Jessica Ann Levy

What are your research interests?

I am broadly interested in the history of the United States and the world during the 20th and 21st centuries with a focus on corporate diplomacy, racial politics, decolonization, and American power. My first book, Black Power, Inc.: Corporate America and the Rise of Multinational Empowerment Politics (Penn Press, 2026), traces the rise of black empowerment--an intellectual and political movement promoting private enterprise as the key to black liberation--from the 1960s to the early 2000s in the US and sub-Saharan Africa. I am currently in the early stages of working on a new project tracing the history of General Motors overseas operations and the intersections between globalized automobile manufacturing and postcolonial worldmaking in the long twentieth century.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

This fall I will be teaching Big Dreams, Big Bucks, Big Trouble; US and the Modern World; Corporations and Empire.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them?

Bachelor of Arts in History (Emory University); Master of Arts in Social Science (The University of Chicago); Master of Arts in History (Johns Hopkins University); Ph.D. in History (Johns Hopkins University)

What was your previous institution?

I previously served as an Assistant Professor of History at Purchase College, State University of New York.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

One of my favorite things about teaching is the opportunity to connect with students surrounding things they are passionate about. Teaching history opens the door to countless different topics and issues. One can study the history of almost anything, from the civil rights movement to the history of the internet, and so much in between. History is also great for asking big questions (e.g. who are we as a nation? how did we get here?), while also being a subject that is deeply personal.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Lehigh is, in many ways, an ideal fit for my scholarly and teaching interests. The history program's focus on transnational history mirrors my own approach to studying US history, wherein I frequently research and teach courses that push against the traditional national frame applied to studying the past. As a historian of US business and industry, I am excited about the opportunities to engage the rich history of industry and deindustrialization within the Lehigh Valley and its connections to various parts of the world. I grew up not far from Lehigh, in Maryland. My great-grandparents lived and owned a newsstand, Sherry's Newsstand in downtown Bethlehem, where my grandmother was born.