James J. Kimble
Historian of Rhetoric & Propaganda, Author, Documentarian, Exhibition Curator, and Founding Editor of Home Front Studies.
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Research
James J. Kimble (PhD, University of Maryland) is Professor of Communication & the Arts at Seton Hall University (New Jersey, USA). He studies domestic propaganda, war rhetoric, and visual imagery. His research on the World War II era has reached a worldwide media audience of over 1.2 billion people in more than a dozen languages, and he is the founding editor of the academic journal Home Front Studies.
He is the author of Mobilizing the Home Front: War Bonds and Domestic Propaganda and Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II, as well as co-editor of The 10¢ War: Comic Books, Propaganda, and World War II and the writer and co-producer of the feature documentary Scrappers: How the Heartland Won World War II.
Dr. Kimble was also guest curator and catalogue editor for the Norman Rockwell Museum’s traveling exhibition, Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt & the Four Freedoms. His research has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the London Times, National Public Radio, Time magazine, People magazine, Smithsonian magazine, Politico magazine, The Conversation, and the television show Mysteries at the Museum.
Books
Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II
Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt, & The Four Freedoms Exhibition Catalog
Teaching
Dr. Kimble is passionate in helping students understand how history and persuasion are relevant to their lives and their role as citizens. Seton Hall honored his commitment by awarding him its President’s Award for Service to Students. Over the course of his career, Dr. Kimble has worked with a variety of diverse populations, including teaching as a Fulbright Scholar in Croatia and sharing his research in public lectures throughout the country and in multiple venues across the world.
His course portfolio to date includes: Communication Research; Communication Theory (Linguistic and Visual Theory sections); History of Rhetoric; Honors Colloquium on the Contemporary World; Intercultural Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Leadership Communication Strategies; Leadership Theory; Oral Communication; Persuasive Speaking; Rhetorical Criticism; Social Movements; University Signature I course (Journey of Transformation); and University Signature III course (Propaganda, Religion, & War).
Lecturing
Dr. Kimble is an engaging in-person and multimedia communicator. He has been invited to present his research at academic keynotes, major museums such as the Smithsonian, and local historical societies around the country. He is regularly interviewed by major media outlets such as PBS and the BBC.
Rockwell Museum Imagining Freedom Shorts
(Script writer)
Part of Rockwell, Roosevelt, & the Four Freedoms, a traveling tour exhibition organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum that traveled to seven cities across America and internationally to France between 2018 and 2021.
The Atlantic Charter - Hope for a New World
Norman Rockwell's "Four Freedoms"
Womanpower and the Fight for the Four Freedoms
The Visual Home Front Blog
Read articles about Dr. Kimble's emerging research on World War II propaganda and intersections with current events.
Contact
Contact Dr. Kimble about media appearances, research collaboration, or questions about his areas of expertise.