Wesley R. Bishop

Wesley R. Bishop serves as Assistant Professor of Public and American History in the Department of History and Foreign Languages at Jacksonville State University's College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, specializing in public history and social movement theory through the lens of public sphere dynamics.

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in American History from Purdue University (2018)
• MA in History of Social Movements and Labor from Indiana State University (2014)
• BA in History and Psychology from Ohio University (2009)

Dr. Bishop's research interrogates how social movements conceptualize "the public" and utilize public space for societal transformation, spanning historical analyses like 19th-century populist protests to contemporary digital activism. His scholarly output includes the monograph Coxey's Army: The Path of Protest from Populism to the New Deal, 1893-1936 examining populist reconceptualization of citizenship and federal relations, and the co-authored Liberating Fat Bodies: Social Media Censorship and Body Size Activism investigating censorship challenges faced by body-positive movements on digital platforms.

Professional recognition includes the Eugene V. Debs Fellowship at Indiana State University. He currently serves as Contact Person for Community and Public History at JSU and Founding Managing Editor of the North Meridian Review: A Journal of Culture and Scholarship.

Dr. Bishop teaches core history courses including American History I/II, Public History, Oral History, History of Alabama, and History of the US Presidency, while actively mentoring students in public history through museum internships and community memory projects.