Dr. Megan Scallan holds a Ph.D. in Atlantic History from Florida International University; an M.A. in History from the University of Alabama in Huntsville; a Graduate Certificate in Museum Collections and Preservation Care from George Washington University; a Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University; and a B.A. in History and Art History from the University of North Florida. Her expertise spans material and visual culture; gender and sexuality; and the intersections of race and politics. She has presented in the United States and Europe, including at the American Historical Association and the Bavarian American Academy.
Scallan’s research uses goods, objects, and the built environment as historical evidence to illuminate how people buy, trade, and live their everyday lives. Her M.A. thesis and Ph.D. dissertation examine how patriotic imagery, symbols, and media shape political attitudes, influence public opinion, and cultivate collective consciousness. By tracing how images are produced, circulated, consumed, and interpreted, she shows how individuals and communities forged and sustained a shared—often diffuse—sense of national identity across emerging regional differences, varied cultural traditions, and diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds.
