Elizabeth Nelson

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Associate Professor of History
Graduate Coordinator, Department of History
Expertise: 19th-Century Popular Culture, Civil War and Reconstruction, U.S. Cultural History, Antebellum America, Food History, Historical Evolution of Marketing and Advertising

Biography

Elizabeth Nelson is an associate professor of history who specializes in pop culture and advertising in the 19th century, as well as food history.

Her research areas include American history on the National Period; the Civil War and Reconstruction; 19th-century cultural and intellectual history; cultural theory; and the relationship between political economy, domestic economy and national identity in the antebellum United States.

Nelson, who has taught courses at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ since 1996, is the author of Market Sentiments: Middle-Class Market Culture in 19th-Century America (Smithsonian Books, 2004), as well as a contributor to The Middling Sorts: Explorations in the History of the American Middle Class (Routledge, 2000).

Education

  • Ph.D., American Studies, Yale University
  • M. Phil, American Studies, Yale University
  • M.A ., American Studies, Yale University
  • A.B ., The Growth and Structure of Cities, Bryn Mawr College

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arts & culture, food & nutrition, history, popular culture

Elizabeth Nelson In The News

Snopes
For years, a rumor has circulated that greeting card companies invented Valentine's Day, which falls yearly on Feb. 14.
C.B.S. News
The history of Valentine's Day is mushy. It's been linked to a 12th-century poem about birds mating, the Christian-martyr-turned-Saint Valentine and a deadly fertility ritual in ancient Rome, but Elizabeth Nelson, an associate professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, thinks that's all a stretch.
Associated Press
Bearing cards, flowers, chocolates and poetry, lovers have always swooned on Valentine’s Day as cherubs circled overhead. Right? Or is the history darker, marked by Roman bacchanalia, martyrs and lies?
Today
For some Americans, Christmas is a 365 days-a-year obsession. For millions of others, the yuletide season is a cherished annual occurrence, comprising festive meals, gift exchanges, church services, community service, and, of course, a Christmas tree. Or perhaps you’re not a Christian spiritual believer but just enjoy celebrating Christmas in a secular way, such as through decorating your home and gift-giving, and you’re just curious to learn more about its religious roots. Regardless, there’s no denying that countless people would describe Christmas as the most wonderful time of the year.
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