Nelson Lichtenstein

Nelson Lichtenstein is a Research Professor in the Department of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He directs the Center for the Study of Work, Labor, and Democracy. With a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (1974), he has held academic positions at Catholic University of America, University of Virginia, and joined UCSB in 2001. His research focuses on U.S. labor history, 20th-century social thought, and political economy.

• Education: B.A., Dartmouth College (1966); Ph.D., UC Berkeley (1974)

His work examines labor movements, corporate power, and the intersection of labor rights with democratic institutions. Recent projects include analyzing contemporary labor struggles at Starbucks, Amazon, and the UAW, emphasizing how historical precedents inform modern organizing strategies. He is completing a book arguing for labor's vital role in democracy's preservation.

Publications span over 18 authored/edited books including State of the Union and A Fabulous Failure: The Clinton Presidency. His writing appears in New York Times, Jacobin, and academic journals. Awards include the Sidney Hillman Foundation's Sol Stetin Award (2012) for lifetime achievement in labor history.

• Awards: Society of American Historians membership (2008), Fulbright Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship

Lichtenstein advises 9 graduate students and teaches courses on labor history, the New Deal, and contemporary capitalism. He frequently engages media for commentary on strikes, union strategies, and labor policy.