Mark R. Wilson

Mark R. Wilson is a Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, affiliated with the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (CHESS). His research focuses on military-industrial relations, US war mobilization, and the historical intersections of capitalism and military strategy. He holds a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program (2022-24) supporting his work on the military-industrial complex's evolution from the 1950s to the 21st century.

Wilson's scholarship spans the Civil War era to contemporary military-industrial dynamics. He authored Destructive Creation: American Business and the Winning of World War II (2016), which won the Hagley Prize and the Ralph Gomory Prize, and co-edited The Military and the Market (2022). His work bridges military history, business history, and policy analysis, often engaging with modern crises like climate change and pandemic response through historical lenses.

Media contributions include articles in Politico Magazine (e.g., 'Vaccine Manufacturers Are Profiteering. History Shows How to Stop Them,' 2021) and collaborations with figures like Bill McKibben. He maintains an active blog (complexhistories.wordpress.com) and a podcast series hosted by the Gotham Center.

His research emphasizes the military's entanglement with market structures, from labor systems to regulatory frameworks, offering policymakers historical insights for modern challenges. Grants and awards reflect recognition of his interdisciplinary approach to understanding the military's economic roles across US history.