Matt Basso

Matt Basso is an Associate Professor of History and Gender Studies at The University of Utah. His research focuses on masculinity theory, labor history, race and ethnicity, military-society relationships, U.S. Western history, Pacific settler societies, and transnational history. He combines traditional scholarship with community-driven projects like digital archives and K-12 curriculum development.

Notable works include Meet Joe Copper (winner of major labor and historical awards) and World War II and the American Home Front, Volume 2 (2024). His We Shall Remain textbook and the Utah Indian Curriculum Project (UICP) received prestigious public history awards. Ongoing projects include a book on World War I-era Aotearoa/New Zealand, exploring settler masculinity.

• Awards: Philip Taft Award, Autry Public History Prize, multiple National Council on Public History recognitions
• Public History Initiatives: UICP’s 50,000-page digital archive, National Park Service collaborations

Teaching spans courses on masculinity, labor, Western history, and transnational themes. Advises students through public history projects integrating academic rigor with community engagement.