoma, specializing in the political culture of the United States with emphasis on intersections between popular culture and political discourse in the 20th century.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. (1992) and M.A. (1986) from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a B.A. (1984, Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of California, Davis.

Keppel's research centers on 20th Century United States and African-American History, examining how cultural narratives shape political movements. His work explores desegregation, social scientific discourse in public spheres, policing in 1970s America, and the role of media in economic crises. He analyzes the transformation of public figures into cultural symbols and investigates how social science interacts with political assumptions.

His publications demonstrate consistent focus on civil rights, cultural politics, and the interplay between historical events and popular representation, spanning from mid-20th century race relations to contemporary analyses of cultural phenomena like Frank Capra's film interpretations.

Scientific Awards: None mentioned in source text.

Advising and Grants: No specific information regarding student advising, grant funding, or research projects beyond listed publications is provided in the available text.

He founded The Capra/Bailey Project in 2017, an experimental collaboration between OU’s Department of History and OU’s Digital Scholarship Lab, examining how Frank Capra’s "It’s a Wonderful Life" reflects American responses to the Great Depression and Great Recession through cultural analysis of economic crises.