Elizabeth Nelson

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 UNLV 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

Search For Other Experts On

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

Elizabeth Nelson In The News

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.
Mint
Self-gifting soars, with half of U.S. adults single — and many others refusing to settle for dud presents.
Fox News
Self-gifting is on the rise as consumers enjoy the empowerment of treating themselves. ’I’ve been doing more solo dating.’

Articles Featuring Elizabeth Nelson

A UNLV student studies with the Strip in the distance.
Campus News | February 4, 2025

Headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

The Las Vegas strip as seen on Super Bowl weekend (Josh Hawkins/UNLV).
Campus News | March 1, 2024

A collection of news stories and highlights featuring UNLV students and faculty.

a teacher and student in a classroom
Campus News | March 7, 2022

A collection of news stories highlighting the experts and events at UNLV.

1910s woman sitting in vintage car with large cardboard heart that reads: Your Ad Here
Research | February 5, 2020

UNLV history professor Elizabeth Nelson separates facts about the effects of marketing, consumerism, and social media on the holiday's evolution from fiction about love's golden age.