Josh Wilson

Joshua C Wilson

Professor

What I do

Professor of Political Science

Specialization(s)

American Politics, Law & Society, Abortion Politics, Modern American Conservatism

Professional Biography

Professor Wilson's research, publications, and teaching concern the varying abilities of political and social movements to use law--broadly defined--in the pursuit of political ends. He has a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence & Social Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently the Associate Editor (and former Editor in Chief) for Law & Policy, an interdisciplinary peer reviewed academic journal.

Degree(s)

  • Ph.D., Jurisprudence & Social Policy, University of California, Bekeley, 2006

Professional Affiliations

  • Law & Society Association

Media Sources

Research

Professor Wilson's research and publications concern the varying abilities of conservative political and social movements to use law--broadly defined--in the pursuit of political ends.
He is the author of three books: Separate but Faithful: The Christian Right's Radical Struggle to Transform Law & Legal Culture (Oxford University Press: 2020, co-authored with Prof. Amanda Hollis-Brusky, Pomona College and funded with grant support from the National Science Foundation); The New States of Abortion Politics (Stanford University Press: 2016); The Street Politics of Abortion: Speech, Violence, and America's Culture Wars (Stanford University Press: 2013). His academic work has also been published in Law & Society Review, Law & Social Inquiry, Law & Policy, Publius: The Journal of Federalism, and Studies in Law, Politics, & Society.
His research has been discussed in The New York Times, Politico, The Atlantic, Reuters, FiveThirtyEight.com, US News & World Report, The Boston Globe, TIME, Bloomberg News, CQ Roll Call, The Guardian (UK), Macleans (CAN), on NPR & PRI, and elsewhere.
Finally, related popular media pieces that he has authored have been placed in Newsweek, Politico, The Washington Post's Monkey Cage, The Christian Science Monitor, The Hill, NBC News' THINK, TIME, The Pacific Standard, and elsewhere.
For more on his research and writing in all areas, please see https://joshuacwilson.com.

Areas of Research

American politics
law & social movements
abortion politics
American conservatism
law & society

Key Projects

  • Collaborative Research: The Efficacy of Support Structures for Legal Mobilization

Featured Publications

Hollis-Brusky, A., & Wilson, J. C. (2020). Separate but faithful: The Christian right's radical struggle to transform law and legal culture. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Wilson, J. C. (2016). The New States of Abortion Politics. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Wilson, J. C. (2013). The Street Politics of Abortion: Speech, Violence, and America's Culture Wars. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Presentations

Wilson, J. C., & Gash, A. (2022). Courting the Technical: Judges, Expertise, & the Christian Right. Law & Society Association Annual Meeting. Lisbon, Portugal: Law & Society Association .
Wilson, J. C. (2022). From Russia to Colorado: Why an Independent Judiciary is Important to the Survival of Democrac. Colorado Judicial Institute Member Breakfast. Denver, CO: Colorado Judicial Institute.
Wilson, J. C. (2021). Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization: The Future of Roe and Supreme Court Legitimacy, . Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization: The Future of Roe and Supreme Court Legitimacy. University of Massachusetts, Amherst (virtual): Center for Justice, Law, & Societies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Awards

  • Honorable Mention recipient for Hubert Morken Best Book in Religion and Politics Award, American Political Science Association’s Religion and American Politics Section