USM

Douglas Bristol, Jr. is a historian of the African American experience, U.S. race relations, and War and Society with a focus on World War II. In 2002, he received his Ph.D. with distinction from the University of Maryland, where he studied under Ira Berlin.  In his teaching and research, he focuses on the beliefs, institutions, and strategies that ordinary Americans developed to exercise control over their lives. He joined the Southern Miss history faculty in 2003, where he is a Fellow of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society.  The Smithsonian, Duke University, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library have awarded him post-doctoral fellowships.  He is a member of the Editorial Board for the Quarterly Journal of the Army War College, Parameters and the 2021 President of the Gulf South Historical Association.  He has published two books: Knights of the Razor: Black Barbers in Slavery and Freedom and Integrating the U.S. Military: Race, Gender, and Sexuality since World War II. His current book project is Behind the Front Lines: How Black GIs and WACs Helped Win World War II. Publications including the Christian Science Monitor and the New York Times along with the PBS documentary Boss: The Black Experience in Business have featured his interviews.