Rebecca Scofield

Rebecca Scofield is an Associate Professor and Chair of American History at the University of Idaho. Her work focuses on gender, sexuality, and cultural contexts in American history, with a particular emphasis on the American West. She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from Harvard University, with a secondary field in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Her research explores topics such as the acrylic nail industry in Tokyo, Dolly Parton’s body politics, and LGBTQ+ communities in rodeo culture.

Education: Ph.D. in American Studies (2015), Harvard University; Secondary Field in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

Research Interests: Gender and sexuality studies, LGBTQ+ history, cultural performance, and marginalized communities. Her book Outriders: Rodeo at the Fringes of the American West (2019) examines how marginalized groups have used cowboy performance to assert national belonging. She leads the Gay Rodeo Oral History Project, collaborating with the International Gay Rodeo Association to document LGBTQ+ rodeo experiences through a digital exhibit.

Awards: 2019 Whiting Foundation Fellowship, supporting her oral history project and student training in methodology.

Advising & Grants: Trained five students in oral history methods through the Whiting Fellowship. Collaborates with community organizations like the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence and the Out West in the Rockies archives. Engages in educational outreach, integrating women’s suffrage history into K-12 curricula via the Idaho Humanities Council.

Labs/Teams: Director of the Gay Rodeo Oral History Project, partnering with the International Gay Rodeo Association.