Raymond Mitchell

Research Interests

I am a fifth-year PhD candidate and former graduate assistant lecturer whose broad area of interest is the humanity, or more often the inhumanity, in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century United States history; more precisely the ways in which we have treated those less fortunate in society, and why we, both individually and collectively, made the choices to do so. I focus not only on our behavior in relation to immigration, gender, race, and sexuality – and their intertwining with nativism and xenophobia - but also our response to opposing civilizations during times of war. My secondary interest lies in the impact of war on society, culture, and the environment (and vice-versa), primarily from the period of the American Civil War to World War II.

I am currently a full-time instructor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, with an expected defense and graduation from Texas A&M in the fall of 2024.

My dissertation examines the personal experiences, perceptions, and reactions of Civil War prisoners of war to their environment, as well as the impact of comradery, group identity, and unit cohesion on rates of survival. This project also includes case studies into selected regiments as to their post-war experiences and possible early forms of PTSD related to incarceration.

 Areas of Speciality

• 19th-Century U.S.

• 20th Century U.S.