Dr. Phillip D. Fox is an associate professor of history at Wayne State College. Prior to coming to Wayne State College, he taught as an assistant professor at Simpson University in Redding, Calif.
He has broad training in European and world history with a research focus on early modern Spain. He has received numerous awards and honors for both his teaching and research, including a Fulbright Research Grant for archival work in Spain during 2010-2011.
Dr. Fox teaches a wide variety of courses in world and European history from the ancient past through the 20th century. In his courses, Dr. Fox encourages students to cultivate their ability to do history, an action he believes is neither natural nor obvious, but that is nevertheless beneficial to its practitioners. Developing these skills prepares students for life both in the workplace and beyond it as an active citizen and member of society.
Dr. Fox is a member of the American Historical Association and the Association for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies.
Education
Ph.D. History, University of Kansas, 2014
M.A. History, University of Kansas, 2009
B.A. History, Hillsdale College, 2007
Academic Interests
Dr. Fox's research focuses on the intersection of politics, religion, and culture in early modern Spain. He has published articles in national and international journals and presented papers on these topics at academic gatherings in North America and Europe.
Dr. Fox recently completed his first book manuscript, entitled Forging Faithful Subjects: Dynastic State Formation in Early Modern Spain, which challenges models of state formation in the early modern world based on analysis of the practice of governing in 17th- and 18th-century Spain.
He is currently working on his second book manuscript, entitled Negotiating the Borders of Church and State in Bourbon Spain, 1700-1759. This project examines the way in which the War of Spanish Succession redefined the relationship between the Catholic church and the Spanish state and contributes to the literature on the Enlightenment and its impact on politics and religion.
