Dr. Matthew Lassiter

Biography

Matthew D. Lassiter is a Professor of History at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning as well as a professor of history in the College of Literature, Science, and Arts. His research primarily focuses on the political and social history of suburban America and public policy. He is the author of the book 'Silent Majority: Suburban Politics in the Sunbelt South' (Princeton University Press, 2006), which received the 2007 Lillian Smith Award from the Southern Regional Council. Additionally, he wrote the article 'The Suburban Origins of 'Color-Blind' Conservatism: Middle-Class Consciousness in the Charlotte Busing Crisis', published in the Journal of Urban History and included in 'American History Essays' (2006, Palgrave). He has co-edited multiple works, including 'Myth of Southern Exceptionalism' (Oxford University Press, 2009) and 'The Moderates’ Dilemma: Massive Resistance to School Desegregation in Virginia' (University of Virginia Press, 1998). Lassiter's current book project is titled 'Suburban Crisis: The Pursuit and Defense of the American Dream'.

Research Interests