Kyle Thompson

About Kyle Thompson

Dr. Kyle Thompson is the Director of the School of History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences and professor of history at PSU. Thompson received a PhD in Scottish history from the University of Edinburgh in 2012. Before that, he earned his undergraduate degree at Rogers State University and his master’s degree here at Pitt State. He teaches a variety of undergraduate courses including World History surveys and Modern Europe, but the majority cover British History. He also teaches graduate seminars covering Modern Britain and Ireland since 1800 and directs MA students researching Modern British political and social history.

Dr. Thompson’s primary research is in late-Victorian and Edwardian political history and he has focused on political identity and local politics. He is interested in the interplay between candidates and their constituents and the way they both navigated politics and influenced each other. His current research project looks at English Liberal carpetbaggers in Scotland from Gladstone’s arrival in 1880 to the Great War. This will speak to the relationship between England and Scotland and address Liberal politics and political identity during the late-Victorian and Edwardian eras. Beyond this, he is interested in modern Scottish political history, particularly devolution, the Scottish Independence debate, and Brexit, all of which deal with local politics and political identity.

Outside the classroom Dr. Thompson enjoys spending time with his wife and son, watching and coaching soccer, and traveling. He has visited 49 countries so far and has combined his love of traveling and passion for history to lead study abroad trips to Scotland and Ireland.

Education

  • Ph.D., Scottish History, University of Edinburgh, November 2012
  • M.A. History, Pittsburg State University, May 2007
  • B.S. History & Political Science, Rogers State University, May 2005

Courses Taught

  • HIST-542 Jack the Ripper and Victorian Crime
  • HIST-642 Britain to 1688
  • HIST-643 Britain since 1688
  • HIST-646 Modern Scotland
  • HIST-648 Modern Britain
  • HIST-820 Victorian Politics
  • HIST-820 Post War Britain

Teaching Emphasis

  • British and Irish History
  • Modern Scotland

Areas of Interest

  • Victorian & Edwardian Politics
  • Political Associations and Pressure Groups
  • Parliamentary Reform
  • Modern Scotland

Publications

Articles

  • “Edinburgh’s Local Liberal Party and the Political Crises of 1885–6.” Parliamentary History 41, no. 3 (October 2022): 435–62.
  • “Brexit, Scotland, and the Continuing Divergence of Politics.” Midwest Quarterly 60, no. 2 (January 2019)
  • “Defining Liberalism: The First Home Rule Crisis in the Scottish Capital.” Innes Review 67, no. 1 (May 2016): 6–30.

Book Reviews

  • “Churchill’s Legacy in Scotland.” Cheers, Mr Churchill! Winston in Scotland, by Andrew Liddle, Journal of Scottish Historical Studies, (Nov 2024): 122–5
  • Those Bloody Kilts: The Highland Soldier in the Great War, by Thomas Greenshields, Journal for the Society for Army Historical Research, (May 2021): 224–5

Selected Presentations

  • “The Young Scots and English carpetbaggers”, Histories of Scottish Politics in the Age of Union, c.1700-1945, Durham, UK, July 2024
  • “The Young Scots and political identity”, Britain and the World Conference, Winchester, UK, June 2024
  • “‘The almost godlike worship’”: Gladstone, Edinburgh, and the Young Scots’ Society”, North American Conference on British Studies, Baltimore, MD, November 2023.
  • “The Struggle for the Future of Liberalism: Chamberlain vs. Goschen”, Western Conference on British Studies, Arlington, TX, September 2023.
  • “The Young Scots Society and Gladstone”, Organise! Collective Action, Associational Culture and the Politics of Organisation in Britain and Ireland, c.1790-1914, Durham, UK, July 2023
  • “Gladstone and Edinburgh”, Western Conference on British Studies, Salt Lake City, UT, 2019.
  • “English Carpetbaggers in Liberal Scotland: A Case Study of Edinburgh”, Scotland and Ireland Conference, University of St. Andrews, 2018.
  • “Brexit, Scotland, and the Continuing Divergence of Politics”, Western Social Science Association, San Antonio, TX, 2018.
  • “The Effect of the Independence Referendum and Brexit on Scottish History” The Future of Scottish Studies in North America (roundtable), North American Conference on British Studies, Denver, CO, 2017.
  • “Democracy and Home Rule: The Case for and against the Irish in Edinburgh”, American Conference for Irish Studies, Kansas City, MO, 2017.
  • “Brexit and Scotland: A Renewed Case for Independence”, Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies, Victoria, BC, 2017.
  • “Edinburgh’s Liberal Tradition and Irish Home Rule”, Scottish History Network Conference, Edinburgh, UK, 2016.
  • “Caucus and Party Politics in Edinburgh, 1885”, Scottish History Seminar Series, University of Edinburgh, 2012.

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

  • Mid-Career and Retired Scholars Bursary, Scottish Historical Review Trust, 2024
  • College of Arts & Sciences Excellence in Service award, Pittsburg State University, 2023
  • Faculty Independent Research Award, Pittsburg State University, 2023
  • Franklin Research Grant Fellowship, American Philosophical Society and Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, 2021
  • Faculty Research Summer Fellowship, Pittsburg State University, 2019
  • Outstanding Emerging Scholar Award, Western Social Science Association, 2018
  • Summer Teaching Innovation Grant, Pittsburg State University, 2016
Kyle Thompson
Dr. Kyle Thompson
Director of School of HPSS/Professor of History/British History; Modern Scotland

Phone: (620) 235-4324

Office: 412 F Russ Hall

E-mail Kyle Thompson