Gerald Zahavi

Gerald Zahavi is a Professor of History and Director of the Documentary Studies Program at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where he has served since 1985. His academic journey began with a BA in European Intellectual History from Cornell University, followed by MA and PhD in Modern U.S. Social and Labor History from Syracuse University's Maxwell School.

• PhD, Modern U.S. Social and Labor History, Syracuse University (1983)
• MA, Modern European Social and Cultural History, Syracuse University (1978)
• BA, European Intellectual History, Cornell University (1973)
• Certificate in Documentary Film Production, Maine Media Workshops (2005)
• Certificate in Digital Video Editing, Maine Media Workshops (2007)

Zahavi's research spans welfare capitalism, labor and political radicalism in modern America, Cold War science and politics, and documentary/aural history. His work bridges academic scholarship with public engagement through film, radio, and museum curation. He specializes in the history of General Electric, American communism, and New York State labor history, employing interdisciplinary methods that combine traditional historical analysis with multimedia production.

His publications reveal a trajectory from early work on Endicott Johnson's welfare capitalism to contemporary projects on corporate culture, Cold War science, and regional communism. Articles and documentaries consistently explore intersections of labor, ideology, and community, with particular attention to oral history methodologies and multimedia presentation.

• Syracuse University Doctoral Prize (1984)
• Frederick C. Luebke Award for best article in The Great Plains Quarterly (1996)
• Western History Association's Ray Allen Billington Award (1997)

Zahavi has advised numerous graduate students in public history and documentary studies while securing funding for projects like Talking History and museum exhibits. His grants include support from Humanities Montana and institutional funding for multimedia history initiatives. As Executive Committee member of the Essex County Historical Society & Adirondack History Museum, he directs oral history projects and curates exhibits on regional topics like Adirondack fishing and suffragist movements.

His laboratory is the Documentary Studies Program, which includes radio production facilities, film editing suites, and oral history archives. Current team projects include multimedia histories of General Electric, Cold War science, and regional communism, featuring collaborations with historians, filmmakers, and community partners across New York State.